CHICHI ♥️ She was found by Monki and Bob during a weekend trip to Utah.

Right in the Navajo native lands, she showed up scavenging for food and water, completely malnourished, dehydrated, covered in excrements, dried-up poop, and blood in her chooch looking for some food.

When she first came to us, we fed her and gave her water and asked around if anyone had seen her before, and no one did.

No microchip; no signs of previous love or shelter…

She drank like she had no water for months, and we also noticed her drinking from puddles of mud and anything she could find.

That day, we got her a bone, and that’s when we realized she was previously beaten by humans. Completely scared and unsure of us, she still showed up the following day.

Paco let us know by barking, and when we opened the door, there she was again.

We also noticed some BB pellets in her belly, which means she was shot before or targeted.

Our plans for the weekend changed right there and then. We fed her again and wrapped her in towels and blankets we had for camping and put her in the car. Her and Paco were never aggressive towards each other, and even though everything she must have gone through, she still remained gentle, scared, shocked, and shut down. Almost completely disassociating from reality.

We drove towards California, but her health began to decline extremely rapidly. Very low energy, lethargy, and diarrhea and vomiting began not long after that.

We stopped for pee pads, gloves, more towels… we also got some flea and tick medicine; we searched for the nearest animal hospital, but by the time we were in Sedona, the emergency vet was still one hour away.

We went and gave her a bath, and we both covered ourselves in poop and pee, but by that point, nothing really mattered more than getting her help.

After being cleaned up, another diarrhea attack began, and we drove the hour left to the ER.

She was dropped there for the night and needed to be monitored.

The next morning, we picked her up and began our way to California.

Her health was still declining, and that’s when we realized she might not make it.

Seeing that, we stopped on the side of the road every hour to keep trying to get her some hydration and food, but by this point, she wasn’t eating or drinking.

She hid under a bush on the side of the road. I broke down mentally, and Bob had to completely undress and throw his clothes as we were both covered in vomit again.

She began panting, and her blood pressure dropped to 60. Life-threatening:

We found a place in Palm Springs that was a very good ER emergency and decided to try to make it there. We couldn’t give up on her. We looked in her desperate eyes looking for help, and I said… Chichi, DON’T GIVE UP ON US AND WE WON’T GIVE UP ON YOU.

We drove the rest of what felt like 4 days, but it was 1h and 30min to the ER and literally showed up there screaming for help with her in our arms.

After a quick check, they looked at us and said… we’ll do our best, but it all depends on her strength to push through tonight. Hopes were low, Paco was there constantly looking at her, and Bob and I remained by her side until she was plugged into multiple IVs, electrolytes, medication, and monitored for the rest of the night. We got a shitty hotel for the overnight stay, took a shower, and passed out exhausted too.

Emotionally, it took a lot out of us, but we never thought there was any other option besides helping her. I have to say we said good night thinking we might get a phone call that night with some bad news…

Suddenly, it was 6 am, our alarms rang, and we had no missed phone calls from the emergency, so we rushed there to pick her up and check on her.

The entire ER staff knew about Chichi and thanked us for showing up for her like no one did. We cried again when we saw her open her eyes and wiggle her tail when she saw us.

We had to carry her to the car to make it back home with another 2/3 hours ahead of road, but she was in much better shape this time. Paco was happy to see her, and she was able to pee and nibble a little food.

As soon as we arrived in San Clemente, we already had another vet appointment set up with our regular vet to finalize treatment, drop off poop and pee samples, and talk about everything she needs moving forward.

We are now on our way to recovery and hopefully a full healthy life for her in California.

Got her on a new diet, people at the pet store helped us with a leash, and even a complete stranger handed us $100 for food and a bed at a pet store.

Sometimes it takes a village to get an animal in need to a healthy life, but it is definitely worth it.

Bob and I are left with some pricey vet bills to pay, and we are asking for help, honest and sincere help to be able to keep moving forward.

She deserves the world, and it breaks my heart to know how she was treated.

We are hoping to cover the emergency visits and the next few months of vaccinations and spaying.

Now she is home, adjusting to the new environment, feeling the sun and morning cuddles for the first time; hopefully, one day she will be running again, but until then… step by step.

First gaining weight and strength, trusting and realizing that she is loved. Then we’ll move to vaccines and spaying and slowly grow into the powerful girl that she is.

From Utah to California

CHICHI