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Trevor came to us in December 2003 with a heart-wrenching tale to tell. He was found along with 28 other shih tzu in the home of his owner/breeder whose death was not discovered for two days. When our director found him in the shelter he was in a cage with other shih tzu all of whom were barking and clamoring at the front of the cage - but not Trevor. He was in the back, head down, facing the back wall, a mound of matted hair. Trevor had given up - nobody would want him and he had sadly resigned himself to whatever end was in store. The sight of Trevor hit our director like a lightning bolt. She asked the staff his name and said she would take him. The worker replied, "His name is Trevor but he's old." She knew his name from his "collar", a dirty yellow piece of tape around his neck. Our director called out, "Come on Trevor you're going with us!" Trevor whipped around and made a bee line for her.
Later we discovered that Trevor had been a champion show dog and found a picture of him on the internet winning "Best of Winners". How could this beautiful dog go from such riches to such rags? The owner was not able to breed him so she pushed him aside and simply fed him - a little.
When Trevor arrived at the vet for a physical and vaccinations he was in ghastly shape. He was horribly matted, had kennel cough and severe ear infections. Four of his teeth had to be pulled because they were black and broken off at the gums. After 10 days of quarantine Trevor went to his foster home. When he was taken to his foster mom's vet his ears were terribly painful and treated with medication. When his right ear did not clear up the vet investigated further and found a mass in his ear canal - cancer. Trevor underwent drastic ear surgery to remove the entire ear canal and his recovery was a very painful one. NEXT, Trevor had another surgery to be neutered. THEN several months later he developed inflamed lymph nodes and bloody stools. Again treatment and recovery took several months. All the while Trevor endured the pain with dignity and asked for very little. He slowly got better and better. He began to interact with the other dogs in his foster home, became more curious about his surroundings and started to lie in the sun in his backyard.
As word got out about Trevor donations came in to help with his medical treatment and his foster mom began receiving emails from around the country offering support and prayer for this little trooper. Trevor also got presents! People sent toys, treats and a very special handmade quilt and pillow which he loves!
Trevor's "final" checkup was on July 2, 2004 and his vet declared he was "doing great." No more infections, no more pain! Trevor was now "adoptable". So it was only natural that his foster mom became his Forever Mom. She and Trevor had deeply bonded - this was his home, this was his family - no other would do.
With tremendous thanks to all, especially the guardianship of his faithful sponsors, today Trevor is once again that beautiful prince of the past. He barks cheerfully, romps in the backyard and lies in the sun. When he came to us his eyes were dark and filled with pain. They sparkled & was filled with joy and love. Once again Trevor was living a life filled with riches - forever. UPDATE ON TREVOR 09/04/04: Several weeks after the joy of officially adopting Trevor his mom found out he has lymphatic cancer. Trevor has had one of three chemo treatments and his lymph nodes have already shrunk by 80%! He is not in pain, just tired. He will have his second treatment on Sept. 10 and is expected to do well. This little boy has endured much misery in his life and our hope was that he would have many more happy, healthy years. ON SEPTEMBER 12, 2004 TREVOR LOST HIS BATTLE WITH CANCER. |
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