First row, left to right:
Will (black and white with blue eyes) is 6.5 years old.
Zorro (lighter black and white with brown eyes) is 6.5 years old.
Blue (gray and white with blue eyes) is 10 years old.
Second row, left to right:
Lil‘ Red (red with blue eyes) is 9.5 years old.
Denver (cream colored and blind) is 6.5 years old.
Matt (cream colored with brown eyes) is 9.5 years old.
What do these innocent souls all have in common? They are rescued working sled dogs, and they are all homeless. Worse yet, they all have heartworm disease (a serious and potentially fatal condition caused by parasitic worms living in the arteries of the lungs and occasionally in the right side of the heart of dogs, cats and other species of mammals).
The Kent County Humane Society has been spending tons of time and effort to get these dogs back to health. They are beginning their first round of heartworm treatment this month. If they survive the treatment and respond well, they will be available for adoption sometime around February 2010. Information will be provided shortly for those interested in donating financially to the care of these dogs while they are at the Humane Society – the heartworm treatment alone costs approximately $1,500 per dog, and then all of the boarding and food expenses must be considered. So please, I encourage you to contact the Humane Society of Kent County in Grand Rapids, Michigan. They can be reached by phone at 616-453-8900 and e-mail by humane@hskc.org – specifically state that you are inquiring about donating toward the care of the Double JJ Ranch sled dogs.
But these are not just any dogs. It will take special people to rehabilitate them mentally and continue their physical rehabilitation. Sled dogs often spend their lives at the end of a chain, and these are no different. They will need to be introduced to different environments (including indoors) and treated with much patience and love. If you’re interested in what it takes to mentally rehabilitate a neglected sled dog, feel free to drop me an e-mail at ashley@lakotasong.com – I’d be more than happy to share my nearly twelve years of experience with you.
Great article thank you for sharing!
I’ve been reading a few posts and really and enjoy your writing. I’m just starting up my own blog and only hope that I can write as well and give the reader so much insight.