05/09/13: ADOPTED!

 

02/01/2013: Adoption still pending

 

05/28/12: Adoption Pending

 

03/22/12: no longer accepting applications

 

 

03/08/2012: Saved From Death In The Nick Of Time

We received an email from a kind woman named Kayla who volunteers with a rescue group in North Carolina. She went to a small rural shelter to pick up puppies for the Rescue and discovered two emaciated boxers who were scheduled to be killed the next morning. The female boxer was skin and bones and her overall condition showed extreme neglect. The male, in addition to being grossly underweight, had a terrible scar around his neck (indicative of a tight collar that grows into the skin) and other old injuries which may have been caused by dog bites. She was told they were surrendered together because their home had too many dogs.

Kayla saw that these two boxers were in very poor condition, and obviously had a harsh life, but they were affectionate and loving. Thankfully, this compassionate volunteer went 'out on a limb' and stepped in to save the dogs before securing a Rescue to take them. She said.... “These poor dogs broke my heart. They have clearly been through hell but all they wanted to do was crawl into your lap.” We were compelled to assist in her effort to get them to safety. THANK YOU Kayla.

We have named these wonderful boxers Dempsey and Lonna. They were immediately taken to a veterinarian to receive an exam, inoculations, blood work, and were dewormed. Surprisingly they are both heartworm negative. The vet thought that despite being emaciated they were in relatively good health. Lonna only weighed 31 pounds and was estimated to be 1-2 years old; Dempsey weighed 40 pounds and was estimated to be 2-3 years old. Both are about 15 pounds underweight. Dempsey was able to be neutered but Lonna was considered too malnourished to undergo spay surgery. They have been started on heartworm and flea prevention.

Transporting Dempsey and Lonna from North Carolina to their foster home in New Jersey was a true labor of love. Eleven incredible people volunteered their time to help these dogs on their journey to a better life. A compassionate woman named Sheri did her magic to organize the trip and she and Lisa made sure the transport went smoothly throughout the day. Nine generous drivers (with assistants) gave up their time and paid their own fuel costs to relay the dogs over 695 miles. One person even drove a total of 6 hours for her leg of the trip (a big Thank You to Teena). All of the drivers loved Dempsey and Lonna and EVERYONE commented that they were both incredibly sweet, affectionate, and loving to each other and to people The dogs were wonderful travelers and obviously relished the love and attention that was freely given; undoubtedly more care in one day than they had seen in their entire lives. A typical comment was that 'although the dogs are in rough shape, they are among the happiest doggie's I've ever met'.

Dempsey and Lonna were separated at the shelter and they are overjoyed to be back together again. They obviously love each other and we will be placing them as a pair. They are friendly with other dogs and do not mind cats. Lonna walks calmly on a leash, however Dempsey needs a little coaxing not to pull. Both of them are extremely friendly with people and are such nice dogs. They are ever so grateful and are so happy to be getting much needed care. They love to be cuddled and snuggled and to get as much attention as possible from their attentive foster mom. They are being fed small nutritious meals every 4 hours until they reach their ideal weight.

We think the words of one of the volunteers named Kat who transported Dempsey and Lonna echo all of our thoughts:

"I want to thank everyone for their efforts and to say how grateful I am that Lonna and Dempsey are now safe and on the road to a happily ever after. Both were in pretty bad shape physically. As everyone on the transport could see, poor Dempsey's body really shows the signs of past physical abuse and both show they've been neglected. But no heartless human has dampened their spirits. They were both so joyful that I wanted to laugh and cry at the same time - truthfully, I did. Their hopeful, loving spirits reminded me that good can still triumph.”

Dempsey and Lonna are finally enjoying the good life that every dog deserves.

Below is the initial report from Dempsey and Lonna's foster mom:

"What an unexpected and wonderful surprise when I received a phone call on Saturday asking if I could foster two boxers who were in desperate need. They had been surrendered to a high kill shelter in NC that only keep animals for a short time and these two boxers had met the time limit. I was willing to foster them and they started their trip from NC to NJ.
I did not know what to expect, but Dempsey and Lonna are the sweetest most friendly boxers I have met in quite a while. They are very emaciated. Lonna the 1-2 yr old female is only 31 pounds and Dempsey the 2-3 yr old male is a little better at 40 pounds. They perhaps had been house broken at some time; Lonna had one accident the first few hours after arriving at my home, but they now go to the back door and ask to go out.

They are of course eating very well but have to be fed separately. They apparently had to fight for food, but in time they will realize that lack of food is no longer the norm. They have settled in and become my shadows. They play together and sleep together. Dempsey and Lonna have apparently always been a pair and never fight over toys or a place to sleep. I feel they should definitely both go to the same home; they miss each other when they are apart.

We spent another great day and night keeping each other company with no problems and we all had a great night's sleep. They will make wonderful companions. For now they both need a lot of TLC, and to gain weight. They will soon come to realize that the deplorable conditions they came from will never happen to them again. More to follow as I learn more about these two very sweet dogs.”