HAPPILY EVER AFTER BRUNO AT THE SHELTER Photo By alycia hayes
Photo By tara aBernathy
Photo By tara aBernathy
BRUNO'S
y r o t S
By heaTher cunninghaM, PresidenT of casTaways PeT rescue, Tells The sTory:
When Bruno was four weeks old, he was dumped in an alley next to the garbage cans and just left there to die. It is believed that his breeder may have stepped on him as a puppy which resulted in his back legs being paralyzed. Thankfully, a lady found him and brought Bruno to the Chicago Animal Care & Control (CACC) where Alycia Hayes from the CACC Transfer team of volunteers saw him. She fell in love with Bruno, and when she realized he was paralyzed she was determined to find him a safe place to go. Alycia posted his picture on Facebook on Oct 13, 2011 with a plea to find a rescue, and on Oct 16th Castaway Pet Rescue stepped up and arranged for transport and a foster family. Bruno moved in with his foster family and lives with seven kids and another dog! Bruno’s foster mom, Tara, takes Bruno for his therapy visits at Tops Veterinary Rehabilitation in Grayslake, Illinois. He was going every week in the beginning, starting off with just acupuncture
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because he had kennel cough from being in the shelter. When Bruno first came into our rescue, the veterinarians determined that he had no feeling from his back down to his legs. His legs just dragged behind him, stiff as a board. Then, after his first acupuncture session, he wagged his tail. We were all so amazed and thankful! After his second acupuncture session, Bruno moved his leg for the first time. We all really think he is quite the miracle. From there he progressed at an amazing pace. When they added the hydro treadmill, there was no stopping him. His foster dad built him some wheels, and he was so happy. This really helped him use his legs more and more each day. He was growing by leaps and bounds, and his dad kept having to modify his cart until he just was too big for it. Tops recommended at that point that a cart would not be in Bruno’s best interest anymore because he needed to use those little legs to build muscle. Now we are actually stopping the acupuncture and increasing his hydrotherapy to
Spring 2012 | The American Dog Magazine
three times a week, because his veterinarians think this will benefit him the most. He does very well walking once he gets going, but he tires easily since he still needs to build muscle and gain coordination. The vets are confident that Bruno will be able to walk on his own with continued therapy. Bruno is ready for adoption now. For more information about him, become a fan on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/BrunosStory or contact Castaway Pet Rescue.
For more information or to make a donation: visit the website at: www.castawaypetrescue.org email us at: castawaypetrescue@gmail.com Become a fan on facebook: www.facebook.com/castawaypetrescue Become a fan on facebook: www.facebook.com/Brunosstory