- J
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It was 18 degrees in Atlanta when Animal Control was notified and came to save him and his mom. His mom was chained up in the back yard and he was nestled next to her. An empty food bag near by. The owners. Gone. They moved and left mama in well below freezing temps with her baby unchained but still by her side.
Read that again. They. Moved. Without a mama dog and her baby.
Thank goodness a neighbor figured it out. Thank goodness animal control came. Thank goodness Angels Among Us Pet Rescue saved them. That baby, AAU Sweet-n-low, was one of my first fosters. My first foster pittie. That baby shivering in the cold was my Gus.
We drove as a family to pick him up at the vet. As soon as they put the leash in my hand, and I mean as soon as this 12 week old baby started pulling toward the parking lot, I said “Well he’s not going anywhere.” And he hasn’t. For 6 years.
We’ve fostered puppies and little dogs. And Gus worked harder than any of us. He was such a good mom to every one. Watching him corral a litter of 5 week old pittie babies is one of the best memories in my life. Watching him try to keep them safe and in one spot and then looking at me like “I could sure use a glass of wine after this” makes me laugh still and it’s been a couple years since we’ve had any littles. Gus loves little dogs so much and was so upset when they’d be adopted, that we got him his own. A chihuahua named Hemy. Everybody adopts a little dog as a buddy for their big pittie, right? Don’t answer that.
Gus is...unbridled. Lol Pure joy. He’s opinionated and demanding, loves to be the center of attention and is the anchor that holds our amazing little gang of canines in place. Some might say he’s a little like me. A little hard to control. Opinionated. But someone you can’t help but love.
Gus is beautiful and when I say he’s smart, I mean like smarter than your kid smart. Last year before we lost one of our Bostons, Bella, we noticed they started walking the fence line together. Not playing. They were serious. It was like a business meeting every day. She got sick a little after. He was upset when she passed away. But to this day...he patrols the fence. He hasn’t let up on his duties even though he’s been in agony.
One morning, the last week of January, Gus abruptly started limping. He wouldn’t put any weight on his back left leg at all. I’d just had surgery so my sister took him to the vet. Diagnosed with partial or complete CCL tear. They were unsure. But we were told he would need a TPLO to recover.
On February 23rd, expecting a call telling me he did great during surgery, we got a call we never expected instead. He’d been misdiagnosed and it was aggressive bone cancer. Osteosarcoma.
We weren’t talking about fixing his ligament. It was now about savings his life...an amputation, as soon as they confirm with biopsy, to relieve the excruciating pain he’s been in. But he needs chemo to live. Hearing that diagnosis on the phone after everything I’ve been through the past 11 months, is devastating. To hear it about Gus...I don’t know what to even say about it.
His life expectancy without chemo and only an amputation is 3-5 months. Chemo is his only chance. His chest x-rays are clear and that’s a great sign. He’s responding well to pain meds. Another good sign. I won’t be able to live with myself if I don’t try to save him. I literally try to save dogs for a living. I saved him once already! And I can’t think that I went through chemo to save my life, only to deny Gus the same chance.
To say this is heartbreaking for our entire family is an understatement. Gus is so loved by so many people. For this to happen now, when we’re all trying to put cancer behind us, is cruel. We are desperate for a miracle.
➖➖➖
Edit by Lisa, Gus’s aunt:
We are trying to raise around $6,000 to cover the cost of chemo for Gus. Hilary has dedicated her life’s work to helping animals that have been seemingly forgotten or discarded. I am asking, on my knees, praying that we can show her and Gus how much we love them and appreciate all that has been done to save countless animals. Please contact me directly if you have any questions.
Read that again. They. Moved. Without a mama dog and her baby.
Thank goodness a neighbor figured it out. Thank goodness animal control came. Thank goodness Angels Among Us Pet Rescue saved them. That baby, AAU Sweet-n-low, was one of my first fosters. My first foster pittie. That baby shivering in the cold was my Gus.
We drove as a family to pick him up at the vet. As soon as they put the leash in my hand, and I mean as soon as this 12 week old baby started pulling toward the parking lot, I said “Well he’s not going anywhere.” And he hasn’t. For 6 years.
We’ve fostered puppies and little dogs. And Gus worked harder than any of us. He was such a good mom to every one. Watching him corral a litter of 5 week old pittie babies is one of the best memories in my life. Watching him try to keep them safe and in one spot and then looking at me like “I could sure use a glass of wine after this” makes me laugh still and it’s been a couple years since we’ve had any littles. Gus loves little dogs so much and was so upset when they’d be adopted, that we got him his own. A chihuahua named Hemy. Everybody adopts a little dog as a buddy for their big pittie, right? Don’t answer that.
Gus is...unbridled. Lol Pure joy. He’s opinionated and demanding, loves to be the center of attention and is the anchor that holds our amazing little gang of canines in place. Some might say he’s a little like me. A little hard to control. Opinionated. But someone you can’t help but love.
Gus is beautiful and when I say he’s smart, I mean like smarter than your kid smart. Last year before we lost one of our Bostons, Bella, we noticed they started walking the fence line together. Not playing. They were serious. It was like a business meeting every day. She got sick a little after. He was upset when she passed away. But to this day...he patrols the fence. He hasn’t let up on his duties even though he’s been in agony.
One morning, the last week of January, Gus abruptly started limping. He wouldn’t put any weight on his back left leg at all. I’d just had surgery so my sister took him to the vet. Diagnosed with partial or complete CCL tear. They were unsure. But we were told he would need a TPLO to recover.
On February 23rd, expecting a call telling me he did great during surgery, we got a call we never expected instead. He’d been misdiagnosed and it was aggressive bone cancer. Osteosarcoma.
We weren’t talking about fixing his ligament. It was now about savings his life...an amputation, as soon as they confirm with biopsy, to relieve the excruciating pain he’s been in. But he needs chemo to live. Hearing that diagnosis on the phone after everything I’ve been through the past 11 months, is devastating. To hear it about Gus...I don’t know what to even say about it.
His life expectancy without chemo and only an amputation is 3-5 months. Chemo is his only chance. His chest x-rays are clear and that’s a great sign. He’s responding well to pain meds. Another good sign. I won’t be able to live with myself if I don’t try to save him. I literally try to save dogs for a living. I saved him once already! And I can’t think that I went through chemo to save my life, only to deny Gus the same chance.
To say this is heartbreaking for our entire family is an understatement. Gus is so loved by so many people. For this to happen now, when we’re all trying to put cancer behind us, is cruel. We are desperate for a miracle.
➖➖➖
Edit by Lisa, Gus’s aunt:
We are trying to raise around $6,000 to cover the cost of chemo for Gus. Hilary has dedicated her life’s work to helping animals that have been seemingly forgotten or discarded. I am asking, on my knees, praying that we can show her and Gus how much we love them and appreciate all that has been done to save countless animals. Please contact me directly if you have any questions.