This is Ruffus. He’s staying with us for the week while his foster family is on vacation.

If you look at the scars on his neck you can see that his life previously was pretty rough. Life began to change for Ruffus when animal control officer (ACO) M cut the rope from the tree where someone had tied him up and left him. Next the thin rope that had been used as a collar was removed. It had been on for so long that it had grown into his skin and flesh. Those other scars show that this was not the first time that this had happened to him.

The wound left by the rope was so deep that the vets at the Wake County Animal Center (WCAC) had to stitch it up and put in a drain tube. Poor guy – our Halloween Franken-pup. C, assistant to the foster coordinator, started looking for the foster family who could nurse Ruffus’ wounds. J, her family and pack, were up for the challenge. Ruffus stepped into a house filled with love and good food.

But Ruffus’ first week towards a new happy healthy life wasn’t over yet. J brought Ruffus back to the WCAC so they could check his stitches. Also, J was going to be out of town this week and needed to leave Ruffus at the WCAC. Well, C would have none of that and was back on the phone making sure that Ruffus didn’t have to spend even one night at the WCAC.

I didn’t know if we were ready for this, but Ruffus needed to get away from the other dogs in the sick room; many have upper respiratory infections and he did not need additional medical issues to fight. And the shelter always needs that extra room. Yup, it was time to test the waters and spread our wings to determine our readiness as a family to be foster parents again.

Ruffus is doing very well in our house. He and Ruby are getting along. He will do best in a cat-free house (check back for that story). He has such a wonderful disposition considering where he came from. The vet staff said that during his initial intake and recheck he calmly sat there wagging his tail the whole time they worked on him. He is a big headed loveable dog who is just looking for love and affection.

Ruffus has taken many steps in the last week towards a healthy and happy life, but he has many more steps ahead of him before he finds his furever family. The vets found that he needs several teeth pulled, which they don’t have the equipment to do. Mitchell Mill Hospital has agreed to do it, and his neuter surgery, for cost. So we’re trying to raise around $600.00 to help Ruffus take this next step towards the good life.

Any amount, large or small, will help and is very much appreciated.

Make checks out to “Wake County Government” and mail to:
Wake County Animal Adoption Center
820 Beacon Lake Drive
Raleigh, NC 27610

Another option is to call in your donation at 919-212-PETS (7387). Please provide a driver license number and state, plus your current address and phone number. A receipt will be mailed to you ASAP.

Thanks for taking time out for Ruffus and for passing his story on to others.