Buster's Story
September 7, 2019
He can now stand long enough to eat his dinner!
Way to go Super Dave!
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Thank you Pi Land Ranch
for believing in and
working with him.
Buster is a 7 year old pit bull who had been living on the streets with a homeless couple. On February 18 Buster was off leash and hit by a car. Still alive, he was taken to a vet where it was found
he had been paralyzed. None of his legs worked.
Local animal lovers heard of his plight on Facebook and came together to pay his bill, with one person purchasing a wagon for his owner to haul him around in. Because of the severity of his injuries the vet recommended euthanasia, but the owner refused. Community member continued to try to help by providing medicine for his pain. Animal Control officers checked on him regularly, trying to convince the owner that Buster was in great pain and needed more care than they could give him.
About the middle of March two people witnessed one of the couple abusing Buster, which gave Animal Control the ability to remove Buster from their care, charging the guy with abuse. (He has pleaded innocent and is still waiting for his court date.) Buster, still unable to move, now spent his days lying at the shelter, but with some very important differences. He was now receiving multiple kinds of medication on a regular schedule, including pain and anti-inflammatory medicine. The plan was to wait for the courts
to make a determination and if they received ownership, humanly euthanize him. But something amazing began to happen to Buster…..
The shelter operator, Jaclyn, had been a vet-tech and
couldn’t just let Buster lay there. She began physical
therapy, moving his legs and massaging his back and
Buster started to regain feeling in his back legs! Over the next couple weeks he was able to roll himself up onto his stomach and even began pushing with his back legs! Now the original plan changed. Buster had a great will to heal; Buster needed a wheelchair.
Again, the animal lovers of the area came together. Between donations and an online auction the $1200 needed for Buster’s special 3 phase chair was raised. Buster has wheels! By now Buster had learned to pull with his chin and push with his hind legs. He was moving rapidly around the shelter, which was causing a new problem… road rash on his front legs. Socks and leg wraps now became a part of Buster’s care.
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The courts finally severed any claim the owner had and Buster was ready to begin his new life. Buster continued to improve, with one front leg starting to have feeling. But the care for Buster, along with all the other animals at the shelter, was becoming overwhelming and Buster was becoming depressed, needing more love and attention than the busy workers could give. Buster needed a foster home.
Enter a wonderful young couple who saw him laying in the grass outside the shelter, asked about his story, and took him home that night to help him with his journey to healing as he waited for his new forever home.
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In the week that he has been with this couple Buster’s health has made huge strides. He is trying to use his front leg more. When they hold him up so he can move around
he is holding more and more of his own
weight. If he is standing he can stay
upright for just a second, and then lowers
himself to the ground. It may not sound
like much, standing for one second, but
when you think back that in February he
couldn’t roll himself from laying flat on
his side to his stomach you realize how amazing a miracle this is.
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Buster also has a temporary “ "roommate” and is enjoying
being able to have some normal
doggie playtime.
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Buster needs a forever home. He’s waiting for someone who understands and can cope with his needs. Someone who is physically strong enough to lift him (a solid 60#) repeated as needed. He needs someone who can financially care for him as
his medicine is an ongoing cost. He needs to have a home where he can be with his person daily so he doesn’t get lonely and depressed, and he needs to be kept safe as he can’t defend
himself against another dog.
Please share his story… We know that his new home is out there, we just need to find it.
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July 13, 2019 Update - Buster Got Adopted!!
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While all adoptions are special, occasionally one is
a little extra special...and one of those extra special
adoptions happened today.
Buster - Now Super Dave - found
his forever home with a couple who specialize in
dogs that need extra care. Happy trails Super Dave!
A new life, a new name, and a new family to love.
One more update... Super Dave is now "2 wheeling" thru life! His wheel chair is now only for front support. He is also starting to use one of his front legs. Thank you to the foster parents who worked with him the last few weeks, helping him to grow stronger, regaining more use of his limbs than we could have ever hoped.
If you would like to continue to follow Super Dave (Buster) in his new home click on the Facebook link for Pi Land Ranch:
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