n Lawrenceville, GA, we received a plea to help an abandoned Yorkie mix who had apparently been hit by a car. Gwinnett County was begging for help for a 7-lb, roughly 5-year-old tiny pup with multiple fractures and an upper respiratory infection. When I saw the X-rays, I knew that if no one stepped up, they wouldn’t be able to hold her long given the severity of her injuries.
 

Pebbles — who we later renamed Sophia Loren — was quickly on the road to CVRC in Charleston.
 

Sophia suffered polytrauma, including a right distal femoral fracture and a left ilial fracture. How this tiny pup survived was incredible. The injuries were consistent with being hit by a car, though there was no road rash. We can only hope that’s truly what happened and that this was not intentional.
 

CVRC first had to stabilize Sophia before surgery. Based on muscle atrophy and her refusal to use her rear leg, it appeared she had been injured about a week before we received her. Once stable, she underwent surgery to repair both fractures. Dr. Racher Seibert performed her procedures, and thankfully, she did very well.
 

When I picked Sophia up, I was worried about her breathing. I brought her to our rehab facility but quickly realized she needed more care. Dr. Marikay at Port Royal agreed hospitalization was necessary. Sophia was developing pneumonia and was still in significant post-surgical pain.
 

She remained hospitalized for quite some time until her breathing improved and medications began controlling her pain and respiratory infection. Despite therapy, she still wouldn’t use her rear leg. When we returned to CVRC, imaging showed a screw that was slightly long but not problematic. They placed her on ketamine short-term, and the difference in her pain level was night and day. We were finally able to begin effective physical therapy and get her walking again.
 

Sophia Loren absolutely lives up to her name. With her long flowing hair, she’s a tiny diva who loves to be held and believes she should be the center of the universe. If it were up to her, she’d live full-time in someone’s lap. She loves other dogs — as long as they play on her schedule.
 

After months of healing, Sophia is now fully recovered. She can run on all four legs but will occasionally lift her rear leg when she thinks she’s not getting enough attention. Our little Drama Queen quickly gives up the act when she realizes we’re not falling for it and goes right back to playing.
 

Sophia is an incredible dog that no one was looking for. She had no microchip, no identification — nothing. It’s heartbreaking to see how often animals are failed by the people meant to protect them.
 

Sophia required two major surgeries and a long hospital stay, and her medical bills are extremely high.

Please consider helping us cover these costs so we can continue rescuing and caring for the abused and discarded dogs who still desperately need us.

As it so often happens, when it rains, it pours—and right now it is raining tiny puppies who were brutally attacked by larger animals. Two critically injured puppies arrived at Beaufort County Animal Care Services at the same time, and I made the decision to take both of them. We have named them Arlo and Guthrie. Because they came in together and are both critical, they are being shared on one page for now until we get through the initial medical crises.
 

Both pups have been critical since the moment we took them in, and honestly, I wasn’t sure either would survive. That is why I waited until now to post about them. My focus was on getting them the very best care at CVRC in Charleston, where their surgeons and ICU Criticalists are among the best in the country.
 

Arlo, a 5-week-old, 5-pound chocolate Lab puppy, was part of a bottle-fed litter after their mother died shortly after birth. He was thriving until a much larger dog accidentally grabbed his head with a chew toy and crushed it. Arlo’s nasal passages, eye sockets, and frontal sinuses are crushed, with bone fragments now communicating with his brain, putting him at serious risk for infection, including bacterial meningitis. He also has significant eye trauma and a pseudomonas infection that we are treating very carefully due to his age. Despite everything, Arlo has the sweetest personality and just wants to be loved, but there are still many unknowns, which is why he remains hospitalized at CVRC.
 

Guthrie, an 8-week-old Golden Retriever mix, was found on the side of the road in Jasper County after being attacked by a dog or coyote on the coldest night of the year. He was severely underweight and barely hanging on. Although he was initially thought to be stable, something didn’t feel right, and I insisted he be taken to CVRC with Arlo. Thank goodness we did—Guthrie was actually worse off and required immediate surgery. He had multiple bite wounds to his neck and face, an abscess beneath his jaw, and extensive internal damage. His surgeon had to remove a damaged salivary gland and lymph node and place a drain. He remains on heavy antibiotics and under close care.
 

One puppy in ICU with surgery is costly. Two puppies in ICU is overwhelming. Their medical bills are already significant and ongoing. Please remember when you DONATE that this is for two puppies, not one. Just because it’s Christmas doesn’t mean the animals in our care stop needing help.

We wish everyone a very blessed Holiday Season filled with much Joy and Happiness.

The last three weeks have been some of the hardest we’ve faced. Many of our long-term, senior pups have suddenly fallen ill. It felt like the minute we dropped one dog off at the vet, another needed to go. We stay on top of every aspect of our pups’ care — analyzing every poop and pee when one of them doesn’t seem quite right.

Several of our dogs came down with diarrhea. We had stool samples analyzed, and everyone was treated. Nothing alarming or out of the ordinary showed up. Slowly, all but one recovered — that one being Rexi.