Sweetie Pie may be small in size but her heart & strength of will are monumental! How else could she endure all that has happened to her and still remain such a wonderful, sweet dog? Please read her story of survival & triumph below.
Rescuers in a Texas town first became aware of Sweetie Pie when they noticed a dog hanging around on the side of the road on a cold winter day. The dog was small & very skinny & acted like it had been hit. The rescuer stopped & knocked on several doors to try to find the dog's owner. What she discovered was unbelievable.....
Sweetie Pie was not far from home.... at least the place she use to call home. Her owner had been a young man who died a year ago. He probably wasn't the best owner since he was the cause of Sweetie Pie's lameness (as a pup her leg was broken when hit by his car & he never had the leg treated)---- but at least Sweetie Pie received food & water. After her owner's death, everything changed for Sweetie Pie. Instead of being loved & cherished as something to remember his son by, the boy's father kicked Sweetie Pie out into the street to fend for herself. No matter how thin & pitiful she became he refused to feed her or even give her water. It's thought that he also hit her & threw things at her to try & get her to leave the only home she ever knew. The bullets that Sweetie Pie carries around in her body were probably from this cruel man's gun.
Sweetie Pie was rescued just in time.... she was so starved & it was so cold that if help had been delayed--even a few days it would have been too late. A kind-hearted woman took Sweetie Pie in & started vet treatment immediately. On top of the effects of starvation, it was discovered that Sweetie Pie had a bad case of heartworms...so bad that it was almost impossible to get a sample due to the thickness of the blood. And to make matters worse no treatment could be started because Sweetie Pie was pregnant. Only time would tell whether Sweetie Pie would survive.... the heartworms & her malnutrition made her pregnancy a dangerous one...but any surgery to remove the pups would be equally as dangerous to her health.
And throughout all of this Sweetie Pie amazed everyone..she was so good natured, friendly & easy going....the entire vet office was in love with this little doll! A little over a month after Sweetie Pie was rescued she gave birth to 4 cute little puppies. She has been the best mother according to Jacque, Sweetie's foster mom. She is very patient, loving & attentive to her babies.
Although Sweetie is doing well & is on the road to recovery she still has some hurdles to face. After the puppies are weaned & Sweetie has stored up some strength she will start undergoing heartworm treatment--- this can be very dangerous & dogs have died as a result. The bullets & problem with her leg will need to examined to see if anything can be done. All of this costs money & to date Sweetie's foster mom has been wonderful about doing everything that she can for this little doll.
Update: Sweetie Pie made it through heartworm treatment & Sweetie Pie & all of her pups have been adopted.