This incredible little Fox Terrier was brought to Walter Crowe Humane Society in Camden, SC by an older gentlemen that had him. He came in with severe neurological problems and was blind and later determined deaf. The gentlemen said he got the dog from a woman that had an autistic child. They had bought the puppy for the child. In the length of time the child had the puppy, he was choked, thrown against walls repeatedly and severely abused. We blame the parents, not the child for what happened. The child and the puppy should have been supervised at all times to make sure this was a healthy, positive interaction for both. When the parents discovered what had happened they gave the puppy to the gentlemen. He brought Will to the shelter because he was not able to take care of a puppy in this condition. When Will arrived at the shelter, his eyes would roll and he would lay in a fetal position shaking. He loves to be petted and touched and is afraid of everything around him. He loves to be held. When he is outside he can walk a little to go to the bathroom. We have done some test and need to do a lot more. We did find a damaged spine near C1 & C2. That would not cause the deafness and some of the other problems but would account for some of the issues he is having. He is very similar to Lily, a little beagle puppy we rescued that had been attacked by another dog and had neurological problems. We eventually had to put Lily down because she had swelling of the brain that was causing her terrible pain. She is on our site under Abused Animals. Lily had a great short life while she was with her adopted family. Will needs lots of special care and we will be looking for that special person that either works at home or is at home a lot. We are determined to do everything we can for this wonderful little dog and to keep him comfortable. We are checking to see if there is any surgery that could correct any of his issues. Whatever it takes, we will do, even if we decide it is best for him to be gently put to sleep. We are sending this around after having him for two weeks because we think he could live a good life with someone that can handle special needs animals. Please, don’t turn your back on Will. He has the WILL to live and we are going to do what we can for this sweet innocent Angel.
We would like to point something out concerning dogs and autistic children. Dogs and autistic children are a wonderful loving combination in a controlled environment. A child that is not supervised with a young puppy is never a good combination, especially a small puppy. It is too easy for them to injure the puppy while they are playing. To them the animal is a toy. It is only when they get older do they realize how careful you need to be with animals. As a young child, they will not understand this. That is why it is so important for young children to be supervised with puppies and older dogs to make sure neither gets hurt.
Will is still the same without any improvement. We wish we had news that he was doing much better but that just isn’t the case. He is in the loving arms of a volunteer this week-end, loving on him 24 hours a day. We will have a new report on Monday.
We are having to put a feeding tube in Will today to see if we can put some weight on him. Eating and drinking have caused him to throw up and this will keep that from happening. This incredible little dog is still hanging in there. The next two weeks will be critical for him. We are hoping the feeding tube will allow him to gain some strength. He has finally gotten comfortable in his soft-sided kennel. He has plenty of room to move around and the sides will not irritate his skin. He is getting round the clock care to make sure all of his needs are met. For him to be content without screaming all day long is a step in the right direction. We can’t even begin to tell you what a relief that is.
Sweet little Will is hanging in there. The feeding tube is helping him put some much needed weight back on but in the process, he wants to sleep all the time. He is over his diarrhea stage which was the reason for the weight loss. We are hopeful that once he regains his strength he will be able to walk outside more without falling down all the time. Will is getting incredible care and is being held as much as possible to make him feel safe. He has adapted to a soft-sided large kennel that he finally feels comfortable enough in to sleep peacefully and feel safe. Although Will has lots of neurological issues, we are still hopeful we can get him over the worst of his issues so he can live a comfortable life. He will never be a normal dog but we think his quality of life will be good. If we reach a point where that is not possible, then we will gently help Will cross over the Rainbow Bridge. We are not there yet.
It is with incredible sadness that I have to let everyone know that Will crossed over the Rainbow Bridge last night in the arms of people that just adored him. He had gotten much worse over the last two days and was not aware of his surroundings at all. He was an incredible little pup that is now free to run and play and be a puppy again. Thanks to everyone that loved and supported him and our efforts to save him.
