YANCEYVILLE, NC..... In all my years of rescue, I have never had an animal as abused and neglected as this three-year-old YORKIE.   There are no words or pictures to describe what happened to dear Cricket.   That fact someone is walking on this earth that allowed this to happen is criminal.  Please, prepare yourself for a HORROR that is hard to comprehend.

I received a text and e-mail from a Volunteer with APSC in Yanceyville begging for help with the worst abuse case she had ever experienced.   A woman had contacted the Sheriff about a dog that was found on her doorstep.  They asked her to drop the animal off at Animal Protection Society of Caswell which she did.  She wasn't even sure if this was a dog at first because the animal was so matted.  When Cricket arrived, they noticed she was terribly matted, covered in feces and crawling with maggots.  They discovered she was having a hard time walking but doing all she could to walk.  They cleared away an area around her mouth and gave her food and water which she took immediately.   I was immediately contacted to see if I would take her or they were going to put her down.  Cricket's condition was beyond anything they had ever experienced before, and everyone involved was distraught and upset.  

We had this sweet little 4-pound pup immediately taken to Carolina Veterinary Specialists in Matthews, NC to the ER and to see Dr. Michelle Nanfelt.   Horror, Tears, Sadness and Anger consumed everyone that saw Cricket when she arrived.  She was immediately taken back to the ER and five Specialists proceeded to work on her.   Her body was crawling with maggots.  The first thing they had to do was to release her body from the Death Grip the mats had on her body before they could get rid of the maggots.   Everyone was handling dear Cricket with the most gentle hand to not inflict any further pain.  During the process, they witnessed an Angel coming to Life with beautiful eyes and kisses for everyone.  She did not make even a whimper during this ordeal.  Before they could do an x-ray, they had to remove some of the mats and feces.  While removing the mats on her left rear leg, they discovered 3/4 of her leg was not attacked, and it came off with the mats.  The rest of the leg was infected which is why there were so many maggots.  They immediately did an x-ray and discovered the right leg from the knee on down was also broken and was being held on by mats and skin only.  How this little Angel survived is a testament to her Will and Determination to Live another day.   By all accounts, she should be dead.  She should have died a long time ago.  The fact she was thin and not emaciated tells me someone was aware of her situation and was feeding her without any regard to her medical needs.

I know a lot of you are thinking we should have put her down.  Cricket had already suffered the worst hardship and was here to get HELP.   If she was not stable and was suffering, we would have.  That was NOT the case which shocked all of us.  I have waited four days before posting for sweet Cricket to make sure she was stable and able to survive surgery.  I am now posting for her because this little Angel is a Fighter, and she deserves a chance at having a LIFE filled with unconditional Love and Care.   This is what we do, and no animal deserves a chance more than this amazing little pup.   Her bills are going to be high; her prosthetic is going to be expensive, but that is nothing compared to the price she has already PAID to be here.  Please, DONATE and if you can't, forward to ALL of your Animal Loving Friends, so they have a chance at helping Cricket get the Medical Care she so desperately needs to Survive.