BarkVille Dog Rescue, INC.

About three weeks ago, I saw a post on Facebook about a dog who was going to be euthanized early the next morning. We are a rescue group, Barkville Dog Rescue, so whenever we can, we try to save dogs from shelters. I immediately emailed a volunteer there and got a message that he was already rescued, but there was another dog, Buddy, who had zero interest and would be put down in the morning. I found out he was abandoned by his very mean owner, was terrified, and not socialized when he arrived at the shelter. When I saw a picture of this poor, a bit goofy, but beautiful German Shepherd, I knew we had to rescue him. There was just one problem - Buddy was heartworm positive. Even though we know it’s a terrible disease, we wanted to fight for him and hoped we were not too late and could still save him. I picked him up that morning from a rural shelter and drove him straight to our vet. Buddy was neutered, vaccinated, and had a vet exam - probably the first one in his life. He spent a weekend at the vet to recover. Then, he had to go to our boarding facility while we were looking for a foster parent for him. Currently, he’s taking medication to prepare him for the heartworm treatment, which he starts in about 10 days. It’s a series of very painful shots. He also has to avoid any strenuous activities while the worms are being killed.

Since we’ve rescued him, he has become a different dog - happy, outgoing, very sweet, and friendly. We are so excited to have him and to be able to help him. He will be fostered by one of our volunteers during the treatment.

We are trying to raise $2,500 to cover his treatment and boarding. Our initial vet bill was $885, and we expect the heartworm treatment to cost another $1,200. The boarding will cost about $400.

We truly appreciate all the help we can get. We do our best for the dogs, but we have around 150 dogs in our care with several needing medical attention. We cannot do it without your help. Since we are a network of volunteers and foster parents (Barkville Dog Rescue), we spend all of our money on saving the dogs.

I will be posting updates every week for Buddy. Thank you so much for your help, and I know that together we can save this beautiful boy.