HENDERSON, NC……Barney is a wonderful two year old Staffordshire Terrier / Boxer Mix that was picked up as a stray and taken to Vance County Animal Control which is a High Kill Shelter It was very apparent from all of the scars he had that he had been used as a bait dog for quite some time. His most recent scars were already beginning to heal. We were contacted by a Rescue in the area that had been trying to find a place for Barney to go so he would not be put down. When we received the request, I immediately sent a note back saying we only do major medical abuse cases and he was not one based on the pictures we got. The e-mails went back and forth for several days along with lots of medical information. The problem that was stated to me was that the Rescue had spent money on medical tests and the Vets believed Barney was in Renal Failure. If that was the case, they could not do any more and two Rescues that were going to step up for him had all backed out. We were it for him. It was now or never. Barney was going to be Euthanized. After going over all of the medical records and sending to our Specialists, it was determined Barney was sick but we did not believe he was in Renal Failure. His values were off but nothing terrible for a dog in his condition that was picked up off the street.
We had Barney picked up and brought to us in Columbia, SC. We re-did all the original tests and did a lot of others to determine exactly what was going on with the most amazing dog. Gentle, Kind, Sweet, Loving and Special don't even begin to describe how amazing Barney truly is. He let us do everything to him without even a whimper. All he wanted was for someone to wrap their arms around him and a soft place to lay his head.
He knew the end was near where he was. DEATH was hanging in the air just like the air we breathe. That feeling caused Barney to become paralyzed with fear. He just shut down and became despondent in the shelter. That is the most common emotion we see in Kill Shelters and that emotion becomes a DEATH Sentence for the animal. It isn't the illness that kills them, it is the Fear and Despondency that causes our Society to decide they are too far gone to save. Fear is the most normal emotion to have under those circumstances and it gets them killed every single day in this Country.
The word Rescue by definition means to save (someone) from a dangerous or distressing situation. If you are a RESCUE then that is what you are expected to do or don't call yourself a Rescue. Be committed to what it means and follow through.
Barney wasn't in Renal Failure. He was loaded with parasites and had lost a lot of blood from the parasites and the bite wounds. He was not heartworm positive but is negative. He has the most wicked ear infection you could imagine which could have caused him to lose his hearing but he is not in Renal Failure. Everything we are seeing with Barney is common for a dog used as bait. Is he sick, yes, but nothing compared to what was going on with him while in the shelter.
​Barney is on the mend and all of his blood and kidney values are improving with proper medical care. He is not a typical dog that we rescue but I am so glad that we did. He would not be here today if we hadn't stepped up. It would have been a tragedy for this amazing dog to have been put to sleep because the Rescues that said they wanted him backed out at the last minute. In a Kill-Shelter, seconds count because it could be their last.
Barney will be available to be adopted in about three weeks based on how quickly he heals. He loves other dogs and thinks kisses and hugs are the greatest gift Mankind possesses. He is going to be your Best Friend for Life and when his time does come after years of loving you, your Heart will forever be changed by the dog that loved you UNCONDITIONALLY. PLEASE, help us, help him by DONATING toward his medical care.
