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03/31/2017 10:56 AMIn the four weeks since the story of Hope began, news of the starving, abandoned dog found in Branford has gone viral across the state and far beyond. As her road to recovery continues making news, Dan Cosgrove Shelter Director Laura Burban wants this dog's story to help raise awareness about some serious issues.
"While Hope's story is unique, these situations that happen to animals are not, and it's not just happening to us here in Branford, it's happening all over the state," said Burban. "We would like people to be more aware of it, and maybe help us make laws against it that are stronger to prevent this type of thing. We're hoping that it brings attention to the fact that there is animal abuse happening across our state and we need to take it more seriously, because it does correlate to kids and other people. And we also want people to know there's lots of dogs like Hope, sitting in shelters, that need homes."
Just two weeks ago, a man was arrested on a warrant for having moved out his Branford home last summer, leaving his dog to starve, said Burban. The dog had been locked in the house for six weeks before the shelter was alerted and picked her up.
"They moved out and just left her; and nobody heard this dog for six weeks. By the time we got there, she was so thin," said Burban. "So these stories happen."
Hope's Story
In what the Dan Cosgrove Animal Shelter staff described as one of the shelter's worst cases of animal cruelty, on March 6, a gaunt black dog was found on a Branford roadside and taken to the shelter. The woman who put the dog in her car and drove to the shelter told staff she saw the weakend animal fall down while walking along Route 1 at about 11 a.m. The Cosgrove staff took the dog in and immediately contacted Dr. Scott Gavaletz, DVM, of Branford Veterinary Hospital.
"He was the first one to evaluate her and bring her back to life," said Burban.
When Hope arrived, she was given a body condition score of one on a scale of nine. Gavaletz determined the dog later named Hope by shelter staffers had been starved for between two to three months and was hours from death. He said her condition was more dire than another starved dog who had arrived in the past with a body condition of two—and that dog had succumbed to organ failure due to starvation. In his 13 years of experience, this was the worst case of animal abuse he's encountered, Gavaletz said.
"I would challenge that anyone who saw her would say the exact same thing. We just don't see animals alive that starved. I've only seen one other case that was nearly that bad," said Gavaletz, referring to the dog left in her Branford home last summer. "And that dog actually wasn't as bad as her, but that dog passed away from the multi-organ failure."
When Hope was taken in, her kidneys and liver were failing. The pitbull/Lab mix weighed in at only 34 pounds, less than half the healthy weight for a dog her size.
"She was also dehydrated with a low temperature. Everything that could possibly go wrong was going wrong. She was on her way out and would have died in hours," said Dr. Gavaletz.
Saving Hope
Under the direction of Burban, Branford-based Dan Cosgrove Animal Shelter (which also serves North Branford) has built a reputation as the gold standard for municipal shelters. The shelter board, staff, volunteers, and the extended community work to uphold a no-kill policy by raising funds above and beyond the municipal budget to come to the aid of homeless animals, including those with extraordinary medical needs. The shelter's goal is to finding each animal a forever home.
"We said right from the very beginning, 'We're going to do everything humanly possible to save her,' and our vets have been really good to us," said Burban. "They know we're going to pay them. We might have to do some fundraisers, but we're going to pay."
The first post about Hope on the shelter's Facebook page led to daily updates that have been picked up by local media and across the social media world. The news brought in offers of help, donations and contributions to support her care, and also gathered responses from individuals and PETA to build a $10,550 reward for information leading to the arrest of the person responsible for abusing Hope.
Burban, who is also Branford's top animal control officer, said the investigation has gathered some information to date.
"It's an open, ongoing investigation right now," said Burban. "We're going to continue to try to collect as much evidence as we can."
Meanwhile, fundraising efforts organized by individuals, groups and businesses continue to generate funds to help Hope.
"I can't tell you at this point how much we've raised, but I can tell you even little kids are coming in and giving their $2.50 from their piggy banks," said Burban. "People have really been amazing. Frisco's [Pizza of New Haven] did a really large fundraiser for us and raised quite a bit of money. So we're really appreciative, because between Branford Veterinary Hospital and Pieper Memorial, and being under 24- hour care and all the special things she's needed, it's quite expensive."
Caring for Hope
Hope has been receiving around the clock care that includes a dedicated group of staffers at Cosgrove as well as those from Branford Veterinary Hospital and a responsive emergency medicine team at Pieper Memorial Veterinary Center in Middletown.
Dr. Gavaletz began Hope's initial care on March 6 and has been monitoring her progress daily. Initial response in the first two weeks took Hope from IV-infused feedings to beginning a prescription diet and gaining some weight.
"It took her a day or so, but within a couple of days she was rehydrated and a little stronger. It was baby steps at the beginning and her recovery was about little things like sitting up by herself," said Gavaletz. "So to see where is now is just unbelievable. She can run, she can jump. This was impossible three weeks ago."
But the road to recovery has been anything but smooth. About one week into her treatment, Hope suffered a setback that led to an emergency endoscopy to remove a small toy she had ingested, likely when she was starving, said Gavaletz.
"She had been getting stronger and was starting to walk on her own," said Gavaletz. "During the day, she started to refuse food, and during the night she got really, really lethargic."
A course of fluids together with anti-nausea medicine and Vitamin B injections got Hope through the night. The next morning she was taken to Pieper Memorial for an abdominal ultrasound.
"Pieper did the ultrasound and found the toy, and removed it a couple of days later," said Gavaletz. "My guess is it was probably eaten due to starvation."
The toy was a little bigger than a large hen's egg. Hope swallowed it whole and it was recovered, intact. No toys were missing from the vet's office or from the shelter, said Burban.
"This toy would have been for a really small dog, like a Yorkie or a five-pound dog. [The toy] looked like a little dachshund," said Burban.
Together with finding the ingested toy, other signs that Hope belonged to an owner included several pressure sores on her body, likely caused by being kept on a hard surface or in a confined area. Additionally, she wasn't flea or tick-covered.
"We would have thought she had been a roaming dog, except for the bed sores and her coat was not full of fleas or ticks," said Burban.
Never having been spayed, "it's very possible Hope has given birth," Gavaletz added.
Hope's age is estimated to be between five to eight years old.
After the toy was removed, Hope began to rally and has continued to return to health.
"Her temperature is regulated, her kidneys are working again, and her liver is coming back. I was very concerned. For a least two weeks I wasn't confident her liver was going to return to function. Now, it's definitely on the way to recovery," said Gavaletz.
Hope has gained 18 pounds since entering care and needs to gain about another 15 pounds or so to be at a normal healthy weight. Her black coat shimmers and sores on her bottom and legs are starting to heal. Her intestines remain inflamed and she will continue to need constant care for the time being. When Branford Veterinary Hospital certified vet tech Michelle Staffa takes off Hope's pink sweatshirt (which Hope wears to stay warm), ribs that stood out so horribly when Hope arrived are starting to disappear as she fills out. Her brown eyes, once sunken and dull, are now soulful and alive. Hope loves treats, welcomes hugs, kisses, and petting from the people who are helping her and is even romping a bit now, especially when playing with her squeaky toys.
As Staffa described it, "she's becoming younger and younger." Gavaletz added Hope's rebound is nothing short of miraculous, "without a doubt."
"When she first came in, she was done, basically. We had no hope for her," he said.
What's Next for Hope?
As she continues to receive care, the shelter is working on a plan to provide Hope with the best adoptive home.
"We have about 20 applications," said Burban. "To be quite open and honest, all of the vets and the vet techs that have been taking her home at night have been amazing. One of the first responders to this has been there from the beginning and has been taking her home and is interested in adopting her. Hope is going to be considered a special needs kind of dog for the rest of her life, so it would be good to have someone there with experience if something goes wrong."
Hope's story and the support she is receiving has touched the hearts of people from this area, the state, the nation and around the world.
"People from everywhere—even from Puerto Rico, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, and all over Europe, have reached out and tell us they're so grateful for trying to save her," said Burban. "People have donated to help and we've gotten packages from so far away—people from all over have sent her little gifts, they've made her T-shirts. There are lot of big stories out of this shelter, but this has been the biggest. It's definitely taken on a life of its own."
Burban also wants to thank the local community for continuing to help the shelter care for every animal in need.
"A bird falls from the sky and there's 400 people that call us," said Burban. "This is the type of community we're in. But they also know we're going to respond. We're going to go out there and try to do something."