The Fresca Fund, Inc.: Grant Report
How did this grant help your organization and the pets in your care?
Emergency surgery and an escape-proof crate
It provided us the funds to cover the cost of emergency surgery for a senior doggy and to purchase an escape-proof crate to be provided to the adopters of a dog with separation anxiety, funds that otherwise we would have had to raise through donations.
How many pets did this grant help?
Two: a 13.5-year-old American pit bull terrier and a 1.5-year-old chocolate Labrador retriver with separation anxiety issues
Please provide a story of one or more specific pets this grant helped.
Castro (first two photos) is a 13.5-year-old male pit bull terrier who, when his caretaker had to go to an assisted living facility, found himself through no fault of his own in need of that special compassionate forever parent, someone willing to provide a loving home, care and comfort to this senior dog for the remainder of his life as a loved family member. Someone who was not concerned with the quantity of time he has left, but rather the quality of life they could provide for him for that time, as we knew he would make a wonderful companion because he is mature, calm, loving and ready to share the adopter’s home and lifestyle.
Knowing that adopters worry about the often-high cost associated with having a senior dog, The Fresca Fund offered to pay for the appropriate veterinary care for Castro’s remaining life and to provide information and help with Castro’s senior-doggie challenges. Castro got adopted at the beginning of December by a wonderful graduate student pursuing her master’s degree, and a week after he was adopted, Castro had to have treatment for bladder stones: One stone had blocked his urethra and the baby had to undergo emergency surgery.
He recovered, and today, Castro is still the loverboy he has always been; he loves to snuggle with his adopter and give her wet kisses. Castro loves children, cats, and dogs and has become well-known in the adopter’s university community. Castro is the poster boy for how loving a pit bull can be, a great ambassador for the breed. As Castro’s adopter tells us: “He is such a grand old man and the best thing to happen to me.”
Gus (third and fourth photos) is a stunning 1.5-year-old, 70-lb. chocolate Labrador retriever goofball who just wants to be around people. He is beautiful, intelligent, loving and playful. Gus is very gentle and calm in his demeanor. Gus is a wonderful dog; he is great with people, and if someone wanted a doggie who was safe with children, Gus was the one. Gus gets along with all well-behaved dogs, but cats are out of the question.
Gus was brought to the kennel after being with a foster because he has separation-anxiety issues when left alone. Clearly, this special guy needed to find just the right adopters with experience with a doggie with separation anxiety who wanted to take the time to help him learn it is safe to be alone.
Gus would cower hearing loud voices and seeing objects such as brooms and sticks, which made us think someone tried to deal with his anxiety issues by screaming at him or attempting to correct his behavior with rough treatment. Moving on from a terrible ordeal can be one of the hardest things in the world, and sometimes all that is needed to get through it is someone who truly understands.
We had adopted Gus to a family with three children under the age of 8 and a 5-year-old female dog. He did great in every respect, displaying only minor separation-anxiety issues; the family loved him and believed they had found the perfect dog, but there were two cats in the household and Gus killed one of them. With tears in their eyes, they had to return Gus to us. We just had to keep looking for Gus.
And it was not long after his return to us that Gus found his forever home with a young family with an 8-year-old boy and a 5-year-old severely handicapped girl. Today, Gus and his family enjoy a wonderful life and Gus has developed a special bond with the handicapped girl. We could not had planned it any better.