Summer was rescued from a kill shelter in Kentucky after being voluntarily surrendered by her owner who was a hoarder.  57 animals were turned over to the Whitley County Animal Control in Whitley County Kentucky.  Waggin Hearts Rescue was at the shelter when many of the dogs were brought in and reached out via Facebook to rescue groups in the Chicago area and Wisconsin to help.  Placing Paws was able to commit to Summer a small golden mix that was thought to be pregnant.  Summer arrived via volunteer transport on Saturday May 4th.  She was immediately given some food and water and then taken for a bath.  She required 2 baths just to get her clean enough to start removing the ticks that covered her from head to tail.  We pulled more than 100 ticks from this 33.5 pound dog.  Summer stood still while we pulled ticks off her skin, happy to have some attention.  When her bath was over we took her outside where she rolled around on her back in the grass as if she were saying "wow does that feel good!"  Summer is the sweetest dog you will ever meet.  She is a very gentle natured girl who loves her people.  Her tail wags a mile a minute whenever you show her any attention.
Monday May 6th Summer was taken to Care Animal Hospital in Libertyville to have an exam and to confirm her pregnancy.  The news from the vet was very disturbing.  Dr. Roder did confirm her pregnancy by doing an ultrasound and X-ray.  She guessed her to be about 30 - 35 days along.  Typical gestation for a dog is about 60 days, so she is about halfway through her pregnancy.  She also saw some buckshot on the X-ray, found that both of her knees have luxating patella's (dislocated kneecaps) and she saw two opaque masses near her rectum.  Upon further exam she was able to remove a pebble and the other mass is guessed to be a pebble as well that we hope she will pass on her own.  Dr. Roder ran blood work and unfortunately she tested positive for heartworms.  She also has an elevated liver enzyme, low protein and low thyroid.  The liver, protein and thyroid are most likely due to all of the parasites that she is being treated for.  We are hopeful that after a dose of de-worming that she will start to feel better and her organs will return to more normal function.  What this mama dog endured in her previous life we can only guess.  So far we do know, she is emaciated, has been shot at, has 2 bad knees, heartworm disease and was eating rocks, all the while carrying her babies.  Summer is a very special dog that will require lots of medical care but she has a survivors spirit and you can tell she is just happy to have been rescued.  Summer is in a wonderful foster home where she is getting regular meals, lots of TLC and a clean and quiet place to recover from her trauma.  We will continue to post updates on Summer's recovery and the delivery of her pups.