If you saw an injured stray dog, what would you do? Would you go out of your way to help? Would you do everything in your power to guarantee them a happy life? For Megan Wedge of Dalton, Georgia, there wasn’t even a moment of hesitation when it came to saving a homeless dog.
Wedge has a rescue dog of her own, so when she learned about a stray pup in need she didn’t think twice before helping. The Lab/Hound mix wandering near her office clearly had a leg injury. The poor thing was limping around, Wedge told PBS39.
“A couple of guys at the plant where I work came into the office and said: ‘Megan, did you see the dog outside? It’s limping.’ As soon as she got up, she’d fall back down. When she did finally get up, you could see that she couldn’t put her weight on her one back leg.”
Wedge took the dog in, bathed her, and removed her ticks. She turned to the internet to ask for help finding the sweet girl a permanent home. Wedge just couldn’t bring the dog in to a shelter. She wanted her to find a permanent family.
As it turned out, Wedge’s sister Sarah Bauer wanted to help. Since Bauer lives about 700 miles away in Quakertown, Pennsylvania, the sisters agreed to meet up in Virginia (about a 5.5 hour drive.)
Bauer named the dog Izzy and vowed to love her for life.
A Shocking Trip To The Vet
Covid-19 safety practices forbade Bauer from going into the vet with her dog. Bauer wished she could have been in the room with her, especially after what she learned about Izzy’s condition. It turned out the dog had suffered horrible abuse.
“The vet comes out to my car and tells me that her hip is dislocated, she has abrasions on her legs and that she was probably hit by a car. She also told me that she was hit by buckshot. At that point, I started tearing up. To think that this sweet girl had been treated that way…I don’t even want to think about someone hurting her on purpose.”
It’s hard to fathom that someone would do such horrible things to sweet Izzy. Buckshot is hunting ammo in the form of pellets. They were found all over Izzy.
“She is so sweet, and she went through so much pain for no reason. I know that there’s a lot of animals like Izzy who have been abused, or left outside for days on end chained up. I think if you can’t properly care for an animal, you shouldn’t have one.”
Then came some miraculous news from the doctor: Izzy had some buns in her oven. Not only was she pregnant, she would give birth to 9 puppies!
“Just to know that a little puppy was alive after everything that her mom went through, that was incredible!”
How Motherhood And Family Helped Izzy Heal
Izzy had her nine puppies from June 11th to June 12th. They are healthy and have all been adopted into loving homes.
Bauer noted that since raising her little pups and having a home and family, Izzy’s spirits are high. However, she still has much healing to do.
“She’s really come alive since the first time that I met her. I think the puppies really brought out the puppy in her. She manages pretty well, but I know that she’s in discomfort every day, especially if she tries to go up or down steps or even just to run around with her puppies, she won’t put weight on that leg.”
Since Izzy’s hip has been dislocated for too long, she’s not a candidate for hip replacement. She needs a special surgery to use scar tissue to essentially form a new joint for her hip. Obviously, this costs a lot (~$4,000.) Bauer set up a GoFundMe to raise money for Izzy’s surgery.
“I just want her to have the best life, that’s why I brought her home with me, I just want her to have a good life.”
Before the hip surgery, Bauer had already spent over $1,000 in care for Izzy. Still, she regrets absolutely none of it. Neither does Wedge.
“Would I have done it knowing that she needed thousands of dollars for hip surgery and that she would have nine puppies? Yes, I would do it again.”
Here’s to the heroes like Wedge who stop for homeless dogs and the dedicated parents like Bauer who help them heal.
H/T: WLVT
Featured Image: @essiebauer119/Facebook
Toledo, United States.
