At the beginning of the year, Indigo found herself heavily pregnant in a loud, overcrowded Texas shelter. Scared and alone, she gave birth to eight babies while she hoped for someone to save her. When we found out she needed help, we accepted her into our program right away.
The journey from Texas to Wyoming is a hard one on any dog. Typically, dozens of dogs make the trip in one vehicle as they make their way through the northern states to rescues and shelters that have agreed to help. But, when you are a 10 day old baby who weighs less than a pound, the trip is not only hard, it is also risky. But, it was the only option for Indigo and her sweet family if they were to have a future. Sadly, two of Indigo’s babies passed away on the road and one more passed away once they arrived at their foster home. But, five babies survived and were soon given names to match their momma’s; Cyan, Aqua, Cerulean, Azure and Navy.
For the first few weeks, Indigo’s babies thrived. But, suddenly the babies became sick with a vicious respiratory infection. Shortly after that, the whole family was diagnosed with Coccidia and Giardia, intestinal parasites that can take several courses of treatment to cure.
The first several weeks of this little family’s life was tough on them and filled with expenses we were not expecting.
After all the babies were healthy and adopted, and Indigo’s parasites were cleared up, it seemed that everything was finally on the right track. Indigo was scheduled for her spay surgery and was awaiting her forever home. She was finally, for the first time in a long time, able to be herself. Not a stray, not a scared pregnant shelter dog, not a mom; just a fun, rambunctious girl in a foster home filled with love and dog friends. However, the universe had other plans. In a freak accident, Indigo’s rambunctiousness got the best of her and she fractured her leg when she landed wrong from a jump off the couch in her foster home. Emergency surgery was required and Indigo’s new found freedom abruptly came to a halt. Indigo could now add convalescent to the roles she has played in her three tumultuous years on earth.
These types of things are not only incredibly hard on the animals. But, they are a blow to their foster homes, our staff, and our resources. Even though accidents of this type are rare, they still manage to take the wind out of our sails. But, no one had the doldrums more than Indigo. To be honest, she was a terrible patient. The poor girl just wanted to be free! We kept promising her that if she stopped chewing off her cast, she would finally get to live the life she deserved.
And, at long last it finally came! In a surprise twist that brought the happiest of endings to this story, one we all so desperately needed, Indigo was adopted by the parents of one of her babies! She is now living life to the absolute fullest with her new family.
By the time Indigo was adopted, she and her family’s expenses reached nearly $10,000. That is nearly three times the amount it usually costs to care for a family of puppies. But, through it all, we can’t imagine not having been able to say “Yes!” to sweet, silly Indigo and her precious babies. Without Black Dog Animal Rescue, all that this family endured was just a few bumps in the road compared to what their future may have held without us committing to save their lives.
