Casa del Toro Pit Bull Rescue: All-Star Dog Rescue Celebration Grant Report

How did this grant help your organization and the pets in your care?

The Cause for Paws grant provided lifesaving veterinary services to Casa del Toro pit bulls.

Case del Toro rescues pit bulls from local animal shelters and typically we cannot afford to pull medical-rehab dogs because we do not have the funds available to start medical treatment immediately. The Cause for Paws grant gave us the opportunity to rescue Poppy, Lenny, Rufus and Gronk, knowing that each pup required expensive medical treatment, and thereby saving their lives.

How many pets did this grant help?

4

Please provide a story of one or more specific pets this grant helped.

Lenny came into the shelter on Jan. 3, 2015, as a stray. Estimated to be 3 years old, this intact male was heartworm-positive and had suffered injuries to his head and neck, so he was put on the rescue-only list. That meant that if Lenny wasn’t pulled by a rescue that could afford his $1,000 treatment and provide him with a quiet home in which to recuperate from heartworm treatment for six months, he would die at the shelter.

Lucky for Lenny, we had just the foster home lined up. We rescued Lenny on Feb. 5, 2015, and immediately began his treatment. You see, heartworm treatment takes months to effectively kill the parasites and requires repeat vet visits or x-rays to evaluate the impact of the disease on the dog’s hearts and lungs.

We used Cause for Paws grant monies to pay for Lenny’s follow-up vet appointments, x-rays and his neuter surgery. Lenny is a friendly and social dog who loves to go on long walks or just hang with his family. His striking looks and friendly disposition make him an excellent ambassador for pit bulls everywhere.

Lenny came back heartworm-negative on Aug. 12, 2015, and was officially adopted by his foster family on Aug. 14. A huge thank you to everyone who made this possible and helped Casa del Toro save Lenny’s life. To learn more about Lenny’s story or to see more pictures, check out his profile on our website: https://cdt-rescue.squarespace.com/lenny/