Maggie Is Safe!

Not long ago we were notified about Maggie, a 9 year old adult German Shorthaired Pointer with a mass on her chest in a local shelter. Volunteer Lisa visited the shelter and learned the owner was known but had let the shelter know he wouldn't be picking her up. He stated the fine was too high and refused to pay it relinquishing his rights to Maggie. Not a safe place to be for Maggie. While most shelters do charge a fine for when they pick up stray dogs, some shelters will increase the amount for multiple occurrences in an attempt to encourage the owner to make the necessary arrangements to contain their pet. Maggie didn't appear to be an escape artist and from what we were able to determine, this was her first time being picked up, her fine would be minimal. When a neighbor of Maggie's owner heard that he had refused to pay the fine, they offered to pay the fine for him. He replied "he didn't want their money."Maggie sat in the shelter while the clock ticked. The shelter is only required to hold strays for five business days but Maggie had a microchip registered to another name. The shelter was now required to hold Maggie for ten business days while an attempt was made to contact the previous owner. In all likelihood, she was given away because they could no longer keep her. This isn't uncommon. Sadly, owners move and do not take their dogs. While they may have thought they were giving their dog to a person or family that would love and care for their dog, many times their dog will be given away a second time or a third time or, worse, end up at the shelter as was the case for Maggie. Unfortunately, she was not claimed by her previous owner and little to no interest was shown in an older GSP while she was being held at the shelter.California GSP Rescue patiently waited and monitored Maggie seeing if she would be claimed by her original owner. When her hold was up and not wanting to take any chances Maggie would be put to sleep, Volunteer Lisa was at the shelter. She pulled Maggie and was impressed with how sweet and well behaved she was. Not the kind of dog one would leave at the shelter but then again, who knows what kind of home she had been given to by the original owner. We're happy to let everyone know that Maggie is safe!Since pulling her, Maggie has seen our vet and had the growth removed from her chest. It was cancerous but Dr Kang feels he was able to remove all of the growth and says she'll need to be monitored but should live several more years. California is happy to report that she is eating normal and is active as can be expected for a nine year old GSP. We'll have her bio up shortly and she'll be looking for that special forever home.California GSP Rescue is an all volunteer non-profit 501c3 organization. We regularly take dogs to the vet and absorb the nominal cost into the adoption fee. However, Maggie's expenses are more than the adoption fee but not quite enough to put up a fundraiser. We would like to thank our Rescue Heroes as their monthly donations help us manage Vet bills like Maggie's. If you are interested in helping dog's like Maggie, please, consider becoming a Rescue Hero. Your small monthly donation goes a long way to help dogs in need!