This story is a thing of nightmares and words cannot describe the overwhelming insidiousness.

So the story begins with my dad finding himself alone after 15 years and acquiescing to the idea of adopting a dog. At the adoption event, he was smitten with Orpheus, a Catahoula mix who was considered unadoptable by northern Louisiana shelters, henceforth, he was shipped to New Orleans, adopted by dad, and became an intimate part of his life.

And the story continues...One day on his walk with Orpheus, he pulls dad to what appeared to be a dead rodent in a patch of clover, only upon approaching, it turned out to be a small dog that was emaciated, weighted down by a mass of matted hair, rendering him immobile and not able to see, with a stench indescribable. Mind you, dad is now "a certified dog person" (I am so proud of that!), so he springs into action, carrying the dog home and calls me for help. After offering water and a bit of food, we spent over 2 hours removing flea infested matted hair that weighed more than Clover himself, realizing only then he was an intact male. Dad began to call rescue organizations, and none would help until they were assured he had a healthy dog to surrender. Sooo, dad took Clover (remember, he was found in a field of clover) to our vet, and she cleared him of any heartworms and parasites, and said he was in good health other than being emaciated, started heartworm and flea and tick meds, and gave the necessary vaccines. Interestingly, Clover was chipped and the owner was contacted, and he claimed he gave the dog to someone else and would not disclose the name. And he didn't want Clover back.

That's when Dad decided he would now happily have a second dog, only he didn't ask Orpheus first! Orpheus was young and alpha and wasn't having anyone sharing his dad and space with him.

Back to calling rescues! Thankfully, only now, one of the rescue organizations agreed to open their doors to a healthy Clover!

Dad visited him daily until he was placed in his forever home, and he and I decided to help with walking the rescue dogs who wanted so badly to explore the outside world.

That's when Dad met spicy Blue-- a medium stature female Pyrenees mix. Hmmm, Dad is thinking, maybe Orpheus wouldn't mind the company of a younger sister. Well, the meet and greet was pretty scary, but Dad was nevertheless given the green light by Zeus to adopt her. On the trip home, I was determined that dad needed to turn around and head back to Zeus Rescue, because I was convinced this wasn't good for either dog. Well, dad is all in at this point, and completely in tune with Orpheus, and said give them a chance. A year later, Blue and Orpheus are like a big brother and little sister--need I say more!

Dad is now living his dream with two dogs, and on his usual walk in the clover field, he hears a woman on her cellphone shouting to him that there was a dog dumped in the garbage barrel not far away.

Yes, I need to tell you that Dad thought she meant another dead dog was dumped, and I digress for now, because six weeks prior, dad found a dead bulldog outside this same garbage barrel.

He geared up, grabbed his black bag, and headed to the barrel. Upon leaning over the barrel to calculate how he would remove the dead dog, he was faced with a living dog staring him in the face, crying out for help, covered in maggots! Dad immediately carried him home, realizing at the onset, that the dog's hind legs were paralyzed. A call to 911 resulted in a return call from animal control who said they would pick up the dog and it would most likely be euthanized.

Now remember, dad is just about at a point in his life where he is happiest making friends with dogs, not humans. Calls to rescue organizations were futile, and the next call I got from dad was that he was on his way to MedVet, an emergency animal hospital.

After evaluation by the vet, it was brought to light that not only did they know this dog, but the owner had brought him for an evaluation the day prior. Apparently, when presented with treatment options and costs, the owner declined and left. Before my dad left MedVet, he spoke to police officers from Jefferson Parish, and later filed a report with the NOPD.

Dad was presented with the same treatment options and costs and agreed to sponsor this dog financially through its treatment journey.

Lazz (reference to Lazarus in the Bible) spent the first night stabilizing. The next day it was decided that surgery for a bulging disc was the best option for recovery and normalcy. Dr. Jennifer Lang performed the surgery two days after admission, and it was successful. Hope was a reality! In addition to amazing care, the staff at MedVet showered Lazz with love, and two days after surgery, he moves his hind legs spontaneously.

Every day he shows amazing improvement!!!!

Lazz is on his next journey of recovery and is a testament to "the universe rewards action". Now he has a chance of being accepted into a rescue to find his forever home.

This story, believe it or not, is just beginning.

Clover's and Lazz's stories have inspired Dad, my brother, and myself to find a way to help abandoned dogs. We hope to bridge the gap between claiming an abused and/or neglected dog, and placement in a rescue organization, giving it a chance of finding a loving forever home.

Many rescue organizations will TURN DOWN unhealthy dogs for admission. They then are left to local shelters, who do the best they can with their lack of funding and overcrowding. Our MISSION is to bridge this gap, and procuring funding is paramount. Every sentient being deserves an opportunity for love, health and happiness. Our success is when a dog can be accepted by a rescue and given a chance for a loving forever home.

But the buck doesn't stop there-- the real goal needs to be public awareness and changing legislation defining animals as property. We believe the best way to accomplish this is to have legislation promulgated which enshrines the rights of animals as more than just personal property! Henceforth, enforcement of animal cruelty becomes crucial.

At present, companion animals are legally considered just property, but we know that they are so much more and that they deserve all the love they give us.

KEEP ON KEEPING ON!