Team Pretty Boy Floyd T-Shirt Fundraiser

So many phone calls and emails with pictures of dogs in need come our way on an hourly basis. The sad reality is we can't save them all. Sometimes you have to decide who lives and who dies and it's a horrible and depressing situation to be in. Although, through the dozens and hundreds of pleas, there are certain dogs that just pop out of the computer screen at us and Floyd was one of those dogs.  The initial image we were sent was of him in his kennel at the County shelter. Snarling at the photographer with what we imagined was a deep and groggy growl. He had nearly nubs for teeth and the teeth we could see looked old and decayed. His fur was dry and patchy, his toe nails long and nearly cork-screwed. It was more than evident that this boy had been neglected for a very long time. His picture called out to us and we snapped into action, arriving at the County shelter within the hour. 

Once at the shelter, we were walked back to his kennel in the quieter, care-wing of the facility. He was curled up on a blanket on the floor and turned his head to see who we were, greeting us with that same snarl and growl his picture had lured us in with. Undeterred, we had him walked out to the yard to better assess him, which became a very slow walk as he labored with every step due to his severely overgrown toe nails and what appeared to be extreme arthritis. In the yard he perked up slightly, although making sure to warn us to keep our distance with an occasional raise of the lip and nub-toothed snarl. We knew he was old, grumpy, in pain and had NO CHANCE of EVER getting out of the shelter alive. We knew we were his ONLY hope!  As luck would have it, it was the Saturday of a three-day weekend, so we had to wait till the following Tuesday to take possession of him.  Once Tuesday came, we picked up the dog we had now rightly named Pretty Boy Floyd, and immediately took him to our veterinarian. He was extremely non-compliant, grumpy, growling, snarling and snapping as our vet had to muzzle and sedate him to even get a look, and we loved him even more for it. We seriously contemplated if we'd bitten off more than we could chew, but knew we were committed to his care. Our vet's assessment was that he definitely needed a dental cleaning and several teeth extracted. He had a large tumor under his right armpit that was more than likely cancerous. His ears were hard and calloused from what might have been long-term exposure to outdoor elements and fly bites. His elbows were as calloused as an elephants and he had arthritis. His fur was dry, brittle and his underbelly skin was full of blackheads. Neglect was an understatement! We arranged to have Floyd's tumor removed and teeth cleaned and extracted, but blood work revealed that he was hypothyroid so medications had to be given for three weeks before he would be in the safe-range for surgery.  Within those three weeks amazing things happened... Within 24 hours, Floyd had his first bath, in what was more than likely a VERY LONG time. He seemed to LOVE it and even became playful with the towel dry session that followed. His thyroid medication kicked in within the first week and his long, slow, painful walks in and out of his kennel became happy trots to and fro. Floyd started allowing belly rubs and ear scratches and even started nudging us when we'd stop. His eyes became more alert, his face seemed younger almost overnight, and you could tell he was HAPPY!  Floyd's tumor removal and dental surgery took place after the three weeks and his blood work showed his thyroid levels in the normal range. Within 12 hours of surgery, you'd never know he'd had surgery. He almost had a jog to the play-yard from his kennel and he even started jumping and playing with a favorite red ball.It was clear that Pretty Boy Floyd was healthy, happy and knew he was loved. 

Since his time with Rockstar Rescue Floyd has continued to improve. He’s becoming more and more social everyday and less and less grumpy and cantankerous. And he’s definitely become a Rockstar Rescue fan favorite! Although Floyd may never be able to be adopted, we certainly don’t like to use the word “never” and always hold hope that the right person is out there for him. But if not, Floyd will live out his days with us and all the love he can handle!   Situations like Floyd’s has shown us that many dogs are misunderstood and sometimes with the right care, compassion, time and patience, AMAZING things can happen. Floyd would absolutely have been euthanized if it weren’t for our taking a chance in saving his life. We hope to build up enough funds, with the proceeds from his T-shirt sales, to save the next misunderstood dog that just needs that chance to SHINE.   Just like a ROCKSTAR!