View more
through obstacles that no puppy should ever have to do. It all started in Kentucky back in November when a kind woman found Gabe, a Maltese/Chihuahua mix, in the middle of the road, after he had just been hit by a car. Other vehicles were driving right over him, narrowly missing him. No one else stopped to help the tiny 3-month-old puppy except for this one wonderful person.
She rushed Gabe to the vet, where it was determined that the 6 lb puppy had suffered from a fractured jaw, a fractured leg, and nerve damage. Gabe's family was found and notified, but sadly, they abandoned him at the vet hospital after hearing about his extensive injuries.
Gabe was going to need major surgery to repair his leg and would need to have his jaw held stationary. He would also need months of rehabilitation and a loving, committed foster home to help him through his journey to better health. Now that his owners had abandoned him, who would pay for all of this? How would Gabe get the care he so desperately needed to make it through?
Miraculously, a very generous person heard about Gabe's plight and offered to cover all medical costs to get Gabe back on his feet and feeling better. Then, amazingly, an experienced foster family stepped up and offered up their hearts and homes to help Gabe as well. Things were looking up for this rejected, homeless puppy, who at just 3 months old, had his world completely shattered.
Gabe's surgery on his leg was a success, and everyone was cautiously optimistic. He also had to have a muzzle of sorts on his mouth to help his jaw heal, resulting in him only being able to eat very small amounts of soft food at a time. At first, Gabe had no feeling or use of his hindquarters; he would drag himself around. But gradually, through exercises and with time, his strength improved.
The vets were amazed at this little dog's determination. He had the pins in his leg removed recently and can now run around, albeit a bit wobbly, but he's happily trying to make up for lost time! After months of not being able to run and play freely like all puppies should, Gabe is now about 8 to 9 months old and is finally well enough to start his new life.
Because of his injuries and surgery, he was not able to be housetrained because he did not have any feeling in his back end due to the nerve damage. His Kentucky foster family gradually saw the improvement in him being able to feel and control his urine, but the nerves connected to his bowel movements are still damaged. So Gabe will go to the bathroom outside when he can and is just starting to alert his foster family about when he needs to go out for #2! It's still a work in progress, but the vets believe that as more time goes by, Gabe should regain the strength and feeling as the nerves repair themselves.
Gabe is currently in foster with children and gets along with other dogs and cats. He will not need any further surgeries or treatments, but he may always have a bit of a silly walk. It doesn't stop him from running and having fun, though! He will need to continue working on his housetraining which should improve as his nerves heal more. Gabe is a happy puppy who just wants to have a family to love him. Gabe is also very protective of his food, not only around other dogs, but around people as well. His foster family is continuing to work with him on this and they have seen progress.
It took a rescue village to save Gabe....the kind soul who picked him up from the road, the generous stranger who donated a great deal of money to pay for his surgeries, the veterinary staff who wouldn't give up on him, his Kentucky foster family who helped him through his darkest days after his surgery....
Perhaps Gabe has a guardian angel looking out for him. Despite all he's endured, this little guy doesn't let his past affect his future. He has a friendly personality, loves to play and snuggle, and has a zest for life. The last piece of this chain of rescuers is his forever family. Could that be you?
Gabe is not a NorthStar dog - he is a "courtesy post" or "XP" That means that our rescue is helping him find a home. If you would like more information or are interested in adopting Gabe, please submit an application at northstarpets.org and be sure to mention his name, XP GABE!