Buddies save puppies

TEXAS CITY — Seven-week-old Labrador-mix puppies Jack and Jill have been receiving nationwide attention since they arrived at the Galveston County Animal Shelter earlier this week, and it is not because of their blue eyes and cute faces.

The puppies were brought to the shelter because of their special needs but have since been transferred to the St. Francis Animal Sanctuary in Vermillion, Ohio, which specializes in care for such animals.

They can’t walk normally because of severe deformities to their hind legs.

Jack and Jill were born otherwise normal, healthy puppies to a mother who had been hit by car while she was pregnant.

The two suffered the most severe injuries of the litter.

Gwen Norman, the administrative assistant at the Galveston County Animal Shelter said that, despite their disabilities, the two puppies can move around very well.

“The female manages to move around a little better then the male,” Norman said.

For the most part, Jack and Jill scoot around with the strength from their front legs and drag their hind legs.

The puppies have not yet been seen by a veterinarian to determine a treatment for their condition.

Jackie Cole, a veterinarian at the Campeche Cove Animal Hospital, said that it is hard to say what kind of lives these puppies could lead.

“A normal life could be possible for them with the help of an owner who is willing to help them around,” Cole said. “Or a cart that is similar to a wheelchair for dogs who have lost function of their back legs.”

Since arriving at the shelter, Jack and Jill have found a special place in the heart of everyone they have come in contact with but, most of all, in Norman’s.

“The nationwide response is unbelievable. Just yesterday I received over 100 e-mails,” Norman said. “It’s unbelievable that there are so many people who care.”

Lynne Mattingly, the founder of Shelter Buddies, credited Tom English, who plays a vital role in networking for Shelter Buddies, with generating the huge response.

The shelter has received e-mails and calls from across the nation — all the way from California, Florida and all across Texas.

Mattingly stresses it’s important the puppies be placed in an appropriate home with someone who is familiar with dealing with puppies with special needs.

“We just want to make sure they go to the right place,” Mattingly said. “Not just for right now, but for the future as well.”

Shelter Buddies is a volunteer-based organization dedicated to improving the health, welfare and adoptability of shelter animals, Mattingly said.

According to Norman, it is not unheard of for the shelter to receive animals with special needs. It actually happens a lot more than the public is aware of.

“These little guys aren’t all we have here at the shelter,” Norman said. “We have so many wonderful, adoptable animals ready for adoption, just come and see.”

For more information on volunteer and adoption opportunities with Shelter Buddies, contact Mattingly at shelterbuddies(at)aol.com.