The life of a sick and abandoned puppy that was discovered tied to a tree in Tottenham last month has taken a turn for the better, thanks to hard-working veterinarians, an animal rehabilitation centre and his new adoptive family.
On June 11, the four-and-a-half month-old black Labrador puppy was stumbled upon by a man who happened to be heading to a veterinary clinic with his own dog for a check-up in Lisle, about 30 minutes southwest of Barrie.
Hurley, as he was named by his rescuers, was also found to be suffering from parvovirus, a serious and sometimes-fatal sickness in puppies that affects their gastrointestinal system.
Outrun Rescue, a rehabilitation centre based in Lisle, then stepped in to help Hurley.
His outlook was not good. He was immobile and suffering, and to make positive progress, lots of fluid intake through a tube, and muscle rebuilding would be in order. The expectation was that Hurley would need the help of the rehab centre for a couple of months.
There was also the fear that Hurley would not be able to recover from the effects of the parvovirus in his system.
Fast forward to today and the much happier pooch is well on his way to recovery.
“Hurley is doing so much better,” Emily Day, a dog trainer and behaviour consultant for Outrun Animal Rehabilitation Center, told BarrieToday. “He has recovered from his parvo infection. He is eating kibble now and we are working on a weight gain program. He has had a big growth spurt since he recovered and so he is now in the very clumsy adolescent stage.”
“Hurley has an adoption lined up and will be leaving his foster home soon to join his new family. We are so thrilled with his progress and are excited that he has a new leash on life,” she added.
Hurley's condition was dire in the days after he was found.
“We didn’t know if he was going to survive for a long while, so we were holding our breaths, and I am absolutely thrilled that he has pulled through and is ready to take on the next step,” Day said.
“I am frustrated that it happened in the first place, because he should have had his vaccinations when he was a puppy. He would not have become so sick and it would have been a non-issue,” she added.
Since Hurley’s initial hospital stay began, the vet and rehab bill has grown to $3,500, which the rescue centre took on, with the Town of New Tecumseth paying an additional $1,000 on top of that. But they have a cap and were unable to spend more.
The rescue organization relies on donations to pay for the recovery and rehabilitation of the animals it accepts.
"Hurley is a friendly, happy puppy. He's such a great guy. He's bouncy and goofy. He's such a happy dog," said Day.
Outrun promotes a donation program called $5 Friday once a month, asking people to give just $5 to the rehabilitation centre to help cover the cost of medical bills and daily expenses for the animals in their care.
"If everybody donated a little bit, it wouldn't be so difficult to deal with these very bad cases," Day said back in June.
Day is one of three dog trainers and behaviour experts who work with wayward dogs that arrive at the Outrun Rescue Animal Rehabilitation Center in Lisle.
Donations can be sent by e-transfer to [email protected]. You can also visit the Outrun Rescue website by clicking here for more information.
