Shetland Sheepdog Sheltie (long coat) : : Female : : Adult : : Small
Learn more about the Shetland Sheepdog Sheltie.
Shelbi is a dog on a journey. On January 22, we received a phone call from a family in Scotts Bluff, Nebraska, who found a dog near a trash bin. They got her safe and treated her with kindness but could not afford to get her the veterinary care she needed. They named her Shelbi.
Shelbi had experienced some trauma (perhaps hit by a car?) and had limited use of her left rear leg. In spite of her injury, she was pretty and sweet-natured and the young couple wanted her to have what they could not provide for her. The woman’s name is Alaina and so we have named the Sheltie “Shelbi Alaina” in her honor. One of our awesome volunteers offered to go and scoop up the dog and bring her back to Colorado. As it often happens, Kirsten not only did the transport but also is fostering the little love.
shelbiw_2By the last day of January, her bloodwork results gave us the go-ahead for vaccines to be given and a general anesthetic for a dental with extractions. She lost 5 teeth that were all abscessed. Next, came the orthopedic consultation with Dr. Mike Bauer of Colorado Canine Orthopedics in Colorado Springs.
Shelbi’s foster mom headed south from Aurora, Colorado and our Director headed north from Pueblo West. Dr. Bauer looked carefully over the digital x-rays and handled the shy little Sheltie gently, while sitting on the floor in the exam room. We watched his face as he spoke about options for Shelbi. Amputation would be easy with a short recuperative period and relatively inexpensive. But the other option was a tarsal arthrodesis which gave her the best chance of keeping her leg but with a long rehab time, many cast and bandage changes and a less certain outcome. Dr. Bauer is absolutely the best orthopedic surgeon we have ever worked with and he seemed confident that he could keep Shelbi a four-footed pooch. That was our decision.
Shelbi had the specialized surgery on March 14 and is recuperating well so far. Someone will see this tiny face and instantly fall in love. And that human will see the value in the life of a little dog on a journey.
Please begin the process for adoption by reading our Policies and Guidelines and, if we sound like the right group for you, proceed to the online Adoption Application. From there, our receipt of your completed application will be confirmed by email. You then will receive a follow-up phone call if we feel you are a good potential applicant for the dog. Lots of good conversation with the foster family, a reference from your veterinarian, and a home visit round out the screening process. We take dog adoption very seriously. Please put a lot of thought into why you want to adopt a dog, and help us make a good match for your family. We appreciate your taking the time to visit with us. We will look forward to hearing from you as well. Please begin the process for adoption by reading our Adoption Policies and, if we sound like the right group for you, fill out our online Adoption Application. From there, our receipt of your completed application will be confirmed by email. You then will receive a follow-up phone call if we feel you are a good potential applicant for the dog. Lots of good conversation with the foster family, a reference from your veterinarian, and a home visit round out the screening process. We take dog adoption very seriously. Please put a lot of thought into why you want to adopt a dog, and help us make a good match for your family. We appreciate your taking the time to visit with us. We will look forward to hearing from you as well. Other Pictures of Shelbi (click to see larger version):
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