Pickles is just three months old, and already life is an
uphill battle for him. Not only has he
suffered abuse at the hands of some horrible humans, but was dumped on the side
of the road and left for dead as well.
After being rescued, doctors discovered a heart condition that requires
immediate surgery for him to survive, and grow up to be trained as a therapy
dog.
Some good Samaritans came across Pickles after he was
abandoned. They weren’t sure just what
to do with the poor little guy, so they called Nikki Johnson. Johnson has fostered a great deal of dogs
over the past few years, and knows just what to do in these situations.
“I had sent the information to my boyfriend and said I
think we could potentially foster this guy,” said Johnson. “He won’t take long to find a home, he’s a
puppy, super cute.”
Johnson immediately noticed signs of abuse on Pickles. There was scarring where his ears had been
cut, forcing him to have to wear a special hat while in the rain to protect
him.
“They only cut the ears off to make them look mean. That’s why they do that to pit bulls,” said
Johnson.
One would figure the little guy to be terrified of people
because of what he was put through.
However, Johnsons says that’s not really the case. In fact, she believes that he could become an
amazing therapy dog if trained properly.
“I think anybody would be terrified of people if you were
held down as a child and your ears cut off,” said Johnson. “But he loves everybody.”
Johnson took Pickles in to see the doctors, and that’s when
his heart condition was discovered. He
has stage 5 pulmonic stenosis, which is potentially fatal. Vanessa Rangel-Miller also has a dog with the
same medical condition as Pickles, and knows all too well the dangers it comes
along with.
“He was already abused, left by the side of the road,” said
Rangel-Miller. “Then we find out that
there’s even more, that he has medical conditions.”
She is trying to spread the word about Pickles and his
condition, reaching out to the community for help with getting him cared
for. She also strongly believes that
Pickles could be a great therapy dog.
His sweet and loving temperament would be just right.
“This dog has the potential to really help a lot of other
people and a lot of other kids, and I’d like to do anything I can to make that
happen,” said Rangel-Miller.
Johnson is very thankful for the help in reaching out to
the community. She’s amazed that so many
people already have helped out with Pickles’ care. If you’d like to see more about Pickles,
watch his progress or donate to the cause, you can check out his special
Facebook page, click HERE.
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