Found running loose, apparently on his on for a long time. Badly injured, but extremely sweet and gentle.

Jake was found running the streets in Tooele County, UT. The wonderful people at the Toole animal shelter called Sheltie Rescue, believing that Jake was an oversized Sheltie, asking if we could take him into our program. Naturally, we agreed. They told us that he had a badly injured paw so they brought him to our vet's, where we met them.

Jake turned out to be incredibly gentle and sweet, and looks a lot like a Sheltie — all the right coloring, a lovely full white color, and all that. But his head is not a Sheltie head; we think that he might be ¾ Sheltie and ¼ something like Labrador Retriever. He's as tall as a smallish Lab, but painfully thin. He may weight 25 pounds now, but should weigh about 35.

The vet's visit brought bad news. Jake's left shoulder is severely damaged, consistent with him having been hit by a car. The bones are all over the place, the muscles are completely atrophied (suggesting that it happened a long time ago), and the nerves were ripped in two. His paw is missing several bones and has no skin on the top...just raw flesh. This is because he has no feeling in his paw and it justs get dragged along when he walks. The vet told us that he must have his left front leg, including the entire shoulder joint, amputated, in order to live without chronic serious pain. The surgery is estimated to cost $700. Through the incredible generosity of friends of Sheltie Rescue of Utah, we now have sufficient funds to cover Jake's surgery and his post-surgical care. We are extremely grateful and humbled by the outpouring of support we received when we posted Jake and his situation.

Jake's surgery (including being neutered) is scheduled for Wednesday, 19 August 2009.

Thanks!!

Good with Dogs, Good with Cats