Oh, it makes me want to throw up.  Look at these dogs!  Someone moved out of their house and left them behind.  Think about that.  Those three dogs watched as everything was taken out of the house.  Do your pets get nervous when you pack a suitcase?  Mine do ~ they know something is up.  Don't you think these three did as well? And then there was the moment that the person shut the door on them.  You just know that  he had to squeeze by to get past them as they gathered at the door, tails wagging, faces looking expectant.  And then he shut the door.  And walked away.  We don't know how long they stared at the door, how many times they jumped up and looked out the window because a car or a person walked by.  We just know that it was long enough that they almost died of starvation, that the smallest one almost chewed her tail off in anxiety, that right now she can barely walk.  Who are these people that treat animals in such a callous way?  How can they not care?

So, as you have clearly figured out, Judy has taken in these three angels.  Donatella and Gianni are boxers and are already gaining weight but need a foster home.  Francesca, a shepherd, is in poor shape and will take time to recover.  Her hair is falling out, her tail is a mess and she struggles to walk.  Fortunately our wonderful Wendy is fostering her so we know that she will not only get the care she needs, but will be saturated in love.

I invite you to get involved.  Volunteer. Foster.   Sponsor a pet.   Adopt a pet.  Spay/neuter your pets.  You may know that we are desperately trying to raise $300,000 to build a new shelter with a low cost spay/neuter clinic.  That clinic is the key to truly impacting the number of homeless pets in our area.  Judy has been involved in rescue for over 24 years and has saved countless lives but she knows that rescue is only treating the symptoms.  We must make spay/neuter our cultural norm and to do that, it must be affordable.  Please help us with this bigger goal.  If you can help in any fundraising capacity, please contact Meghan at fundraising@petrescuebyjudy.com .  If that seems to lofty, then please help with these sweet dogs by sponsoring Francesca or her friends.  Any amount will help!  Thank you, my friends!

In March Judy received a phone call from Mary Beth, the wonderful director of Seminole County Animal Shelter.  She had a seven month old puppy in bad shape due to abuse.  "Can you help?"  Well, gee, what do you think Judy said?  When she met little Bridget, she was horrified.  At 17 pounds, this baby was emaciated, every rib showing, barely able to lift her head.  But that was only the beginning.  Further examination showed a cracked skull, broken ribs, a fractured leg, a dislocated hip, a partially and permanently collapsed lung and pneumonia. 

Pause for a moment; don't just brush by those words.  Picture how these things occured.  Someone, some horrible person, had to have cornered this little girl, kicking and beating her repeatively to inflict such damage.  Picture her cowering, crying, trying to get away, while the beatings continued.  I don't understand this.  How does someone lose touch with their most basic humanity and justify such action?  It leaves me breathless....

We count ourselves blessed to be surrounded by wonderful people, people like Tricia and her family, that scooped this tender creature into their arms and into their home, to shower her with love and care.  Without such fosters, we could do so little.  In their home Bridget  has already gained 12 pound, is almost recovered from her pneumonia, and has rediscovered her puppy joy. 

We are also blessed with the wonderful veterinarians at Animal Hospital At Vista Lakes.   Bridget had surgery on Monday, April 30th. The veterinary clinic canceled all other appointments and used her unusual surgery as a teaching opportunity for their entire staff.   They even sent us photos that we have included in Bridget's photo album. They also gave us an amazing discount. Her surgery (Femoral Head Ostectomy) will cost approximately $2500, which is considerably less than the total hip replacement we originally were told she would likely need. Now in recovery, she will need a lot of physical therapy that will up her treatment costs by about another $1000, but after therapy she should be pretty close to 100% better. She will have a scar and a limp, but will be totally free of pain and pain meds! 

Bridget still has a long road ahead of her, but she also can look forward to a long, happy, healthy life.  Her bad days are behind her.  Blue skies ahead. 

If you would like to help defray Bridget's medical bills, we would be most appreciative.  You can use the Sponsor link on her webpage or our Paypal link .  As always, we thank you for all that you do to help us help the abandoned pets of Central Florida.