Column: This little guy’s fighting spirit shows what Pasadena Humane’s Day of Giving can mean

Last week, we marked an important milestone at Pasadena Humane. Artemis — the final animal in our care displaced by the Eaton fire — was adopted.

Artemis first came to us for emergency boarding after his family lost its home. The family hoped it would be able to reunite, but as the long-term impacts of the disaster set in, the family made the difficult decision to surrender him.

His adoption closes a significant chapter for our organization. But it’s also a reminder: Even as one chapter ends, the work doesn’t stop.

Animals are still arriving every day in urgent need of care. Timmy is one of them.

Weighing less than 4 pounds, the 5-year-old Maltese mix came into our care after surviving an unthinkable sequence of events. A good Samaritan witnessed him being thrown from a vehicle. He was then hit by another car before running into a nearby yard, where he was attacked by a dog.

By the time Timmy arrived in our ICU, his condition was dire. He had a spinal injury that left him unable to use his back legs, multiple broken ribs, puncture wounds and a large laceration. His body was swollen and covered in bruises.

Timmy was in an incredible amount of pain and discomfort. We weren’t sure he would make it, but we were committed to doing everything we could to save him. Our veterinary team quickly jumped into action to treat Timmy’s injuries and manage his pain.

Despite all he had endured, Timmy had a fighting spirit. During his extended time in our ICU, he began to show signs of recovery. He slowly regained use of his hind legs, and his deep wounds started to heal.

We soon made his daily full-body bandage changes a happy routine, which Timmy treated as playtime. Naya Einbund, a registered veterinary technician, especially enjoyed creating fun and festive bandages for the tiny dog. Her creativity lifted the spirits of everyone who worked so hard to save him.

“He really enjoyed his bandage changes, and was so good and patient for them,” Naya shared. “We started off with easy patterns like hearts, but soon got more creative with animal prints, flowers and holiday themes.”

After Timmy’s condition stabilized, he moved into a foster home. There, he continued to heal. His foster mom closely followed the prescribed gentle physical therapy regimen to help him regain muscle strength and mobility.

Timmy’s foster mom quickly fell in love with him. As soon as he was medically cleared, she finalized the adoption.

Today, Timmy is thriving in a loving home. He is best friends with the family’s Pomeranian. They are inseparable, always cuddling, napping and playing together. The family even bought them a pair of matching soccer jerseys ahead of the World Cup.

This is the happy ending I wish for every animal that comes into our shelter. But the truth is that providing intensive, long-term veterinary care for an animal like Timmy takes significant resources.

When an animal arrives in this condition, we make a commitment to put in the time, skill and care it takes to give it a real chance. That’s what our community’s support makes possible, not just for Timmy but for every animal who needs us most.

That’s why we’re sharing Timmy’s story as part of our fifth annual Day of Giving on Tuesday, May 12. To help more animals like Timmy, all gifts up to $100,000 will be quadruple-matched, thanks to the Denne Trust.

To learn more about Timmy’s story, go to pasadenahumane.org/dayofgiving.

Chris Ramon is president and CEO of Pasadena Humane. pasadenahumane.org

This blog post originally appeared as a column in the Pasadena Star-News on May 8, 2026.