Her rescue story, and that of the rest of her family, began when a very nice Animal Control Officer named Gina in Kansas was asked to respond to an address by police officers. It seemed the owners of two adult great danes were going to jail and they needed the dogs removed. Gina removed the parents, Rock and Roll, but was unaware of dogs inside the property. She was not allowed to enter the property and, when asked if there were anymore dogs residing in the home, she was told no.
Gina then received a call from a caring neighbor the following day saying there was a litter of puppies inside the house. She once again responded immediately and saw the puppies inside when she looked through the window. She saw one in severe distress. She climbed through he window to retrieve the one that needed immediate veterinarian attention.
While Gina was standing in the room, the male puppies whimpered and ran away. She picked up the injured one and lovingly held her close to her chest and told her that everything was going to be okay. The male pups came out of hiding and began crying and jumping up on her legs as if to say "What about us?". She gave each one some love and promised to come back for them.
Gina left with the injured puppy and drove straight to the vet. While driving, she had the little one on her lap where she continued to whimper and try to lick Gina's hand. She told her to hang in there and have faith that God was going to take care of her. She started calling her Faith at that moment.
Gina kept her promise to Faith's brothers and returned with a warrant to remove them and get them to a vet as well. She contacted the local shelter and told them of the situation and asked if they had a rescue group they could call and luckily they called Rocky Mountain Great Dane Rescue.
Gina was there that very happy day when RMGDRI came to get all of the Danes to bring them into rescue. She had to handle the parents, Rock and Roll, because the shelter thought they were mean, but she knew they were just scared and traumatized after all they had been through. She helped us load all the dogs into the car and sent them off with tears in her eyes to Colorado to begin their new life!
Faith - our little girl is on her way into surgery - we will know more later
Rock and Roll (Mom and Dad) will be spayed and neutered tomorrow - they fortunately are in good condition. Poor Rock is starved for attention.
Carter and Faith and all of us here thank Dr. Carter and the devoted vet tech's in KS who have helped them to start to bounce back from the trauma. The tech's held and loved them them both, promising them that they would never experience any more pain and neglect. Elvis and Simon still were a little unsure about what it meant to be around good people.
We will have Photos of the others as soon as they become available.
Update 4-16-04
Faith is doing wonderful. She is up and eating and will be coming home tonight. Her little face is swollen real bad right now.
The boys (Elvis, Simon and Carter) are great. They have to be on antibiotics for 2 weeks for the infections. They are loving all the attention and I think will stop being scared of humans real quick.
Rock and Roll (mom and dad) are currently at the vet getting spayed and neutered. They are heart worm NEG!!! Whoooohoooooo this is always a concern for the dogs that come in.
Update 4-19-04
Faith is doing well. She is eating and starting to play. Elvis and Simon are meeting new homes soon. We are going to find out more from the vet about Carter, who has the Grade 3 heart murmur and find out whether he will be able to carry out a normal life.
Update 4-21-04
Faith was seen by the Ortho surgeon yesterday and he is concerned she has an infection. He was able to look in her mouth slightly and see that it appears the sutures didn't hold. She will be going back under today for a better look and X-rays to see if the bones are healing. Please say a little prayer for her. One thing that is Good News. She is up to 22.5lbs now.
Update
4-22-04
Faith went to the vet for an evaluation yesterday. She was put under and
x-rays were done. The plate is in a good location and holding, but on
the inside the bone is still loose. Dr. Morgan tried to wire it, but there
is too much bone missing. He had to remove a dead tooth. Dr. Morgan put
a feeding tube in and a tape muzzle that is supporting her face and keeping
her mouth shut. She was not very happy when she woke up. She is currently
being tube fed ever 2 hrs, 24 hrs per day. Bless her foster mom and all
those vet tech's.
Update 4-23-04
Faith had to have a second
surgery. Since the wound had been open for a long time before care was
given it got infected. The vets went in on 4-21-04 and discovered the
soft tissue in the mouth was not holding the sutures. One of her teeth
had died and they removed that. The vet tried wiring but there is not
enough bone to hold the wire. His only choice was to clean it really well,
suture up the wound, and tape her mouth shut. She has a feeding tube in
place and will require 24 hour monitoring. Dr. Morgan expects a full recovery
if we can keep her jaw stable long enough to heal. That's why she has
to have her mouth taped shut.
Thank you to all that have sent support.
For some good news, Elvis went to his new home where he will be well loved and cared for for the rest of his life.
Update 4-26-04
Faith went in today for a re-check. Her mouth is healing. It is still open slightly and will need flushing every few days. Dr. Morgan removed a small piece of bone that was protruding. It was loose anyway. It appears that her jaw was a lot more stable which is very good news. She will remain on the feeding tube for now. She goes back in Wed for another check up. She is home and mad cause she can't have any food just yet. She is still gaining weight and feeling like the dane puppy she should be feeling like.
Update 4-30-04
Faith went to the vet on Friday 4-30-04 and now weighs 24 lbs. They flushed out her mouth and still got a bone chip. The infection is much better and it is starting to heal properly. She is still being tube fed and being quite the trouper in spite of her situation.
Update
5-4-04
Faith went in to see the vet yesterday. She still has some infection,
but seems to be better. She will go in Wed and Fri for flushing. Dr. Morgan
wants to x-ray her next week to see how the bones are healing. If all
looks good, then she can get the feeding tube out and the muzzle off.
She is up to 24.5 lbs.
Update 5-10-04
Faith still has a small pocket of infection. Dr. Morgan is going to x-ray her jaw this Wed. He said if the bone is healed then he will remove the plate. He thinks the plate might be harboring the infection at this point. She is 28lbs now.
Update 5-12-04
Carter no longer has any signs of a heart murmur. Thanks to the wonderful nutrition provided by Eagle Pack dog food, he is healthy again and BIG!!! Carter is up to 43.5lbs
Simon also is very healthy. He is still the shy one but learning that the world is not so bad. Simon is up to a healthy 40.5lbs. Both should be meeting homes soon.
Update
5-17-04
Faith was re-checked today. Dr. Morgan is hoping another 2 weeks and she
will be free from tape and e-collars. She still has a small pocket of
infection, but it is shrinking every day. Today she ran right into the
clinic and straight to the dental room and tried to get on the table.
After all she has been through, her attitude about the vet is great. She
loves to run and play with anything she can pick up with her little
front teeth. Carter went to his forever home yesterday. Beth and Dave
drove all the way from Craig to pick out a puppy. They had a very hard
time deciding between Carter and Simon. I think Carter selected them.
Update 5-21-04
Faith went in again today for evaluation. Dr. Morgan feels hopeful that we are at the end of this challenge. He is re-doing x-rays next week and cross our paws everything can be taken off of her. She is feeling great. She is up to 31 lbs. She is a typical little Dane puppy.
Update 6-2-04
Faith is only going in twice per week for her evaluations now. Here are some photos of her during her visit. She is still being fed by a tube, but we all hope it comes out soon! She is up to 35 lbs and just wait till she gets to eat like a real dane!
Rock (Faith's Daddy) went to his forever home this past weekend.
