Today on The Paws Report at 3:30:
Meet Bella, a gorgeous and sweet Australian Shepherd with a ready smile and a gentle tail wag. Bella is approximately 9 years old and is living in a foster home. Her foster family says Bella is very easy going: she is house trained, crate trained and pretty quiet; she barks occasionally when she sees another dog or someone comes to the door, but other than that she is not much of a talker. This mature girl loves to be by the side of her foster family; ready to read a book or watch TV? Bella is happy to keep you company. Need a supervisor in the kitchen? Count on Bella to sit nearby and smile approvingly.
We wish we knew more of Bella's past. We do know that years ago, she had an owner her loved her very much: enough to have expensive surgery to mend a broken bone on her back left leg near her hip. But over the years, the surgical wire that was used to mend her bones began to unravel: an x-ray showed that the wire was frayed and was poking into her thigh muscles. This caused pain and resulted in Bella not using her leg, causing it to atrophy. Years after her initial leg surgery, she was found as a stray. How she went from a beloved companion to a stray, we'll never know. Thankfully for her, a kind couple found her and took her in. In their home, she lived with children, teens and cats; her family reported she did well with the children and cats. The family decided they didn't have the time or resources to care for Bella. Wanting to give Bella a second chance, they surrendered her to the Kentucky Humane Society. At KHS, we performed surgery to remove her unused leg. It was a tough surgery, lasting over two hours. It took Bella weeks to recuperate, and she was placed in a foster home to heal. Now that Bella is feeling better, she is a happy, contented dog who loves meeting new people and going outside to explore. Bella also does well with the other dog in the house.
Bella is still re-cooperating from the loss of her leg. She walks on her own and goes outside to potty, but she needs a little help getting up the stairs. For longer walks, her foster family uses a support sling; this velcros around her waist and has handles. With the sling, Bella very happily goes for walks around the block with the other dog in the family. She is slowly gaining strength. To help her with pain management, Bella is on medication, and we recommend she continue on medications in her forever home. If you are looking for an easy going, sweet, loving and beautiful dog, please contact Bella's foster family through KHS to arrange a time to meet her. View all adoptable animals at the Kentucky Humane Society at www.kyhumane.org or call 502-366-3355.
Also:
· KHS is full on large dogs and is having an adoption special: $40 to adopt a dog 40 pounds or more through Sunday, April 10.
· Waggin’ Trail is coming up on May 21. It’s not too early to register and start fundraising for the animals.
https://soundcloud.com/wfpk/bella-paws-report-4516
