Monday, April 4, 2011

Two Special Pooches, Saved by a Community of Dog-Lovers, in Memory of Shy/Khloe

Throughout this entire process, we have been astounded by the support and generosity of the online community who have all worked so hard to help Shy, the courageous special-needs pitbull, finally find her home, and we were ecstatic when we all worked together to raise the funds needed for the surgery to restore her eyesight. 
 In a sudden sad twist, we were all shocked to hear that Shy unexpectedly passed away just the day after we had raised the funds for her surgery.(If you haven't been following the story, you can read about it here).

 Through this tragedy, the online community agreed to use the funds raised and designated for Shy's surgery to save another courageous special-needs pitbull who might would have been overlooked because of their needs, and not have had a chance at life.
And in this case we were all able to save two!

Pooch #1:
 We first saw this clown-faced gal who was isolated in the medical wing. She has a broken leg (it was just taped up so she wouldn't walk on it) and a huge, painful chemical burn on her back:
The funny thing was, the medical wing was so quiet, as there were many sick and down-trodden dogs in there. But each time we passed by, all you heard was a tremendous "thump, thump, thump" of this pup's tail hitting against the cage. And it was this excitement and spirit from an obviously injured pup that reminded us so much of Heather's description of Shy:
Despite her horrible circumstances, she wagged her tail through the entire visit and smiled that adorable pit bull grin whenever anyone got near her. While in her kennel, she was quiet and obedient until someone approached her – then her tail would wag so hard against the stainless steel cage that it could almost be heard anywhere in the hospital. 
We thought this was a sign. We knew she didn't have a chance because her condition would be so expensive. So, we sprung her. Here she is making her getaway:
And she hasn't looked back:

Pooch #2:
While we were there, we kept hearing about a staff favorite who was languishing in the shelter environment. This gal was brought in as a stray, and is balding and missing so many chunks of hair that she almost looks spotted:
 She was beyond excited to meet us. And as we had passed so many rows of healthier-looking dogs and younger-looking puppies, we knew this nearly bald, black, pittie didn't stand much of a chance. So we took her too.
When the two pooches met on the side lawn, they took to one another instantly. It was almost like they were long-lost sisters:
These pooches were only saved because of the kindness and generosity of everyone involved, and we want to thank everyone for directly saving these lives and helping keep the memory of Shy's courageous pitbull spirit.We are also so greatful to Project Rescue, who despite being overbooked, has agreed to take the pooches into their rescue.
Right now the pooches are starting treatment, but they are also looking for foster homes. Unfortunately, Miss M doesn't do well with younger females for long periods of time (she doesn't like to share the attention), so we can't foster. But, if you are in Chicago and interested in fostering either one of the pups please let us know, or contact Project Rescue.
In terms of names...
We thought Shy/Khloe's family should name the pups, but we also thought it would be fun to take suggestions with Shy/Khloe's family having the final say. Any ideas on what to call these two special pups?
P.S.Did you also notice in this picture they were holding hands?

Update: In case we haven't said this enough, there are so many people to thank for making this happen. We have been lucky enough to be the "messengers" of this project, but there are really so many others to be credited with saving these lives: It all started with Heather who saw something special and courageous in Shy, then the kindness of the online dog community working together to donate time, products and funds. The young couple that adopted Shy and made her part of their family, and finally, we are very grateful for Project Rescue who took the pooches into their rescue and are coordinating vet visits, care, and adoption details.

53 comments:

MCM said...

Awesome!
XOXO.

Anonymous said...

Love the pics. Also love the 2-for-1 deal! Good luck to both pups.

How Sam Sees It said...

We thoroughly applaud your decision! What an awesome way to remember Sky/Kloe!

Sam

Unknown said...

Love that you were able to spring out 2!! They are both so beautiful and deserving. And, I LOVE that they are holding hands!

Unknown said...

YAY!!!!! We are so happy that you were able to get these 2 pretty pups! Oh & that they are loving each other already :)Great job!!!

Brenda said...

I'm sitting here at my computer crying. You guys are amazing.

The Heartbeats said...

Two little CUTIES!!!

Mamma Heartbeat

jet said...

yeah I noticed them holding hands - they are adorable... :D I hope that they both heal up well and find loving homes.

HoundDogMom said...

Great News and so excited that Shy/Khloe's memory will live on with these two. They are so cute and I did notice right away that they were holding paws. Great Job! Sniffs, The HoundDogs

Anonymous said...

see? magic happens when animal rescue people get together and inspire each other. cheers, to the first day of a happy life for these two little girls.

aleksandra

ps- do you think we are somehow drawn to dogs that look like our own? we joke about how all of our fosters are white-with-brown-patches pit mixes; you guys seem to be drawn to the dark-with-white variety.

jen said...

What wonderful pooches! I love the last picture that is just perfect!
You are wonderful to do this, words just can't describe it!

lindsay said...

Such a wonderful story and so great you were able to help two!!!! We have two black and white foster pups right now names Emma and ellie....what a wonderful tribute to shy/khloe!

Anonymous said...

Amazing! Two beautiful girls who are so very lucky to have been spotted by you.

Kate said...

YAY! I'm so glad these two got pulled! It's wonderful that the funds you raised will be able to towards their care. What you guys did is so so amazing. It's just awesome.

houndstooth said...

What a beautiful little pair of girls! I can already see the true dog inside shining out. Perhaps Lucky or Hope would be a good name for one of them. I think you made great picks to honor Khloe's memory!

Sirius Republic said...

Here we go, beautiful pups, the beginning of recovery and a wonderful life! Great job Amy and Heather and everyone who contributed/supported Shy/Khloe!

brooke said...

Two very lucky girls! And so cute! And they are very similar looking to Miss M and Mr B!
That chemical burn made me wince... do you know the back story on it?
And poor pup with the bald spots!

Instead of giving them names like, lucky, or hope, or chance, it'd be fun to name them with names that sound similar to Shy and Khloe... Kai and Zoey.

ForPetsSake said...

Tears of joy here!! I'm so glad there was enough to pull both of them - you made great selections, although the prospect of freeing less than all of them must have been really hard on you. These 2 are precious and I'm so glad they get along - wouldn't it be great if they could be adopted together? For names - Phoenix and April?

ForPetsSake said...

Ooh- nevermind "April". I love Houndstooth's "Hope" :)

Antoinette Errante said...

How about Shy and Khloe? A nod to their spirit guide! Or maybe Diana and Athena, two powerful goddesses? They are beautiful. I missed the contributions for Shy. Are you still taking donations? Would it help to support Project Rescue?

They are beautiful girls.

Trissi_V said...

This is outstanding!!! 2 puppies will now have an opportunity to get healthy and find their "furever" homes. :-) This is a nice Monday surprise, two happy puppy faces (they are WAY too cute holding paws).

Naming them won't be an easy task, but I can already see the nicknames "Baby" or "Baby Girl" in their future. :-)

Two Pitties in the City said...

Hey Everyone--
We are so excited to be the 'messenger' of this news, but we wanted to be clear on who has actually been working to save these pooches: it all started with Heather who saw something special and courageous in Shy, then the kindness of the online dog community working together to donate time, products and funds. The young couple that adopted Shy and made her part of their family, and finally, we are very grateful for Project Rescue who has taken the pooches into their rescue and is coordinating vet visits, care, and adoption details. Like Aleksandra said earlier, "Magic happens when rescue people get together and inspire eachother".

Anonymous said...

You know, I have walked into the dreaded "back room" dozens of times and seen the worst humans can dish out to a dog, without batting an eye - and yet this reduced me to tears this morning.

Good for you, and your wonderful readers for donating to save them. I can't wait to see the "after" pictures.

Mary said...

This is so amazing, I'm getting tears in my eyes. What beautiful pups that will grow even more beautiful when they are healthy. It's amazing how resilient dogs can be. I can only imagine how happy these two will be once they find their forever families.

You may only call yourselves the messengers, but you were instrumental in raising the money to save these dogs' lives. It might take a team, but every role is critical! Thank you and your team for giving these two neglected dogs a second chance.

Unknown said...

Amazingly amazing! Thank you for rescuing these beautiful girls!!!! I am sobbing at this point, but in joy. Please keep us updated on how they do. (((hug)))

Daisy Dog said...

YES!!! Tears of joy! We are so happy!! This pitbull community is amazing! Thank you for all you do. Keep us posted on these 2 lovely ladies!!

h(eather) said...

Cool! I saw PR with these kids at the pittie party.

Love the community effort involved, great job to everyone!

Kari in Alaska said...

How awesome that you could save two!

As for names... hmmm we like Piper and Bella :)

Kari
http://dogisgodinreverse.com

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

What sweet, sweet little ladies! How awesome that being able to rescue these two came from such a tragedy. Hears to a new life for some adorable pitties.

Kitty+Coco said...

This has just made our day better (Kitty was diagnosed with Glaucoma today). These two pitties seem very deserving. It is so sweet how they have connected with one another. We can just imagine all of the girl talk going on..
How about Laverne and Shirley? or Lucy and Ethel? Just a thought.

Kitty and Coco

A Confessed Pit Bull Addict said...

Thank goodness you finally sprung the story! I've been checking every day to get a glimpse of their sweet faces again!

Two French Bulldogs said...

what a great story
Benny & Lily

Shauna (Fido and Wino) said...

What an incredible journey- these pups are gorgeous, they are going to have great lives :)

Well done to all of you :)

Felicity said...

My name suggestions are Maude and Eliza. Maude for the little sweetie with the broken leg and Eliza for the beautiful dignified pittie who I just want to kiss better.

Tucker The Crestie said...

Such beautiful girls - I can't believe you were able to save two dogs - that is just fantastic!!!!

For names - I sort of like the idea of choosing one S name for Shy and one K name, for Khloe. Here are my picks:

Sasha - defender of humankind
Sadhana - devoted
Sadiya - lucky
Sakara - sweet
Samira - entertaining companion

Karleigh - strong, courageous
Katelyn - pure & beautiful
Kayci - brave
Keyko - adored, beloved
Keisha - precious
Kichi - fortunate

I like Sasha and Karleigh the best, I think.

OG said...

What a mitzvah! That's great. And Maude is a great name!

Sarah said...

Thank you for being the messenger! Rescue takes a whole lot of people all working towards the same goal and you brought a lot of people together. Hooray for being able to save two adorable pitties - you can tell these gals will be wonderful pets to some lucky families. All they needed was a chance!

Two Pitties in the City said...

They think the first girl was likely hit by a car (the chemical burn having something to do with the car). The second girl has demodex mange, so her hair should be able to grow back. They have another vet visit coming up, but we'll keep everyone updated as they progress.

Two Grad Students and a Pittie said...

ok dental student is mad that i made him cry so early in the morning with this post. we are sooo excited for these pup girls!

i was thinking the same thing as love and a leash - i find myself always looking at pups that look like havi.

great idea naming one an "S" name and one a "K" name, like Tucker said.

were a little confused, where are they now? did we miss something?

www.twogradstudentsandapittie.blogspot.com

Susan Campisi said...

Wonderful news! You guys are great messengers. These two soul sisters look like they might be distant cousins of Mr. B. I'm sure these two pups will find amazing homes with the great group of rescuers looking out for them.

As for names... Lizzie and Taylor?

Olivia said...

I'm tearing up. :o) So happy these sweet babies are getting a chance at happiness. :o)

kissa-bull said...

wow . . .our mommish has the waterworks on. both ladies look so pibble perfect we just know they will find their forever homes very soon. we know first hand how awesome and generous and big hearted this doggie community can be what wiff the shelby being saved especially thanks to blogsville. its amazing what love for animals and a kind heart can do. little by little we can make a diffrence i think

Barbara said...

I am so happy that two lives will be enriched after this awful turn of events. Shy and Khloe were here for a purpose, weren't they?

Two Pitties in the City said...

Two Grad Students and a Pittie: The pooches have been pulled from the city shelter and are now resting at a doggy daycare. They also have kennel cough so they are recovering and separated from other dogs. They are receiving vet care and will be available for adoption. We're hoping to find them foster homes so they can rest and recover as they search for their adoptive families.

Two Pitties in the City said...

Antoinette--The pooches actually have their 3rd vet visit today, but at this time they're not sure what the vet costs are going to be overall. If you would like to contribute to Project Rescue, the funds would either help the pooches, or if the funds are already covered, it would help fund another dog in the rescue so they can continue this type of work.

Antoinette Errante said...

Thanks. Either way sounds good to me!

Me said...

Thank you for doing what you do!

Name-wise: The cutie with the burns looks like a "Gretel" to me, and her beautiful mangey new sis looks like a "Loraine".


Again, you're a pittie superhero!

Road Dog Tales said...

Oh, this is so sweet! Mom's crying on the keyboard but we're pretty sure they're happy tears! We kinda hope these two gals get to stay together in their new forever home which we know they will find soon.

The Road Dogs

Road Dog Tales said...

Oh, yeah, we kinda like the name Skylar for one - 'cause when we see "Shy/Khloe" that's what pops into our heads.

The Road Dogs

Maisie's Mom said...

OMG, the holding hands (paws?) pic is just so perfect. like they know they are embarking on a big great journey together. what a great way to honor little S/K!

http://maisieme.blogspot.com/

the booker man said...

how great that you were able to pull 2 dogs! both those girls look so sweet. it would be great if they could be adopted together since they already seem attached to each other!

the booker man and asa's mama

Malu'sMom said...

This is so awesome! You guys all need to be commended for the great work you do in helping these poor souls!! Kudos to you! I just know these 2 little beauties will find a great home.

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