The
National
Anatolian Shepherd Rescue Network (NASRN) learned of a litter of
five Anatolian Shepherd/Great
Pyrenees mix puppies in western Texas whose owner was unable to care
for them. The rescue coordinator located a willing foster home in
El Paso and went to work arranging transportation. It took a
while to set up the transport as the distance was not short. By
the time
NASRN took custody of the
puppies there were only four. The owner indicated that the other
pup had been promised to someone. We do not know how he has
fared. The four remaining puppies, all males, were transported to
El Paso. One of the puppies was already very sick and could not
stand up. The other three soon became ill as well. They had
all contracted parvo. The puppies needed many days of intensive
veterinary care, but they all seemed to recover. They were moved
to Granbury, Texas,
southwest of the Dallas-Fort Worth area, to gain weight and
strength. They all seemed to do well after their second long
ride, but one puppy, Polar Bear, soon started to show signs that he was
not well and passed away. You can read about him
here. Not long
afterward another puppy, Blizzard (also known as Izzy) became ill with
what appeared to be an upper respiratory infection. When he did
not improve he was taken to the vet. He was put on fluids and
watched carefully. Although he appeared to stabilize and even
improve he died suddenly. The vet determined that he had
contracted distemper. The combination of parvo followed by
distemper was just too much for his young body to withstand. I
followed the story of
these puppies from the beginning through the
NASRN rescue coordinator, and although
I have not seen these dogs I feel attached to them. Although
Polar Bear and
Blizzard did not have long lives, they found out before the end that
some people cared for them and loved them. I am happy that the
two remaining puppies are doing well. You can read about them
here or on their
individual pages
here
and
here.
Blizzard was a sweet young dog.
He loved exploring his world and playing with his brothers. His
all-too-short life ended despite the efforts of many people in many
places to see that he and his brothers had a chance for life and
happiness. He did find some peace and comfort in the end at
the hands of people who cared about him.
If you would
like to contribute toward the money spent saving the two remaining
puppies' lives, and to help ensure that the next dog like Blizzard
that needs help will be able to find it, you can email NASRN
here.
