Category: Awareness

Hello to all our amazing followers and supporters! We just wanted to give you all an update on Francesca. 

She is beginning to slowly come out of her shell, and is one of the sweetest most beautiful girls inside and out. We find it very hard to understand why someone would not want her and just toss her away like yesterday’s newspaper. 

For those not familiar with Francesca’s story, she was rescued from Baltimore City Animal Control after almost losing her life simply because she was in horrible condition and the shelter was out of space. 

Francesca is about 15 1/2 years old and was originally found as a stray. The shelter checked for a microchip upon intake and as it turned out, she was chipped. When her family was contacted, they sadly said they did not want her back.

As mentioned previously, Francesca presents with many medical issues, and our goal here at Paws Give Me Purpose Inc. for her is to help Francesca live the best most comfortable life in her final years. Our promise to Francesca as is to all the beautiful souls we bring in to Sanctuary is to provide a safe and loving environment for the rest of their lives.

She has extremely severe osteoarthritis all over her body as well as degenerative joint disease – these issues are what is causing her inability to walk properly. Nothing is broken or fractured, but she has most definitely been in pain. She also has severe grade 4 dental disease, skin infection, is mostly blind due to severe nuclear sclerosis, a swollen lymph node, a stye and infection in one eye as well. 

Our Veterinarian has stated that Francesca’s blood work results revealed nothing seriously concerning, however she is in a fragile state, meaning she is not a candidate for a dental or a spay surgery. 

We have completed her first round of antibiotics and will do short spurts of courses of antibiotics periodically to help her maintain the best mouth and skin possible. She’s doing really well on the anti inflammatory meds and is much more mobile, her back legs are not giving out as much and she is limping much less. She has even done some brief running across the yard! 

Her conjunctivitis is all cleared up so we are discontinuing the eye drops and unless the stye gets larger or becomes bothersome we will not put her through the surgery to remove it as it is also too risky for a pup her age. 

Francesca takes her medication and supplements like a champ, loves the food and treats we make here for all the pups and is loved and spoiled every minute of the day. We constantly tell her that everything will be ok, and perhaps for the first time in her life she is feeling safe and loved; her body, soul and heart are healing. 

This is what we do here at Paws Give Me Purpose. 

If anyone is interested in sponsoring Francesca’s lifetime care in Sanctuary, please reach out to us directly.

Hi everyone, it’s me Hobbes, one of the Paws Give Me Purpose senior Sanctuary Residents. Today I am practicing my downward dog pose; I think I actually got it! 

For those not familiar with my story, I am a senior gentleman around 20 years of age, both blind and deaf. I have endured a life of extreme criminal neglect and underwent surgery for my extremely damaged gums and urgent repair of a fistula that was bleeding and causing me pain. Unfortunately, I will need to undergo another surgery soon but I need time to allow the fragile tissue to heal and get myself healthier and stronger.

I know you’re probably asking how am I doing this? I am eating healthy, homemade food and treats, taking supplements and practicing Doga. 

What is Doga? Doga is a new trend that combines yoga and dogs. It is a great way to get some exercise; if I say so myself I am pretty good at it. It’s a really fun activity that actually has many tangible healing properties for both humans and dogs. 

Doga is helping me build muscle and can even help dogs lose fat if they practice it regularly. I personally am very skinny, so for me it’s about getting stronger and helping with my blood circulation. 

Doga usually appeals to us dog’s natural instincts to stretch, which helps improve our flexibility and range of motion. Since I am a senior, regular exercise and massage is helping with my arthritis. Doga can also be beneficial to dogs that have hip dysplasia or similar pain issues that occur with aging. 

Injured dogs, depending on the injury of course, can also benefit from some Doga. Dogs who are recovering from an injury or accident can get significant pain relief through gentle stretching, which relieves muscle tension. It can also help rebuild their strength, whether they lost it due to aging or an injury, and that’s exactly what I’m doing – regaining my strength.

I highly recommend Doga! It is a fantastic way to bond with your own dog, especially when you do assisted poses where you and your pup work together. This can help your dog learn how to trust you and strengthen your relationship. I believe you humans call it bonding. When you improve the bond with your dog, you also improve the potential for behavior correction and training.

Doga does require relaxation and deep focus from both parties which helps your bond become deeper and more authentic over time. I have quickly bonded with humans here at the Sanctuary and don’t like to be alone. I need my caretaker 24/7 or else I will cry out for her and attempt to escape and look for her. Now that I am getting stronger I am trying new things, but have been told it’s not safe to jump over things especially gates and couches.

Of course, the best shared benefit of Doga is that it can help with stress and anxiety. I think I can say without a doubt this has been important for me. Doga is also great if you have a dog with behavioral issues. Very barkey anxious dogs that live here have learned learn to become still and relaxed thanks to Doga. It does take time to achieve this, so you need to make Doga a regular part of you and your dog’s schedule. 

Us canines are fairly flexible and are born with the innate ability to live in the moment. This is a natural tendency and a blessing for us dogs that I see humans strive for by taking yoga. I have been told that for most dog lovers out there, everything is more enjoyable when your dog joins you, and yoga is not an exception. Even though us dogs can sometimes be a distraction it is only because we are curious and want to be included in the fun. Doga will truly be a unique and new experience for you and your dog; you should try it.

Stay tuned for future updates on my progress, and the scheduling of my upcoming surgery. If anyone would like to become my sponsor, please reach out to the kind people here at Paws Give Me Purpose.

Today at Paws Give Me Purpose, we celebrated Angel’s 15th Birthday! Surrounded by staff, volunteers and her small senior friends, she enjoyed some pup-cakes, presents, and extra spoiling. 

For those not familiar with her story, Angel was pulled from a high kill shelter and brought to Paws Give Me Purpose in June of 2019. Her owner of 14 years had requested to have her euthanized.

Angel was clearly neglected, a walking bunch of bones, with overgrown nails, urine stained feet, no teeth, she could barely walk, and was suffering from pneumonia. It was also very obvious she had been used for breeding based on her condition. This little girl did not even know how to play with toys – we can only imagine what her life must have been like.

The shelter staff saw a light of life in her eyes and there was no way they were going to follow through on the euthanasia request.

Upon Angel’s arrival to Paws Give Me Purpose, she received much needed medical care, put on some weight by eating healthy homemade dog food and treats, took supplements and received tons of TLC on a daily basis – and continues to do so.

Angel is a fighter and we never gave up on her! We too have seen that special light in her eyes, and a clear will to live and enjoy her golden years to the fullest. She has overcome great obstacles and today she is a happy, much healthier, 15 and feeling fabulous! There is something about Angel that brings out the best in all of us. Dogs like Angel inspire us to become even better human beings.

This is what we do here at Paws Give Me Purpose.

Please join us in wishing our beautiful Angel a very Happy Birthday! Wishing her many more happy years here in our Sanctuary where she will be loved, cared for, spoiled, and cherished forever.