Sebastian was first seen on Friday, 6/29/12 in the city of Whittier, CA. It was 7:15 am and he was roaming highly-trafficked Whittier Blvd, near the freeway entrance. I followed him in my car until he got distracted with licking the concrete and smelling trash cans for food. When I approached him to bait him with some wet dog food he quickly trotted away with fear and looked at me through the corner of his eye. I had already noticed that he was skinny, but from such a close distance I saw that he was a skeleton of a dog-- I could see his hips, spine, and ribs. He was mangey, hungry, and afraid. He was in dire need of help.
When he ran into someone's gated yard I immediately closed the gate to contain him. I snuck the bait food through the fence, but he just stared intently at it from the farthest point of the yard-- he wanted it, but he didn't know what would happen if he got close to me.
As I tried to firmly clasp the gate closed the owner of the house came out in her car; she was on her way to work. She looked at me like I was crazy, but through signals and body language I convinced her to come closer so I could talk about the mangey dog nervously roaming in her yard. She was a compassionate woman and at the end of the chat she agreed to keep Sebastian until mid-day. My initial idea was to take him to work with me, but he would have suffocated in the car with the heat (it was hot in Whittier that week), I also couldn't take him into the classroom for obvious reasons.
Animal control picked him up, but I was convinced that although he would be in there for a few days it would be better than him being on the street with no help and potentially dying of hunger or being run over. I committed myself to finding him help while he was in there.
Throughout the coming days I was in contact with the Downey Animal Shelter and contacted them numerous times a day for updates on his condition. Each time I firmly restated that I must be called as soon as he became available. DAS is known for putting animals down if the animal is sickly looking-- even if that animal has a confirmed hold on it. For this reason, I called numerous rescues, emailed all of my contacts, asked neighbors, my parents, friends, old friends, acquaintances (anyone!) whether they could take-in, foster, or adopt a stray dog in great need of help. Everyone said no.
I knew that Sebastian would become available on 7/3/12. I knew I was going to get him out that day, but I still had no idea where I would take him. I contacted an old friend, Robert, that same morning through a text that said:
Hey, Robert. Hope you're well. Can you foster a stray dog for 1 month? I'll take care of everything, you just need to provide the space. Text me as soon as you can, please.
By 10am that day Robert texted back:
Of course he can stay here :) Does he have a leash so he can be walked?
My heart jumped and my eyes teared up with joy! As soon as I was done with work I zoomed to the pound to pay the fee and get Sebastian the heck out of there. I knew he needed medical care-- he was sickly looking-- I wanted him at the vet's office by that afternoon. The visit at the pound was sad...but, the good part was that when Sebastian was handed to me on his blue and white leash he acted like we were simply taking a walk in the park. He walked out of the kennel and through that pound gate with a calmness, confidence, and trust that surprised me. It was as if he had known all along that he and I were going to meet at that hour so he could begin anew...
Within 10 minutes he was at the vet's office across the street. People stared at us, probably wondering if I had allowed my pet to get to such a horrible condition. I had to clarify to the people in the lobby that he had just been taken out of the pound. One lady told him she knew he would look great once his hair grew back. He scooted up to her in search of some petting.
After a blood panel, fecal sample, and exam, the doctor determined that there were various issues to take care of, but they were ALL treatable if the care was sought immediately. Sebastian had:
- demodectic mange (which is not contagious like sarcoptic mange)
- a high globulin level in the blood from a compromised immune system
- an infection in the ears and on the skin
- tapeworm
- a large hematoma in his left ear (it's like a blood blister that keeps growing and deforms the ear)
He was also:
- 30+ pounds underweight
- not neutered.
He received the most immediate medical care that day and was taken to his foster home soon after. He rode perfectly in the car and even took a little nap on the comfy back seat.
Once at Robert's house he made himself at home on the doggie bed they set out for him and he munched on all his dry food. He knew he was safe so he wagged his tail and put his head on our laps as if to say thank you guys, thanks for thinking I was worth it.
