HHS Pet of the Week – Francis
The Helotes Humane Society’s featured pet this week is Francis.
Francis
Just who is Francis? She’s a goof! She loves to cuddle and will gladly crawl into bed with you and roll over for belly rubs. Her second-choice bed is a half-filled laundry basket, but she is kennel trained, too.
She gets along with well-mannered dogs, is good with cats, and is excellent with kids. Her foster home has kids from 11 months to 12 years old and many pups and other fosters. She loves chew toys and stuffed animals, but she can’t be left with any toy when another dog is nearby. She doesn’t like to share.
How did Francis get her name? She was found at Mission San Jose in San Antonio on October 4, 2009, the day of The Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals. Francis must have known that she would find someone to help her that day at the dog festival that was held on the church grounds.
She was filthy, covered in fleas and ticks, underweight, and had an injured back leg. First up, she received a flea bath followed by doses of Frontline and Interceptor and a manual tick removal. Subsequent vet visits revealed that Francis had probably been hit by a car, and with no one to treat her wounds, her badly damaged leg healed incorrectly. As a result, her hock is swollen and painful with infection, her hip is severely damaged, and she walks with a limp due to the pain. The only solution is to amputate her leg. Francis has been vaccinated and spayed, and she is on antibiotics and pain medication. Otherwise, she is healthy.
Francis is a bully breed, so she needs an owner that knows how to provide structure and discipline to keep her out of trouble. She has a lot of energy and needs regular exercise; even with her injured leg, she loves long walks. If she isn’t kept busy, she may exhibit separation anxiety when left alone, so Francis would do best with an active family who can keep up with her kennel training.
At the recommendation of two veterinarians, the Helotes Humane Society has scheduled an amputation of her damaged leg. Dr. Lange of La Cantar Animal Hospital will be doing the surgery. While he has graciously given HHS a discount, the surgery will still cost $1,000.
To make donations to the HHS to help cover the surgery for Francis and the medical needs of other HHS animals, please go to our website: www.hhsanimals.org. On December 5, 2009, at our Jingle Paws Classic 5K, we will also be raising funds to help with medical expenses.
To adopt Francis, please contact HHS at 210-422-6242.
The Helotes Humane Society remains committed to the benevolent treatment of animals by providing homes, medical care, and low cost and free food (with qualifying income) to the residents of Helotes and the surrounding Bexar County area. Your support is appreciated.