Senior German Shepherd Abandoned at age 12- Update!

Update October 2nd:

Mikey returns to the vet tomorrow for x-rays and we are hoping to collaborate with Animal Rescue Flights to secure Mikey a flight to New England next weekend. His Memphis foster hero has discovered that he loves belly rubs and has the most amazing spirit. We have not affectionately termed him “Big Mike” as he weighs a whopping 107 lbs! We wanted to update the website with these pictures as I know the original picture of Mikey in the pound has haunted all of us… Enjoy!

So grateful to be saved!

Love my belly rubs!

Background story of Mikey

At PAWS, we hear so many terrible and heartbreaking stories, that one almost become numb to all the sadness in rescue. However, this story had all of us at PAWS simply beside ourselves.

Two PAWS volunteers went to Tipton County Animal Control on September 29th and almost died when they encountered an elderly shepherd mix named Mikey. Mikey was dropped off by his owner and reported to be between 10-12 years. The owner (though she was in tears) stated, “I totally meant to contact those rescue groups to take him, but it just slipped my mind!” Tipton County Animal Control is forced to euthanize 85% of the dogs that walk through their door because of an epidemic of overpopulation.

After the owner left, Mikey completely decompensated. He would sits in his run all day long and chew on his foot. His panicked behavior created three ulcerated regions on his two front legs. When the volunteer approached him, he was shaking all over. The volunteer was forced to leave Mikey at the shelter the night of September 29th as the PAWS sanctuary is closed and we had nowhere to put him in Memphis.

In a mere 12 hours, emails had been sent all over the country about Mikey and arrangements were being made to get him pulled from the shelter the following morning. The folks at PAWS decided to focus first on arranging a place for Mikey to go and get him the emergency vet care he needed and then work on raising the funds for his vet bills.

Mikey was pulled from Tipton County first thing this morning and was immediately taken to the vet. He is in rough shape- he has severe hip dysplasia, his wounds are infected and he has a pretty severe bladder infection. He had such severe pain from his hips and his wounds, that the vet will need to sedate him in order to fully evaluate the extent of his injuries. We are giving him a few days to sleep and relax and will bring him back Monday to find out if he has a fracture or severe arthritis. We currently have him on oral and topical antibiotics as well as pain medication. He is a nervous wreck and has clearly been profoundly affected by everything that has gone on, but he has attached himself almost immediately to his current foster Mom. Luckily, he is heartworm negative and a complete sweetheart.

PAWS will do whatever it takes to make sure that Mikey get the veterinary care that he needs and ensure that he finds a wonderful retirement home somewhere, but we still need your help. PAWS is already in financial distress from the flooding that destroyed our sanctuary in May and we do not currently have the finances to pay for the extensive care that Mikey will surely need. Please consider making a donation towards Mikey by clicking on this link.

And please continue to follow Mikey’s story on our website. We will be publishing updates about Mikey in our “News” section and will be posting pictures in the next day or two. Thank you for your awe inspiring support!