Hitch Is Safe!

Hitch showed up at a remote shelter as a stray. As the mandatory holding period end neared, the patches of missing fur on his face and body made him less desirable to the few potential adopters that passed by his kennel. Once his holding period was up he would be made available to adopt. Unfortunately, with his owner not showing, and in his condition with little interest from potential adopters, Hitch was not safe.Hitch had been diagnosed with demodectic mange or Demodicosis. A parasite passed down from his mother when he was a pup. While treatable, the mange blooms when the immune system is weakened. The shelter had started treating Hitch for his condition but it would be several weeks before his hair would grow back and he didn't look "mangy". Being in a stressful environment wouldn't help either.Once California GSP Rescue was made aware of Hitch, the shelter was contacted to offer our assistance as they knew little interest would be shown to a dog with mange, and needing medical attention. The shelter having worked with California GSP Rescue many times in the past, welcomed the inquiry. Transportation would be the challenge as none of the rescue's volunteers were in the area of the shelter. They had an adoption van that took dogs to more populated areas but it wasn't going to be going in the right direction - Southern California. The shelter inquired with their volunteers and found Volunteer Cat would be traveling to Southern California and would be happy to take Hitch along.Meanwhile, California GSP rescue reached out to Volunteers Bob & Belle who lived close to the route Cat and Hitch would travel. They have assisted in the past with transports and know the importance of transporting the dogs to safety. They quickly agreed to help get Hitch to safety.While making the arrangements for the transport, a reference was made to the shelter volunteer, Cat, transporting a hitchhiker on her trip to Southern California. Bob liked the reference and shortened the name to Hitch. It stuck. The rescued dog would be known as Hitch. With the help of shelter volunteer Cat and California GSP Rescue volunteers Bob and Belle, Hitch was safe.As an all volunteer non-profit rescue, California GSP Rescue greatly relies on volunteers. Volunteers like Bob and Belle as well as any shelter volunteers willing to lend a hand transporting. Without these individuals, dogs like Hitch would be left to face uncertain futures in remote overcrowded shelters where adoptions tend to be low. We are grateful for their help.Hitch, since being brought to safety has been seen by Dr Kang who recommended continued treatment as well as a good diet in a stress free environment. Hitch's foster home has made sure he's been getting everything Dr Kang prescribed, and is happy to report Hitch is doing amazingly well. In just a few weeks, on a diet supplemented with cooked chicken, his hair is quickly growing back. In some areas, one cannot even tell he was diagnosed with demodectic mange. If Hitch continues his progress, he'll be ready to adopt soon. We encourage you to watch the website for more information.Postscript. In addition, relying on volunteers like Bob and Belle, California GSP Rescue also relies on a few other important groups of individuals. The Rescue Heroes, our Followers, and Adopters. The Rescue Heroes are individuals that know and understand that taking on dogs with medical needs requires funds not always covered by the adoption fees. Their monthly giving allows us to focus on seeing the dogs like Hitch get the medical attention they need. Click here for more information on how too become a Rescue Hero. Our Followers help by sharing our posts on social media with friends and family. These shares are important as they help find another important group. Adopters. Many of our Rescue Heroes, Volunteers, and Followers have adopted, and know how important it is we find forever homes for dogs like Hitch as there always seems to be a GSP in need.