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Dog Suffers Neglect and Abuse, But iHeartDogs Customers Helped Give Her A New Life

| Published on June 22, 2019

Part of each sale through the iHeartDogs store is donated to Greater Good, which helps support various charities. Thanks to customers like you, happy endings, like the one below, are made possible.

It was colder than usual that December in Steger, Illinois. Bayla’s owner abandoned her in atrocious condition behind a veterinarian’s office. Wearing a tattered, knotted leash around her neck, Bayla was emaciated, had double ear infections, and infected, open puncture wounds and torn skin around her face, ears, neck, legs, and back. She weighed barely 30 pounds with her entire skeleton in plain view through thin fur. Bayla was transferred to Animal Rescue Foundation (A.R.F.) to heal.

Animal Rescue Foundation

Thankfully, an alert neighbor identified Bayla’s abuser, which led to the abuser’s arrest.

Once safe at A.R.F., Bayla remained in foster for three months. During this time she received extensive, on-going medical treatment for her illnesses and injuries, and received a quality diet of pet food donated by GreaterGood.org’s Rescue Bank that supported healthy weight gain and general good nutrition. And, of course, it was during this time that Bayla received all the love and affection from her fosters, and volunteers at A.R.F., in an attempt to make up for the failings of her previous owner/abuser.

Animal Rescue Foundation

Under the care of her foster parents and the rescue’s veterinarians, Bayla thrived and healed. She learned to play and trust, and she forgot about the horrors of her earlier life. The darkness of that cold December now long gone, the sun shined heavily on Bayla’s future. In February 2017, Bayla, a now happy, healthy, playful 55 pounds, was adopted into a loving home in Wisconsin and is enjoying life beside a lazy river with her loving family and her BFF, a Great Dane!

“A.R.F. receives no government funding and relies heavily on donations to provide food and care to animals, like Bayla, who need extensive medical and lengthy respite care. Thanks to help from donors like GreaterGood.org’s Rescue Bank, A.R.F. can provide great quality food and needed supplies to the 600-700 animals that it saves annually on a limited budget, allowing its limited funds to be used to meet other needs, such as medical care. Without the free and affordable supplies that A.R.F. receives through Rescue Bank, A.R.F. would have far fewer resources available to support the significant rescue rate that it enjoys. Thank you, Rescue Bank!”

– Animal Rescue Foundation

Animal Rescue Foundation

You helped rescue Bayla! Your purchases through the iHeartDogs store provide rescues with nutritious, high-quality food from GreaterGood.org’s Rescue Bank program. That allows them to help dogs like Bayla get their health back on track, and use their funds for other things like medical care and supplies! Thank you!

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