In April, a sweet female dog showed up behind the house of a serial dog-rescuer in the Lavaca neighborhood. Despite being tired, hungry, thirsty, and with signs of a previous tail injury, the dog soon known as Sunny was very friendly.
A volunteer from The Cannoli Fund, hoping to find where Sunny belonged, scanned the stray for a microchip and found none. Then it became apparent that Sunny was in heat! Since The Cannoli Fund’s primary mission is to reduce the stray dog and cat population in our service area, we knew we needed to help. Sunny was quickly whisked to the vet, who estimated that she was four-and-a-half years old and had already given birth to at least one litter, most likely more. He also confirmed that Sunny was in the early stages of heat. Thankfully she tested negative for heartworm disease and was treated for a minor infection and hookworms thanks to our Cannolicare program, which provides grants for essential medical care. The cost of her spay surgery was covered by our spay/neuter reimbursement program. To keep her from ever being lost again, Sunny was microchipped and the chip registered.
After a brief stay in a foster home, Sunny was adopted by one of The Cannoli Fund’s supporters in the neighborhood, and renamed Lucy. Lucy now lives inside in a forever home where she is loved, cared for, and will no longer have to worry about raising more puppies. She goes for a run or walk twice daily, appreciates attention from both humans and other dogs, and is eagerly learning new things!
A real rags-to-riches story, Lucy was a stray on the streets in April and by the fourth of July she was boating on a lake with her new mom! For this dog, the story has a very happy ending.