Gulf Coast Dachshund Rescue, inc.
One by one, until there are none!

Another Abused Dachshund.

When will it end?

This poor girl's  name is Daphne. She was turned over to animal control by the people who were supposed to protect her. To care for her. To love her. She got none of those things. In her very short life, Daphne has known nothing but trauma and meaness and neglect. 

Daphne is only 1 year old, if that. She came to me in absolutely horrid shape. As I peered in to her little kennel, she gave a soft warning growl, but her eyes told me she was terrified about what would come next. She was so uncertain of her future, and honestly, who wouldn't be? Never before had soft, nurturing hands been upon her. She had never felt the weight of a collar or a leash. She only knew fear.

I could see fleas crawling in and around her eyes and out of her ears in the worst flea infestation I'd ever seen. Her hip bones and ribs could easily been seen, though she is a long hair dachshund. Her eyes were goopy with dirt and mud, and heaven knows what else. 

Her nails were curled under and nearly imbedded into her paw pads. No, this precious baby girl had never been loved like the precious pampered pet that is undoubtedly sitting by your feet, in your lap, or next to you on the couch. She's never had the luxery of a pretty pink collar or pretty purple bow in her hair. 

 As bad as her outward appearance was, I had no idea what was in store when I got home. 

To keep my own dogs protected from the flea infestation, I had to bathe her immediately. She was very scared of the sound of the water, and again gave me some warning growls, but she never offered to bite. 

The instant I put the water on her matted, moth-eaten coat, the water in the sink turned bright red. This is known as flea-dirt. Daphne was so weak and anemic from the fleas that were slowly killing her, that she could not stand. She layed in the sink, basically giving up the will to fight any longer. I cleansed her as gently but as thoroughly as I could. 

After Daphne's bath, I placed her on the floor, where she promptly fell over from exhaustion, dehydration and anemia. For the next 24 hours, she would be unable to hold herself up. 

After several meals of red meat and extra protein, Daphne was able to stand, albeit, wobbly. After another day of crate rest, she began to walk, but she was walking in circles.

After one more day, Daphne was still walking in circles, but was able to bring herself outside to potty. 

On her 4th day here, she began to bark and wag her tail consistently.

I suspected blunt trauma either to her head or back area, as she seemed a little 'off.' The turning in circles and the wobbliness on her feet just didn't add up. 

Today is her 5th day in our home, and she had her second vet visit. She acted as though she was going to run all of the vet techs out of the room, until she realized they had food. She was very wary of the new people entering the room and ran to me for comfort. That warmed my heart. She sooo wants to love and be loved. When I pet her, she gets a little 'mouthy,' in that she wants to hold your hand with her mouth.

X-rays were taken and it appears that there is indeed a painful injury to her back. Since she is so young, and given her condition upon arrival here, it's most likely that the injury was inflicted by a kick or a hit, and less likely that it was caused by Disc Disease.

She is being treated for pain and will most likely begin a regimine of cortisone and steroids tomorrow. 

Every day I see an improvement in her. One day, someone is going to prove that they are deserving to have this princess grace their lives. Someone is going to be willing to give her that beautiful pink collar and purple hair-bow. Someone is going to want to have her in their lap, giving her all the love her little heart can handle. Someone is going to prove to her that hands are for petting and loving, not hitting. Someday.

 Please donate to the Freckles Fund:

This is Freckles.   Freckles was dumped at Animal Control when he lost use of his back end, due to caninie degenerative disc disease. He was a happy, sweet boy, but he did not have use of his back legs; nor did he have bowel or bladder control. Because he was such an awesome little dog, with a huge personality, GCDR wanted to give him a chance. The problem is that GCDR is a very, very small organization who does not have the funds available to provide back surgery, which easily costs upwards of $2500.00. We raised enough funds to cover 'exploratory' surgery to see if he could be helped. It was determined that his injury was not repairable. Freckles lost his battle on the operating table. Because of this, we are starting a "Freckles Fund" to help with future back surgeries. Please, become a P.A.L. in Freckles' name.      

Nemo
Dachshund (short coat)

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Gulf Coast Dachshund Rescue is an incorporated organization dedicated to the rescue and rehabilitation of dachshunds across the Gulf Coast.

GCDR was founded in July, 2006 with the goal of rescuing dachshunds from difficult situations, rehabilitating them, and finding loving permanent homes for each one.

GCDR strives to educate the general public about the importance of spaying and neutering, as well as responsible pet ownership.

It is extremely important, as well, to educate potential dachshund owners about  the dachshund standard and personality, to be certain no dachshund ends up in rescue, on the street, or worse, just for being a dachshund.