Urgent Need

UPDATE: Several weeks ago, Sophie was found lifeless in a vacant backyard in the Penn North neighborhood of Baltimore City. Despite being in the warm sunshine, her body was ice cold. Sophie was so thin you could see every bone in her body and face. Her eyes were sunken in and she couldn’t lift her head—Sophie was one of the worst cases of starvation we’ve ever seen.

Sophie has had a long road to recovery. Thanks to your donations for her emergency medical care and rehabilitation, Sophie became healthy enough to finally find her forever home.

Her adopter shares, “Sophie is absolutely amazing! She has gained her weight back and looks so good. She is also very sweet. She loves to give hugs and will lay her head on your shoulder for a nap. Sophie loves car rides and going to the park for exercise. I can’t imagine what she’s been through in her old life but I can tell you now it’s nothing but love from here on out. Thank you again!”

Have a great life, Sophie! We couldn’t be happier for you. And thank YOU, our amazing ‘BARCS family,’ for making miracles happen for the forgotten and discarded animals of Baltimore.

If you would like to be a hero to help more animals like Sophie get their happily ever after, take the pledge to be a Constant Companion of BARCS. By giving a small monthly donation, you give BARCS the ability each day to say ‘yes’ with confidence to animals like Sophie. Will you join this special group of people to ensure that we can meet the needs of the animals in our shelter? We are asking you to commit just $10/month to BARCS to be a part of our special Constant Companion lifeline group. 

UPDATE: Recently, Sophie was found lifeless in a vacant backyard in Baltimore City. She only weighed 17 pounds when she should weigh closer to 40—she was one of the worst cases of starvation we have ever seen.

But now, look at Sophie go! In recent days, she’s grown strong enough to not only stand, but also to walk, wag and wiggle. She just loves soaking up attention, hugs and kisses from all of her cheerleaders at the hospital. 

Sophie still has a long journey ahead of her, but we are hopeful that, in the next week, she will be medically stable enough to move into a foster home where she can continue to heal.

UPDATE: On Monday, Sophie was found lifeless in a vacant backyard in the Penn North neighborhood of Baltimore City. Despite being in the warm sunshine, her body was ice cold. Sophie was so thin you could see every bone in her body and face. Her eyes were sunken in and she couldn’t lift her head. It’s fair to say that timing saved her life, as she could have been moments from passing. 

Today, we are so thankful to share that, while she is still in critical condition, Sophie is alive and being cared for at our emergency Franky Fund partner clinic.

The veterinarians at the ER report that Sophie is showing minor improvements but is still very weak. She is able to stand now, but is still unable to walk. She is receiving round-the-clock care, including IV fluids and bloodwork. Some of her recent bloodwork was concerning, so the ER will do a redraw in the coming days. 

Sophie also had X-rays to see if a blockage would have been causing her extreme emaciation, the results showed there was no blockage—she was just starving. To help her safely gain weight, Sophie is on a strict and frequent small-meal feeding schedule; the ER is reporting that she has quite the appetite.

Just like when she was at BARCS, the ER has found that, even though Sophie can’t move around very much, her tail wags every time a human walks by. She must know what love is and all that is waiting for her on the other side of this.

We’ll never understand how animals like Sophie wind up so neglected when BARCS is just a call away. We could have helped Sophie long before she progressed to such a grave condition. There is never a reason for an animal to suffer.

We’d like to extend tremendous gratitude to everyone who has helped support Sophie’s emergency and ongoing care. Every life is important. Just like all of us at BARCS, we know that you believe that too. Together, we’re showing Sophie that she is no exception. She is worthy of good health, safety and, most importantly, love.

Thank you for your support of BARCS and the animals we serve.

Monday morning, Baltimore City Animal Control officers responded to a call about a dog lying lifeless in the backyard of a vacant house in the Penn North neighborhood. Concerned citizens had gathered to meet the officers, but none of them were familiar with the dog. Had she wandered into the yard and collapsed, or had she been dumped there? We can’t be sure, but Sophie—as she was named—was so weak she was unable to walk or even lift her head. Every part of her body was sunken in; it was clear she hadn’t eaten for a long time. The officers carried her out of the yard and rushed her to BARCS.

Despite being found in the sunshine, Sophie’s body was hypothermic from her severe emaciation. She weighed just 17 pounds this morning—one of the worst cases of starvation we have ever seen. A dog Sophie’s size should be closer to 40-50 pounds. We can see every bone in her body, including the indents of her skull.

While Sophie couldn’t lift her head or body, her little eyes followed everyone in the exam room. Her tail wagged each time someone touched her, and she would try to nudge her nose and paws towards our teams’ hands for more love. Sophie was only at our shelter briefly before being transported to a partnering Franky Fund clinic ER, where she is currently fighting for her life.

We are seeking donations to save Sophie’s life: https://barcs.org/urgent-care

Our Franky Fund supports the medical bills of animals critically injured or victims of extreme abuse and neglect and is an essential service in our community. At this time, when our entire community is financially struggling, BARCS desperately needs funding in order to give Sophie a chance. Even just a few dollars will make a difference.

When you give to the Franky Fund, 100% of your donation goes directly to medical care.

Additionally, if you have any information on this case, Baltimore City Animal Control is asking you to please call the Animal Abuse Unit at 443-681-0101

UPDATE: Earlier this month, Donut was found on the dumping floor of the city trash incinerator in extremely poor condition. He had fallen out of a large dumpster that was transported to the facility that morning and had sustained life-threatening injuries from the events. 

A few days ago, Donut had a follow up appointment for his injured leg. Unfortunately, it’s not healing like the veterinarian want to see, so Donut has a recheck with X-rays scheduled. It is possible that he will need additional surgery for his leg, which will result in a longer recovery time in foster care. He is also on a state mandated four month adoption hold due to his bite wounds of unknown origin.

Donut's foster mom says that he wants nothing more than to be an active puppy. To help keep him calm, she will be getting him “thinking puzzles” and work on low-impact training commands like “sit” and “stay.” Luckily, Donut is motivated to be calm and snuggle on the couch if there are belly rubs involved!

UPDATE: Earlier this month, Donut was found on the dumping floor of the city trash incinerator in extremely poor condition. He had fallen out of a large dumpster that was transported to the facility that morning and had sustained life-threatening injuries from the events. After being transported to the ER, it was discovered that—prior to his injuries from that morning—Donut was covered in severe bite wounds from head to tail. Additionally, he was weak, and his vitals were dangerously low due to emaciation. His initial prognosis was not good, but after many days in emergency care, he pulled through. 

Donut is now recovering in foster care. He is with one of most experienced fosters who has cared for many Franky Fund cases. He had X-rays last week that his broken leg is healing well, but will still need to be in a splint. In addition, the wounds under Donut’s splint are looking much better. Donut will need an X-ray again in a few weeks, and we will continue to share updates as he progresses. Donut’s foster mom reports that he loves wearing pajamas to help cover his healing wounds and watching Animal Planet is his favorite “be calm” activity.

Donut was rescued thanks to the workers at the facility—and saved thanks to our Franky Fund partners and all of those who donated for his care. Today, he has a fighting chance because of community members like you coming together to save his life.

Thank you for your support of BARCS and the animals we serve.

UPDATE: On Monday, Donut was found on the dumping floor of the city trash incinerator in extremely poor condition. He had fallen out of a large dumpster that was transported to the facility that morning and had sustained life-threatening injuries from the events. After being transported to the ER, it was discovered that—prior to his injuries from that morning—Donut was covered in severe bite wounds from head to tail. Additionally, he was weak, and his vitals were dangerously low due to emaciation. His initial prognosis was not good, but after many days in emergency care, he pulled through. Donut was rescued thanks to the workers at the facility—and saved thanks to our Franky Fund partners and all of those who donated for his care. Today, he has a fighting chance because of community members like you coming together to save his life.

As of this morning, Donut is safely resting at BARCS after spending three days under round-the-clock emergency care at our Franky Fund partner clinic. He was released back to our shelter for BARCS’ veterinary medical team to continue close monitoring and to administer ongoing treatment. We are doing daily bandage changes for his injured leg and many wounds and we are implementing a re-feeding plan for his emaciation. The comprehensive feeding plan is being overseen by BARCS’ veterinarians with constant adjustments being made based on calculations of calorie intake and weight gain. His condition is still not entirely stable, but once Donut has regained his strength, he will have orthopedic consults and more X-rays to determine what surgeries will be needed for his right front leg, which has a combination of severe bite wounds and fractures. 

We’d like to extend a tremendous ‘thank you’ to everyone who donated to help support Donut’s emergency and ongoing care. Your outpouring of love was so great that the BARCS Franky Fund will be able to help more neglected, injured and sick animals in need of specialized and emergency care in recent weeks.

Every life is important. Together, we’ve shown Donut that he is no exception. He is worthy of good health, safety and, most importantly, love.

Thank you for your support of BARCS and the animals we serve.

To read Donut’s full story, or if you would like to make a gift to the Franky Fund to help BARCS always be ready to save animals like him, please visit our website: https://barcs.org/urgent-care/

FRANKY FUND EMERGENCY: On Monday morning, Baltimore City Animal Control responded to a call from the city’s trash incinerator facility. A dog had been found on the main dumping floor after a long fall out of a 30-foot roll-off dumpster. Donut, as he has been named, wasn’t initially noticed among the huge piles of trash. It was only when the front-end loader operator saw the dog move that he stopped his machine to rescue him. The operator found that Donut was alive but unable to get up. He quickly pulled Donut out and to safety. It was a very fortunate circumstance for Donut that he was visible on top of the debris at that moment.

When Animal Control arrived, Donut was safely away from the dumping floor, resting on towels, covered in trash and other substances. His body had multiple cuts and puncture wounds, and he was suffering from severe injuries to his front legs.

Donut was rushed to BARCS where our veterinarian team examined him. It was clear that Donut not only went through the terrifying events of the morning and whatever led up to him being in that dumpster but that he had also been lacking care for quite some time.

While Donut physically looked like he was too far gone, he showed us that he still had hope by wagging his tail and trying to move his face close to ours for comfort. Everyone who helped him Monday morning keeps talking about how all Donut wants to do is give kisses. Donut was only at our shelter briefly before being rushed to a partnering Franky Fund clinic ER, where he is currently being treated.

It was discovered at the ER that Donut had injuries both consistent with his fall from the dumpster as well as wounds believed to have happened before Monday morning (mainly bite wounds). His front legs are very hurt and he is unable to walk on his own. Donut remains under emergency care and will likely need surgery for one or both of his legs.

Our Franky Fund supports the medical bills of animals critically injured or victims of extreme abuse and neglect. We are desperately in need of donations to this fund in order to give Donut a fighting chance.

We don’t know what events led up to Donut being found on the incinerator plant floor yesterday. Could someone have purposely have thrown him away in those dumpsters? Or did he wander or fall in there on his own? Whatever the circumstance, sweet Donut is now safe—and very lucky to be alive.
 
Can you help Donut? Please consider making a donation to the Franky Fund today. This fund relies completely on private donations from our supporters. When you give to the Franky Fund, 100% of your donation goes directly to animals with extraordinary medical needs like Donut.
 
Additionally, if you have any information on this case, Baltimore City Animal Control is asking you to please call the Animal Abuse Unit at 443-681-0101.