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The Face of a Fighter
UPDATE: Derek is doing well with his recovery. You would never know this little pup almost didn't make it. After everything he has been through, he is still an exceptionally sweet guy who loves all the attention he can get. He has put on a little more weight, and is now up to almost 13 pounds. He is playful and friendly, and is stealing the hearts of all who meets him. Thank you, to everyone who donated in Derek's honor and helped us save this boy! He is now available for adoption.
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 Meet our Derek. He is a puppy that won’t give up and has a very strong will to live. He is a fighter and this is his story.
This was the face of an unwanted puppy. The face that everyone in his short life gave up on and deemed unnecessary … too expensive … ugly … not worth anyone’s time. This unwanted, unnecessary puppy was dumped at a high rate kill shelter. After all, who wants this kind of face? Puppies should be sweet and lovable and clean and smell good. They should not be covered with seborrhea, pruritus and sarcoptic mange on more than 50% of their body. They should not be missing almost a third of their hair. They shouldn’t have their backbone and hip bones sticking up through what little hair they have left.
 Derek’s picture was passed from rescue to rescue and all declined. Too expensive. Bad risk. Not adoptable. And then his face was emailed to Almost Home. A unanimous board vote sealed his fate. This boy was coming into our care!
Derek was 7 to 9 weeks old and probably should have still been with his mother. Instead, he was infested with tics and ear mites. He had kennel cough that was dangerously close to turning into pneumonia. He was running a fever of 102.6 which immediately spiked to 103.2. He spent his first several days at the vet on an IV just to keep him hydrated and alive.
Puppies with less will to live would have given up. Not our Derek. This little trooper would wag his little tail whenever anyone came near him. He wanted to snuggle and be loved on. In spite of everything, he was an amazingly happy and trusting boy.
 Derek is still fighting. He is eating three to four times a day to get his weight up to where it should be. He has put on three pounds and now weighs almost ten.
He is getting weekly medicated baths to battle the mange and skin issues. His ear mites are gone and his eyes are staying clear with no sign of ulcers.
He is starting to play like a puppy now and loves to drag his rope all over the house. He loves his little yellow ball. He steals toys from the other dogs and hoards them in his favorite spot under the dining room table. He LOVES to be held and loves to give kisses. He is a Sheltie mix of some kind. We don’t know what is mixed in there, and we don’t care. This boy is teaching us about never giving up!
 Derek has a long way to go yet. His right eye will require entropion surgery in mid-May. It has currently been tacked up to help eliminate chronic pain and potential ulceration which would cause him to lose his eye. He requires eye ointment applied twice a day. He has a hernia that will be corrected when he is old enough to be neutered. He still needs to grow the rest of his hair back and get his skin completely healthy.
His veterinary costs have been tremendous. We knew they would be. We felt that we had to give this little fighter a chance. He has not failed to prove how tough he is … and he deserves our help. No puppy (or human) should ever be considered “unnecessary”. No matter what they look like or how rough their first few weeks of life are. Any dog that has the loving and fighting spirit of our Derek deserves the best care we can provide. Almost Home will never regret saying yes to this very special boy.
We are a rescue. No pup needed more rescuing than Derek did. We took him in and he has renewed our spirits and reminded us why we are in this difficult business called rescue. It is to save dogs and give ones like Derek a chance at a wonderful life.
If you could find it in your heart to help with Derek’s treatments, we will gladly accept any donations. Please click the donate button in the upper right corner, and note in the "purpose" section that your donation should be used to help continue Derek's treatment. As always, thank you for your kind support.
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