We’re pleased to report that the Prince George’s shelter is working with more rescue groups, so the most adoptable dogs are moving quickly through the system. This means the shelter is able to hold and care for more of the injured dogs that end up there, but they could still use help.

Dogs with serious injuries that are picked up as strays are generally euthanized once their stray holds expire, while healthy dogs (especially the young ones) are almost immediately adopted. Because we have some foster families who have the time, space and funds to dedicate to the treatment and recovery of these injured dogs, we decided to step up and pull the neediest cases from the shelter. This way, we can have the most impact.

Over the past two years, we have fostered, healed and adopted out nearly a dozen dogs that came to us with a variety of serious health issues.
 

Lola is a 4-month-old redbone coonhound who was hit by a car and broke a leg.

Tiny Tim was a cruelty case. The 1-year-old yorkie/poodle mix had been tossed off a balcony and came to us with two broken legs.

When we took Trooper, a 2-year-old shiba inu, into our program, he had a broken leg. After a short time his leg healed and he got his cast off… only to jump off his foster’s basement stairs and break his other leg!

Cheyenne, a 10-month-old pit bull, fell off a balcony and broke her leg.

But it’s not just broken bones.

Elmo is a 1.5-year-old shih tzu stray that came into the shelter with stitches and drains in his chest from a prior surgery. They had become massively infected and he needed two additional surgeries to clear out the infection and the dead skin.

One-and-a-half-year-old Peanut will need surgery to repair a dislocated hip. We don’t know how the little terrier mix was hurt, but his injuries extend to a broken paw and a fractured pelvis. He will be in recovery for at least two months.

Other dogs in our foster program required more minor surgery. Sadie and Pepe, ages 1 and 10 respectively, had cherry eye, and we’ve taken in several dogs that were heartworm positive. If left untreated, this parasitic infection of the heart can be fatal. The treatment is a series of injections over three months, during which time the dog must be kept quiet and inactive.

We’ve also brought in some older dogs who came with a number of health issues. Mack, an 8-year-old beagle mix, was heartworm positive and needed dental work.

When 7-year-old boxer/lab mix Shadow came into our program, all four of his canine teeth were ground down to the gum line. They all were infected and had to be removed.

We take these ‘broken dogs’ into our program because they have little chance of being adopted as is from the shelter, since most people want a healthy pet to start with. We believe all they need – in addition to some TLC and medical care – is a second chance. We feel fortunate that we can provide that and put these animals on the road to a forever home.
Anyone interested in fostering may fill out an adoption application online at pgspca.org/adopt or request an application by emailing us at pgspcavol@gmail.com. When filling out the form, applicants should specify "foster".