Top Dog Foundation: Senior Pet Adoption Assistance Grant Report
How did this grant help your organization and the pets in your care?
As per our request in the grant, these funds purchased Ligaplex II (a supplement to support ligament health), Nordic Naturals Fish Oil, and prescription Galliprant to support the rehabilitation of two torn ACLs (both rear legs) in Buddy, an 8-year-old feist terrier. The adopter received all supplements/prescription meds directly, approximately a 9-month supply. Buddy is doing well, and we are very hopeful that continued supplementation will allow us to avoid any surgery on his knees.
Buddy is part of a bonded pair; his best friend is Bear, a husky mix. We had very little adoption interest in them over a several-month period. Buddy also had torn ACLs in both rear knees, a factor that deterred any applicants we did receive. We were able to provide nine months of supplementation to the adoptive family via the Petfinder Foundation's help, and add another $1,000 of support through our Bentley Vet Care Grant, which is supported by two other granting organizations. Combined, these funds provide about 15 months of supplements. With your help, Buddy and Bear were adopted in July 2019 by a family that fell in love with them.
How many pets did this grant help?
The grant directly helped one dog, Buddy, by supporting his healthy recovery and adoption. As Buddy is bonded to Bear, and we do not separate bonded pairs, it concurrently helped Bear find an adoptive home.
Please provide a story of one or more specific pets this grant helped.
Bear and Buddy came as a team. Their owner died and they spent far too much time in a shelter, terrified until the shelter folk figured out to house them together. Then life seemed better. They are kind dogs who won a lot of hearts when Top Dog volunteers first met them. Neither of them showed any aggression after all the changes they had seen, they were simply shy and need time, attention, and kindness in return. Their tails worked just fine and they both accepted head kisses (personal experience there.) Bear and Buddy are approximately 8-10 years old.
Buddy was adopted in July 2019. Buddy is a resilient, ever-cheerful and happy terrier mix: His tail has been likened to a metronome, waving gaily all day long. He is inseparable from his best friend, Bear, a husky mix who watches out for his smaller friend. Both dogs were surrendered to a Tennessee county animal facility in February when their person died. No adopter stepped forward in Tennessee, and the dogs came up to Minnesota-based Top Dog Foundation in March to seek adoption here.
Buddy gives every appearance of a happy, active and energetic fellow, even though vets found he had torn two ACLs in his rear legs. Given his overall health and his capacity to enjoy daily life, Top Dog Foundation — with the cooperation of its vet partners — chose to try nutrition and supplements to support Buddy’s healing to see if he could thrive and recover without surgery. (Dogs his size may actually grow new tissue that can stabilize such injuries.) Those supplements added up in costs, however, and finding an adopter to take on those costs proved difficult.
Enter the Petfinder Foundation, which provided a Senior Pet Adoption grant to help with Buddy’s adoption by purchasing nearly a year’s worth of supplements. Problem solved: In July, Buddy — with Bear — went home to a new family. Buddy’s happy “let’s go for a walk” trot was almost immediately matched by the family’s 5-year-old boy while Bear accompanied a parent nearby. We love happy new beginnings!
