This is Bailey. He lives in our small town of Hermosa Beach, CA. He was known by everyone in the north end of town because every time you walked by the big house where he lived with his family he would bark and say "hi" and beg for you to give him some attention.
When Bailey was about 9 years old we didn't see him greeting us out front anymore. But neighbors did see him from time to time running wild through the street and they'd graciously bring him back home.
One afternoon about 4 weeks ago, a police officer had a big dog on a leash and was asking people if they knew whose dog it was, so he could avoid taking the dog to the animal shelter.
A few of us came out and looked and "thought" it might be Bailey BUT this dog was matted, his fur was too long, and he had an injured back leg with a large growth - he looked like a true "street dog". And he was snapping at us from pain and fear.
We ultimately found out that it WAS Bailey, and for some reason, his family had decided he should live in the cold garage rather than their beautiful home - while their smaller, newer dog lived inside.
We asked them why he wasn't groomed and why we never saw him on walks anymore - their answer was "he bites and is aggressive, so the groomer won't take him". They also mentioned that he had a tumor on his leg but it was benign and when we asked why it hadn't been removed we were told: "because the vet said it would be too difficult".
Knowing all of this, the 29th Street neighbors decided to ask them to release Bailey into our care so we could all foster him. They agreed readily - which threw us! But, we knew we could all find help and get him back to his old self.
When we picked him up, they asked if we REALLY wanted to take him because he "barks a lot".
We said YES.
They handed him to us with a filthy collar, no toys, no bed - nothing but Bailey and the policeman's leash he had left. It broke our hearts, but we knew he'd be better off now - so that was positive.
We found a wonderful group of veterinarians at Animal Hospital of South Bay and their staff shaved his matted hair, gave him a bath (and yes he was in so much pain he had to have sedation for all of this) and we found out that under all that fur he had a HUGE tumor that wrapped around his leg which made it hard for him to walk easily and was causing him pain.
He had an ear infection and needed updated shots, as he had not seen a vet for ANYTHING since 2016 when the small tumor had been found, according to his vet records. The whole thing was just SAD.
Bailey had been FORGOTTEN.
Bailey joined his foster mom, Sara, at her home on January 3, 2020.
We bought him a bed, toys, collar and dog tag - he was like a kid at Christmas rolling around in his comfy bed and playing with his toys.
And yes, he barks - but just ONCE to let Sara know there is someone approaching the house - then he lets her take over. He loves walks (especially with Sara, her boys, and Amy), plays with other dogs in the park (and has a new bestie!!) has perfect manners, is housetrained and "smiles" a lot! He really is such a sweetie.
BUT Bailey has a big issue - that "small" tumor they failed to take care of back in 2016 is now HUGE (we did biopsies and it is benign - we also had full blood panels run to check for any other underlying health issues) and the only way to remove it is to amputate his leg. This will give him greater mobility and less pain the surgeon tells us. He also has another smaller tumor on his other back leg that needs to be removed as well before it grows as this one did.
Dr. Davis and Surgeon Dr. Bierens will be his team moving forward and we all feel 100% confident in the plan they have laid out for Bailey to help give him a long and happy life.
After amputation, there will be a hospital stay, meds, additional vet visits, much-needed teeth cleaning, vaccines and we'd like Bailey to have some sessions at BARC - a physical rehab facility for dogs here in the South Bay which will help him adjust and hopefully become pain-free after his amputation.
We are raising funds for the ongoing vet bills, amputation, medication and anything else Bailey will need moving forward.
Between all of us - we'd like North Hermosa to remain Bailey's "home" and not have him adopted out elsewhere - and it takes a village.
So we as a neighborhood, are asking for additional help for Bailey.
Bailey says "thank you" for helping to make his life the best it can be again!
When Bailey was about 9 years old we didn't see him greeting us out front anymore. But neighbors did see him from time to time running wild through the street and they'd graciously bring him back home.
One afternoon about 4 weeks ago, a police officer had a big dog on a leash and was asking people if they knew whose dog it was, so he could avoid taking the dog to the animal shelter.
A few of us came out and looked and "thought" it might be Bailey BUT this dog was matted, his fur was too long, and he had an injured back leg with a large growth - he looked like a true "street dog". And he was snapping at us from pain and fear.
We ultimately found out that it WAS Bailey, and for some reason, his family had decided he should live in the cold garage rather than their beautiful home - while their smaller, newer dog lived inside.
We asked them why he wasn't groomed and why we never saw him on walks anymore - their answer was "he bites and is aggressive, so the groomer won't take him". They also mentioned that he had a tumor on his leg but it was benign and when we asked why it hadn't been removed we were told: "because the vet said it would be too difficult".
Knowing all of this, the 29th Street neighbors decided to ask them to release Bailey into our care so we could all foster him. They agreed readily - which threw us! But, we knew we could all find help and get him back to his old self.
When we picked him up, they asked if we REALLY wanted to take him because he "barks a lot".
We said YES.
They handed him to us with a filthy collar, no toys, no bed - nothing but Bailey and the policeman's leash he had left. It broke our hearts, but we knew he'd be better off now - so that was positive.
We found a wonderful group of veterinarians at Animal Hospital of South Bay and their staff shaved his matted hair, gave him a bath (and yes he was in so much pain he had to have sedation for all of this) and we found out that under all that fur he had a HUGE tumor that wrapped around his leg which made it hard for him to walk easily and was causing him pain.
He had an ear infection and needed updated shots, as he had not seen a vet for ANYTHING since 2016 when the small tumor had been found, according to his vet records. The whole thing was just SAD.
Bailey had been FORGOTTEN.
Bailey joined his foster mom, Sara, at her home on January 3, 2020.
We bought him a bed, toys, collar and dog tag - he was like a kid at Christmas rolling around in his comfy bed and playing with his toys.
And yes, he barks - but just ONCE to let Sara know there is someone approaching the house - then he lets her take over. He loves walks (especially with Sara, her boys, and Amy), plays with other dogs in the park (and has a new bestie!!) has perfect manners, is housetrained and "smiles" a lot! He really is such a sweetie.
BUT Bailey has a big issue - that "small" tumor they failed to take care of back in 2016 is now HUGE (we did biopsies and it is benign - we also had full blood panels run to check for any other underlying health issues) and the only way to remove it is to amputate his leg. This will give him greater mobility and less pain the surgeon tells us. He also has another smaller tumor on his other back leg that needs to be removed as well before it grows as this one did.
Dr. Davis and Surgeon Dr. Bierens will be his team moving forward and we all feel 100% confident in the plan they have laid out for Bailey to help give him a long and happy life.
After amputation, there will be a hospital stay, meds, additional vet visits, much-needed teeth cleaning, vaccines and we'd like Bailey to have some sessions at BARC - a physical rehab facility for dogs here in the South Bay which will help him adjust and hopefully become pain-free after his amputation.
We are raising funds for the ongoing vet bills, amputation, medication and anything else Bailey will need moving forward.
Between all of us - we'd like North Hermosa to remain Bailey's "home" and not have him adopted out elsewhere - and it takes a village.
So we as a neighborhood, are asking for additional help for Bailey.
Bailey says "thank you" for helping to make his life the best it can be again!