| Zeus, A Dogs Story of Hope! |
We would like to share our story of hope with you. It is a story of soundly beating the odds, thanks to the teamwork of a devoted group of dog lovers. Our story is about only one dog; but it is our hope that his story raises your awareness, as it did ours, of the plight of our county’s homeless, abused and abandoned dogs. While our story beat the odds, many of these dogs’ stories end in heartbreak. |
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Our story begins the day that we received an email from a friend about a German Shepherd Dog in need of rescue. Shortly after, Miguel and I met 6 year old Zeus at the Henrico County Animal Shelter in Richmond Virginia. He was surrendered by his owners and would have been killed in a few days if we had not intervened.
When we saw Zeus, it was clear that he had been neglected by his owners – he appeared to have a severe ear infection and a festering wound on his shoulder. Dull and matted, it looked like his coat had not been brushed in a very long time. Clearly, Zeus was in desperate straits. |
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We determined that Zeus was not a fearful or vicious dog, despite having been surrendered for allegedly biting the hand of a child. When Miguel brought out some food to reward him, he proudly showed off his sit, and showed no aggression when Miguel put his hands near his food bowl. Although he was in poor physical condition, we knew he would look very handsome when he was healthy. As we interacted with Zeus, we felt very strongly that he deserved a second chance. |
| The lieutenant in charge of the shelter compassionately agreed to give us time to find someone to take Zeus. We immediately began trying to find a rescue organization or person that would take Zeus and care for him. We let everyone who we contacted know that we were willing to pay for his medical and living expenses. |
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Zeus’ story, as we sadly found out, was all too common. Because of the alleged bite, and his breed and age, we were told he was a hopeless case; no rescue organization could justify the expense of caring for him. One kind rescue woman suggested that the best we could do was take Zeus out of the shelter, feed him a good meal, and have him euthanized humanely. Since this was not an acceptable option to us, we continued to search for an organization to take Zeus. To make matters worse, we had an unusual winter storm hit Virginia in March that caused us to lose power for two days, and our ability to communicate with the rescue organizations we had called and emailed in Zeus’ behalf. Time was of the essence, and we were quickly running out of it.
Just as hope was fading, Zeus’ luck started to change. The night before Zeus’ date of euthanasia, the founder and manager of a wonderful animal sanctuary in Washington State, Steve Markwell, contacted us. He told us he was driving to the east coast the following week and could take just one more dog into his sanctuary – Zeus! |
Since we had a plan for Zeus, the Henrico Animal Shelter agreed to give us even more time, and help us get Zeus to a vet’s office. The Henrico Humane Society and Countryside Veterinary practice in Glen Allen, Virginia partnered with us so that Zeus could get the medical attention that he needed, including getting neutered.
In what seemed like a miracle, Zeus got the second chance that he deserved, a chance that many other dogs like him don’t get. When Steve brought Zeus to our home the day that he picked him up, Zeus quickly confirmed our impression that he was a sound dog. He was friendly and outgoing with us, and happily trotted around our yard, wagging his tail and leaning on us to be petted. He sat and stayed for me as Miguel took his photos, and gently took food from my fingers. What we did discover that day was that Zeus had a painful condition in his left leg that caused him to yelp and snap in pain when his leg was bumped. We began to understand how such a gentle dog might bite a child out of pain. |
Because Zeus appeared to have a pain rather than behavioral issue, we, together with Steve, decided to take him to the Warwick Valley Humane Society in New York, where Steve had just picked up two unadoptable dogs, thereby making space for Zeus. There Zeus will receive necessary medical treatment, and an opportunity to be adopted and experience the comfort and security of a loving home. True to his dedication to help unadoptable dogs, Steve promised that he would bring Zeus to his sanctuary if, for any reason, he did not get adopted.
Zeus has radically increased our awareness of the heartbreaking story of the millions of dogs that end up in shelters every year. We learned that of the 6 to 8 million dogs and cats that enter shelters every year, 3 to 4 million are euthanized.** Surprisingly, 25% of the dogs who enter shelters are purebreds.** Many of these animals die without ever having a real opportunity to find a permanent home. Not only is this number unconscionable, it is expensive. By our estimates, if only $10 is spent for every dog and cat that enters a shelter, the cost to us, the taxpayer, is over 60 million dollars. |
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We believe that it is both our moral and civic responsibility to help drastically lower this staggeringly high number, and the pain and suffering that it represents.
In the name of hope for all homeless, abused, and abandoned dogs, we are asking you to help with Zeus’ medical and travel expenses so that we can help him find his forever home. Any money donated in excess of that required for his expenses will be donated to the Olympic Animal Sanctuary, Steve’s non-profit organization that rescues “unadoptable” dogs, www.olympicanimalsanctuary.com; the Henrico Humane Society, www.henricohumane.org; and the Warwick Valley Humane Society, www.wvhumanesociety.com
Thank you in advance for joining us in our mission to help Zeus and other dogs in need. Please contact us at (804) 779-7555 to learn how you can donate to the Zeus fund. We have already received the promise of a $500 donation from our wonderful friends and clients Mrs. Michele Molnar and Mr.Jamie Danburg, so we are off to a great start.
We would love for you to match their donation.
In appreciation of your contribution, you will receive a print of a photograph of your choice, compliments of Infocusbymiguel.com. In addition, Infocusbymiguel.com will place 1 to 2 pages advertisement on Zeus story, at no charge to you, in at least 2 of the major dog show publications to recognize the names of those of you who make donations to the Zeus Fund. Finally, if you have any suggestions or ideas about how to help homeless and abandoned dogs, please share them with us.
Together, we can make a difference.
Warmly,
Rebecca McCracken Ph.D & Miguel Betancourt
** Humane Society of the United States estimates, March 2009
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