It was love at first sight.
"This little guy here he just attached to us very well," said Ronnie Davis.
So Davis adopted little Opi, even despite the defect she was told about by personnel at the Abilene Animal Shelter.
"They said that he wasn't good with children and stuff like that, so I definitely wanted to give him a home," said Davis, "I have an 8 year-old and he attached to him just immediately and for him not to be good with children he was perfect."
Except he wasn't as perfect as she thought at least not health-wise.
It wasn't until a trip to the vet and hundreds of dollars later that she discovered his entire background.
"They found a lot of things wrong with him a herniated spine, a broken tail things like that," she said.
Now there's no turning back.
"It's like finding out your kid is sick even though he was only a member of our family for a day or two he had already attached to my heart before we took him home," said Davis.
This isn't the first time something like this happens at the shelter.
"We don't always catch everything we have adopted out animals that have been sick and we just didn't recognize that when they were brought into the shelter," said John James, Dir. of Planning and Development for the City of Abilene.
There isn't a veterinarian on staff at the shelter to properly examine all of the animals.
"Something like having a vet on staff is somewhat cost prohibitive for our operation," said James.
Any new owner can return an animal if they find its sick or been mistreated, but there's no telling where that animal will go.
Opi on the other hand now has a home, no matter what his history.
Davis say she's been told Opi will be okay with proper treatment although he will need it throughout the remainder of his life due to the extent of his injuries.
She says she still would have adopted Opi even if she had been told about his history, however, she's afraid of it happening to someone who doesn't have the budget to pay for the animals medical bills.
"This little guy here he just attached to us very well," said Ronnie Davis.
So Davis adopted little Opi, even despite the defect she was told about by personnel at the Abilene Animal Shelter.
"They said that he wasn't good with children and stuff like that, so I definitely wanted to give him a home," said Davis, "I have an 8 year-old and he attached to him just immediately and for him not to be good with children he was perfect."
Except he wasn't as perfect as she thought at least not health-wise.
It wasn't until a trip to the vet and hundreds of dollars later that she discovered his entire background.
"They found a lot of things wrong with him a herniated spine, a broken tail things like that," she said.
Now there's no turning back.
"It's like finding out your kid is sick even though he was only a member of our family for a day or two he had already attached to my heart before we took him home," said Davis.
This isn't the first time something like this happens at the shelter.
"We don't always catch everything we have adopted out animals that have been sick and we just didn't recognize that when they were brought into the shelter," said John James, Dir. of Planning and Development for the City of Abilene.
There isn't a veterinarian on staff at the shelter to properly examine all of the animals.
"Something like having a vet on staff is somewhat cost prohibitive for our operation," said James.
Any new owner can return an animal if they find its sick or been mistreated, but there's no telling where that animal will go.
Opi on the other hand now has a home, no matter what his history.
Davis say she's been told Opi will be okay with proper treatment although he will need it throughout the remainder of his life due to the extent of his injuries.
She says she still would have adopted Opi even if she had been told about his history, however, she's afraid of it happening to someone who doesn't have the budget to pay for the animals medical bills.
Comments
Ours had heartworm, tape worms, kennel cough and was 40 lbs underweight. We could tell by looking at him that he was sick. He needed us and we wanted him, no matter what. It's not a new car lot. It's the pound. These dogs will be dead in a couple of weeks. You take a chance, you hope for the best. You want a guarantee? Get a stuffed animal at Walmart. They take everything back.
Farm G.
February 9, 2013 at 12:34 am
They make it sound as if it was an intentional deception. "hidden past". Shelters usually do not know much if anything about an animals prior healthcare. They certainly do not have the equipment required to diagnose or even detect most ailments.
Rachael P.
February 8, 2013 at 10:35 pm
