On October 12, 2013, three poodle mix dogs were turned in to Houston’s BARC city animal shelter by their owner. All three dogs showed signs of abuse but one in particular was in dire need of medical aid.
The dogs, two females named Rainey and Stormy, plus a male dog named Cyclone, were covered in dirt, suffered from matted fur, fleas, sores, malnutrition and hair loss. Rainey however had two injured legs.
Rainey’s back, right leg was missing from the knee down and the leg bone was dried out and exposed. Her front left leg had its paw missing.
When Rainy and her siblings were relinquished to BARC city animal shelter, staff immediately notified Houston police of dog’s condition. Subsequently, Red Collar Rescue stepped in to pull all three dogs from the city pound.
According to a Red Collar Rescue’s Facebook post, Rainey’s owner said the dog got its leg caught in a rope but the pet owner didn’t think much of it at the time. The owner did not think the injury was major until Rainey’s leg fell off.
Dr. Michael Huddleston of the Westheimer Animal Clinic in Bellaire treated Rainey for her injuries and said he was amazed Rainey did not bleed to death before reaching his clinic.
In Rainey’s best interest, her back leg needs amputation and the front leg with a missing a paw requires surgery and a prosthetic. The pet is expected to make a full recovery and learn how to be an active, happy two-legged dog.
On Oct. 21, Rainey’s leg was amputated and her front leg surgery was scheduled to take place the following week. Her siblings, Stormy and Cyclone, were sent to St. Francis’ Angels, a medical recovery group in Richmond, Va.. Rainey will join them as soon as her second surgery is out of the way.
For now police have opened an animal abuse case against Rainey’s original owners and Red Collar Rescue will update the community as soon as developments are made.
Several families have shown interest in adopting Rainey, but while the case remains open, Rainey and her siblings will remain under St. Francis’ Angels’s care.
If you would like to learn more about Rainey’s injury visit Red Collar Rescue and watch a video of Rainey walking on her two legs.
You can also donate towards Rainey’s medical bills at http://www.petcaring.com/help.rainey.walk.again.
