The first 8 years of Sylvia’s life were not easy. She is a 70-pound German Shorthair Pointer who spent her life as a breeding dog and found her way to Pet Haven through one of our rural shelter partners in southern Minnesota close to the Iowa border.

She was found as a stray at large wandering in a field, a bit thin, dirty, and with two large masses on her. One on her chest and one under her front leg, which caused her pain and made her limp. She also had a small growth on the bottom of her lower jaw.

When the shelter contacted Pet Haven to help we saw that face and said YES! Pet Haven has been a pioneer in creating a refuge for difficult-to-adopt animals in need of loving homes in Minnesota.

The Pet Haven Phoenix Fund paved the way to bring Sylvia into foster care. With your help, we can keep saying YES!

Surgery was scheduled to remove both growths. She was also spayed as she was still intact. Despite the surgeries, Sylvia has stayed happy, but we were noticing she seemed to be having some pain issues and still limping. Upon examination and Xrays it was discovered Sylvia had two untreated broken legs causing her arthritis and chronic pain. Sylvia had a difficult beginning but we would make certain that was changing. Sylvia was turning her face toward the sun. Life would be better from here on out.

 

In our Foster Program Sylvia receives the love, care, and medical treatment she needs to live her best life. She is on a safe pain management program with daily pain meds however, even with that she is energetic and enjoys multiple short walks a day. The sun on her face and a walk in the grass is something she did not have much of in her life as a breeder dog and she so cherishes now.

Even though Sylvia has some challenging medical conditions that cause her to have chronic pain, she is still full of smiles and tail wags! On any given day, she enjoys snuggling, taking naps, playing, and following her people around. Her people are her world and her gratitude towards them shines brightly. Her smile is priceless and melts your heart.

There is a very dark side to spending years as a breeder dog that Sylvia had to endure.

Being that she was kenneled for much of her life, she has worn her teeth down from gnawing on the metal of the kennel.

She is also mostly incontinent due to having too many litters of puppies and a difficult spay surgery as a result. But Sylvia happily wears doggy diapers with no complaints and that helps greatly when she cannot make it to the bathroom.

Her current fosters have not had an issue with this and say Sylvia’s bright personality makes up for any of the challenges. Sylvia’s foster parents can help walk through her needs with you so you can feel comfortable if you are interested in being her forever family. We know the right family is out there for Sweet Sylvia!

Sweet Sylvia would be best in a compassionate, caring, and dog-savvy home with adults that live a quiet life. She needs to be the center of attention so best not to have other dogs or cats. After everything she has been through we would love to see Sylvia in a calm, quiet home with someone home often who is able to assist her with her best possible life. Having someone to help with her medical needs would be ideal. She is such a sweet girl who loves her people deeply, trusts those around her, and teaches us about forgiveness.

Now every day Sylvia wakes up and knows she is loved and wanted. What a gift.

Sylvia is a loyal and gentle girl and will require a special person who can provide patience, understanding, supervision, and most importantly the love she deserves.

Let’s find Sylvia that home she is waiting for!

 

We are so incredibly grateful to have the support of donors to be able to continue to bring in animals with special needs like Sylvia. If you would like to make a gift to Sylvia and others like her please indicate in honor of Sylvia and we will send you a personal card updating you on her progress!