While she still needs further medical care, a seven-year-old poodle mix has already found her forever family two weeks after being rescued in northern BC.
The dog, now named Pixie, was severely matted when she was discovered chained up in the snow with no shelter in sight on a remote property east of Prince Rupert.
The BC SPCA animal protection officer who found her, following a tip about animal cruelty on the property, said she was shivering in the cold and unable to put any weight on her rear left leg.
According to Alex Schare, regional manager of animal protection services for BC SPCA’s north region, the snow around Pixie “had turned brown” because of how dirty her fur was.
“It was obvious that her basic needs had not been met in quite some time,” he explained. “We don’t know when the last time she saw a groomer was, but it had clearly not been for a very long time.”
After discussing the dog’s condition with the responding animal protection officer, the owner surrendered Pixie and she was brought to the BC SPCA Prince Rupert.
She was immediately seen by a veterinarian and BC SPCA Prince Rupert manager Kristy Maier says sedation had to be used to remove all the matted fur.
“It was so bad, it took two hours to carefully remove it all,” Maier noted. “Her fur was full of dirt, feces and urine. I honestly can’t imagine how uncomfortable she was wearing all that filth.”
Also at the vet, Pixie’s injured leg was x-rayed and it was discovered that she had no tendons above the knee due to an old injury that didn’t heal properly.
According to Maier, she also had a “very painful” callus below her knee and the combined issues means she requires surgery to remove the leg.
Despite a lot of lonely days before her rescue, and the pain she’s been through, Pixie was surprisingly friendly from the moment she arrived at the BC SPCA animal centre.
“She loves people, and all the attention she has been getting. She wants to be with our staff all the time, demanding snuggles,” explained Maier. “Pixie even kept falling asleep in the purse of one of our staff members. It was the cutest thing!”
Pixie is currently in the care of a BC SPCA foster who Maier says “fell madly in love” and has decided to adopt her.
“They want to be her forever family,” she added.
The BC SPCA will continue to cover the costs of Pixie’s care until she has recovered from her upcoming surgery to remove her leg.
The organization will also be recommending animal cruelty charges to Crown Counsel.
If you would like to make a donation to help fund the care of Pixie and other animals in need, you can do so through this link.
Hill’s Pet Nutrition has generously offered to match every caring donation up to $100,000 on Giving Tuesday.
