Photo Contest

Pet number and name: 081 - Cleo

Submitted by: Melody - MO, USA

25% of profits to: Dogs Deserve Better

Meet Cleo, we all call her Cleeeooo.  Even though Cleo looks like your typical yellow lab, she has proven time and time again that there might be some feline blood running through her veins. 

Cleo came to us through a rescue organization that I volunteered for. She was found along side a road, barely able to walk, scared half to death, and would shake and wet herself at the touch of a human hand.  She was picked up by animal control and taken to the "intake" room. The Animal Control Officer said that given her age, condition, and a suspected broken hip, she would immediately be sent to the back to be "put down".   Luckily, there was a rescue coordinator there at the time, and Cleo pulled at her heartstrings.  The rescue worker swooped her up and brought her to her home.  Cleo was very scared, she was panicking and running around bumping into walls, running inside and then outside when all of a sudden, SPLASH!  Cleo fell into the pool!  Cleo was not trying to save herself, she was not trying to swim, she was slowly sinking to the bottom.  Her rescuer once again had to save Cleo, so she jumped into the pool, cloths and all and pushed Cleo to the top where she could then get her over the edge.  Whew!  That was close, especially because the rescue worker could not swim!  That night some of us went  to see Cleo and make sure everything was okay. I saw Cleo for the first time. She pulled at my heartstrings as well, and I vowed that whatever time she had left, it would be safe, comfortable and happy.

The old girl acted like she had never stepped on grass before, she was so afraid, literally slithering across the yard, her head down, she would not make eye contact, she was filthy dirty and underweight, her teeth were worn down to nubs, she had notch marks matching that of a kennel grid.  The conclusion that we all came to is that this poor girl had never been out of a crate!  The vets pegged her to be between 10 and 12 years old, but could not really be accurate because of the condition of her teeth (or lack of). 

Cleo got healthy, her hip healed and she still drags her leg a little.  She remained up for adoption, but she was not the best "adoption" candidate.  Whenever a prospective family would come over to see her, she hid in the bushes and shook until they left.  She remained in my foster home, when all of a sudden the other dogs in the house decided, we don't want her here anymore!  Dog fights began.  Cleo's injuries from the fights were so bad she needed stitches and even surgery on her front leg.  The dogs had to be separated, for good.  This was a quite the juggling act.  Finally, fight wounds were properly healed when Cleo then suffered upper respiratory. She was on IV's for a week.  Because of her timidness, the vet aloud her to be an out patient.  Everyday for seven days she went in and had to be hooked up to bags of fluids that eventually saved her life.  Yet again, she recuperated and became healthy! 

I decided that Cleo had become comfortable with me after hours and hours of stroking, calm words and reassuring her that she was safe, bringing her back to health time and time again. I adopted Cleo and we moved to a home that had lots of room to run and play, and no dogs that wanted to fight.  Cleo was happy, she had spring in her step, her eyes were wide open and bright, all was well when one night, she started pacing, pacing, and panting.  Her stomach them swelled up like a balloon!  We rushed her to a vet clinic in town and she was diagnosed with GVD, which is a bloat and twisting of the stomach.  They gave us very little hope, but the old girl pulled through once again!  She had surgery and was cut from the top of her chest to her lower stomach.  Cleo came home 2 days later to recuperate. 

I have now had Cleo for almost 4 years!  According to the vets calculations that would make Cleo between 14 and 16 years old!  She is the most energetic, affectionate, fun loving old girl I have ever known! 

Cleo has suffered abuse, abandonment, animal control, a drowning incident, dog fights, upper respiratory, and GVD.  Cleo touches everyone's hearts and is living proof that we give up on animals too easily! They too need time, attention and proper medical care in order to heal from the neglect and abuse of human hands.  I once read that dogs need the same amount of time to heal as it took the abusers to put them in the state that they are in.  Cleo has beat all the odds and is a shear example of the power that all animals, including humans have and can overcome the most adverse conditions with a little love, compassion and understanding.  I vow to keep Cleo safe, happy and healthy as long as she decides to stay with us until one day she will take the ultimate journey at her own free will. I believe with all my heart when the day comes that I too take that same journey, she will be waiting for me, safe, happy and healthy, bright eyed, tail a waggin.