Donations to be tripled on Pasadena Humane’s May 10 ‘Day of Giving’ campaign
Six-year-old Charlie is a friendly, happy dog who loves people and being the center of attention! When Charlie arrived at the shelter, our veterinary team discovered that he needed a double hip replacement. He’s currently recovering from surgery but continues to be a loving dog with a joyful spirit. He’s now looking for a foster family who can help him heal and eventually adopt him. If you or someone you know would like to give Charlie a loving home, please email foster@pasadenahumane.org.
A few months ago, I wrote about a very special dog named Charlie. You may remember this 6-year-old boy who stole our hearts with his huge grin and goofball antics, despite the intense pain he was experiencing.
Charlie came into our care back in January of this year. A good Samaritan found him roaming the streets. The tan and black dog was having trouble walking as he followed the man back to his house.
A Pasadena Humane animal control officer was dispatched to bring Charlie back to the shelter. Our veterinary team soon confirmed that this poor dog was suffering from one of the most severe cases of hip dysplasia they’d ever seen.
In addition to struggling to walk, Charlie could not stand comfortably for long periods of time. Even so, he was as friendly as could be. He gave out lots of doggie kisses, greeted everyone with a happy wagging tail and snuggled into petting by his favorite people.
Our veterinarians knew we needed to take immediate action to save Charlie. A double hip replacement would be required for him to have a good quality of life. The two surgeries would be costly, and the recovery time would be long, but we were committed to helping Charlie heal.
We put out a plea to the community for help. Within hours, our generous animal-loving supporters donated enough money to cover Charlie’s surgeries and rehabilitation. Fortunately, BioMedtrix, a medical supply company, donated Charlie’s new artificial hips, significantly reducing the overall cost.
In late February, a certified veterinary orthopedic surgeon performed Charlie’s first replacement surgery on his left, and most painful, hip. The procedure itself was a success, but Charlie’s recovery had some ups and downs. Cage rest was not on the top of this energetic canine’s list of priorities, so his surgical incision did not heal correctly. He eventually developed an infection and needed another procedure to re-close the incision.
With time and additional veterinary intervention, Charlie’s left hip area healed well. He finally had surgery on his right hip earlier this week. The procedure went smoothly, and he is currently recovering. Throughout his ordeal, Charlie has remained the same sweet boy, and we are all looking forward to seeing him walk pain-free.
Charlie is looking for a new family to foster him through recovery from his second surgery and eventually adopt him. If you or someone you know would like to give Charlie a loving home, please email foster@pasadenahumane.org.
You’ll be seeing a lot of Charlie in the next few days. He’s the face of our upcoming “Day of Giving” on May 10. On this special day, all donations that support animals like Charlie will be triple matched up to $50,000, thanks to a generous donor.
If all continues to go well with his recovery, Charlie will be joining our Chief Veterinarian, Dr. Maria Pyrdek, and me for a very special “Day of Giving” feature. Join us on Facebook and Instagram live (@pasadenahumane) at 10 a.m. May 10 to see how Charlie is recuperating.
We’ll also be hosting other live events on social media on our “Day of Giving,” such as a kitten bottle feeding demonstration, a wildlife activity and Painting for Paws, with shelter dogs creating paw print paintings that will be available for a donation.
View the full live schedule and learn more about our upcoming “Day of Giving” at pasadenahumane.org/give2022.
Dia DuVernet is president and CEO of Pasadena Humane.
This blog post originally appeared as a column in the Pasadena Star-News on May 6, 2022.
