Meet Duke a 18month old entire merle boy and read his very sad story.
 
Three weeks ago myself and another foster mum sat in Lissi’s kitchen awaiting the arrival of Duke. We had been warned he was in a poor condition but nothing could of prepared us for what we were about to see.

The door bell rang, Lissi answered it but Duke had been left in the car. Lissi and I went out to collect him. The initial feeling was what a very depressed looking dog and then we opened the door and were hit by the overwhelming stench. As Duke clambered from the car it was all to clear this boy was in immense pain and had been suffering for many months.

Once inside we examined Duke, 40% of his fur was missing and in its place was incrusted leathery skin on his stomach and red and inflamed on his face, chin, neck and in all the creases and around his testicles. It was impossible to attach any form of collar, halti or body harness. The skin was also very hot to touch. Duke was also very itchy which didn’t help his skin condition. His feet were very swollen and the pads were split and infected, thus making it extremely uncomfortable for him to walk. Duke ears were so infected they were completely blocked with discharge and his eyes so swollen and infected he couldn’t see a thing, so he would bump into things causing himself more discomfort. Duke’s head hung low and his tailed remained between his legs. The three of us were reduced to tears at the astonishment that anyone could be cruel enough to watch this dog go through immense suffering day after day and not seek any treatment for him.

I took Duke straight to the vets, he was prescribed a cocktail of tablets and tonics and also a special shampoo for his skin for daily baths. Duke was also prescribed a special diet costing £60 for a 10kg bag. This wasn’t going to last very long considering he was approximately 15kg underweight. I was told that it was very unlikely Duke would make a full recovery as his skin had been left far too long without treatment.

Three weeks into treatment which been very expensive, Duke had a follow up appointment and the vets couldn’t believe the extraordinary change in Dukes appearance and manner. Dukes leathery inflamed skin is more supple and there are signs of his fur growing. His ear infection has gone and his eyes are less swollen so he is able to see. Duke still has along way to go and there are still no guarantees he will make a full recovery. Ongoing treatment and diet will be expensive and he still has an operation to get through.

All this considered Duke is the most gentle boy you could meet. He has accepted the endless cleaning of his eyes and ears followed with drops the daily bathing and the cocktail of pills he is taking. Duke loves to be with people and has settled very nicely. He has just started enjoying short walks now his pads have recovered and enjoys meeting people and socialising with all other dogs.

Duke really is one in a million and deserve the best care to help him through his recovery. He is due to visit the vets again in a month so I will keep you updated with his progress.

Below are some pictures of how Duke looks today, just three weeks into treatment.

Click here to read the vet's report on Duke.
 

This is Rigsby. He’s an entire Harli dog and that’s about all we know about him. He was picked up by a local authority dog warden, after being found wandering the streets. It seems that, just prior to this, the RSPCA had been called to a Dane in terrible distress, which had been kept locked in a shed for weeks. Since that dog wasn’t found, it seems likely that Rigsby’s owners simply turned him out onto the street, before they could be caught.

Rigsby, in appalling condition, was cared for in the local authority kennels, but was about to be destroyed as no one came forward to claim him. Luckily for all concerned, a local rescue organisation (Save Our Strays) specialises in rescuing abandoned dogs from Death Row and stepped in. Rigsby was placed in private kennels until specialist help could be organised. Daneline were asked to provide the emergency help he so desperately needs. Lissi and Sue, with the help of volunteers, then moved mountains to transport Rigsby right across the country to his new foster family.

Rigsby arrived with us last night in an appallingly emaciated condition. Since he has already had a couple of weeks care in kennels, we can only imagine what he was like when he was picked up off the streets. They say that the camera makes you gain 10lb. It’s more than true in Rigsby’s case – he looks ten times worse in the flesh than in these photos and weighs in at only 35kg, about half of what he should weigh. His poor body and mind are ready to shut down, he can only stand for short periods without help and has what looks like cigarette burns on his back. This dog has been tortured. Time will tell if Rigsby can recover from all this abuse, whatever happens will not be due to lack of effort on his part. Rigsby has been to hell and back, but doesn’t for a second blame humans for putting him through it. He craves cuddles and loves and won’t leave your side for a second, not even when you go to the loo!

Rigsby was vet-checked before arriving with Daneline. They concluded that he is two to four years old and that the number one priority is intensive nursing and feeding, to get him over the crucial 40kg threshold. Until Rigsby reaches this weight, he will be in real danger of his organs starting to shut down with fatal consequences. Rigsby is certainly doing his bit and is hoovering up every one of his six meals a day. Our immediate goal for Rigsby is to keep him infection free until he gains enough weight to visit our vet for his vaccinations and a thorough MOT.

Update ...

Well, what difference a month makes! We had expected to it take much longer to get to where this wonderful boy is now. The fact that he's made such amazing progress is all down to Rigsby's incredible "joie de vivre". He was on the point of physical and emotional shut down whaen he came to Daneline. On top of the extreme malnutrition, he also had Kennel Cough.

He's been a very poorly boy, but that's not stopped Rigsby recovering with gusto, gaining over 16 kg in weight and working really not to get over excited when he sees other dogs. Today you would never know that he's been kept in isolation, he runs around with a pack of other dogs and loves every minute of it. He has now gained enough weight and condition to be vaccinated and vet checked. This came back all clear, with the exception of skin tabs (little hanging warts on his chest) which need to be removed. The vet recommends that this be done when he is castrated in the next couple of months, when he's gained a bit more weight.

Rigsby is the sweetest, kindest, most affectionate boy you will ever meet. He now needs a quiet family life, where his training and support can be carried on.
 

This is Rufus, a much loved 4 year old neutered Harlequin male who has been reluctantly put up for re-homing due to his owner’s ill health.

Rufus is very large and handsome although he still behaves like a puppy so he’s full of fun and energy and a great character. However he’s also a very well behaved house guest. He wouldn’t dream of getting on the furniture when you’re not looking or taking food that’s not his, although we would recommend leaving his water bowl outside if you don’t want your kitchen flooded.

When he came in he tended to pull on the lead, even with a dogmatic, and would rear up when he saw other dogs, which, given his height, was very disconcerting to their owners. However, we have been working very hard on this and he can now walk calmly down the road. Off the lead he has played really nicely with other dogs.

He is an absolute delight and will make a great addition to any family who has the space to accommodate him. He loves children and is quite happy to put his head on their lap and be patted for hours. However, because he is so big, we would recommend he be re-homed with an experienced owner who can control his exuberance and in a family with older children that won’t mind occasionally getting trodden on or caught by his tail.
 

Hi everyone, my name is George. I am a 4 year old harlequin who has been neutered and is missing a tail. I am also deaf but Tracy says that what I lack in hearing I make up for in personality. I have been brought into Daneline through no fault of my own.

I am living with another dog, I was a bit shy the first day but now I love playing in the garden with her and we even snuggled up together last night! I love cuddles and food and going for a walk but I am not very easy to handle at the moment as i have not been trained to walk to heel but I am getting better every day!

George is a loving and affectionate dog. Most dogs that are deaf are quite nervous but George is the opposite, he likes greeting people and other dogs and is gentle around children. He responds well to hand signals for sit, stay, lie down and come and always looks to you for reassurance. He is fully house trained and is able to open kitchen cupboards but as long as you remember to close the kitchen door then there should not be a problem.

He is up to date with his vaccinations and worming and has a healthy appetite. If you feel you could offer George a permanent loving home please contact Lissi or Sue for more information.
 

I'm Duke and I'm a 20 month old un-neutered boy. I came into Daneline because my previous owners worked long hours and I was left on my own for long periods of time which I found very difficult to cope with and became quite destructive. I was also quite skinny but my foster mum thinks that’s because I was fed the wrong food and I had a very bad ear infection which left me quite run down. Since I have been here I have been on 3 meals a day of tripe and biscuit and been to the vets to get my ear problem sorted. I have already put nearly 2 kilos on but thats not surprising as I love my food!

Everyone says that I am a very handsome boy and an absolute pleasure to have around. I walk quite nicely on the lead and my recall isn't too bad, in fact, my only bad points are that I can’t be left alone (although my foster mum has been working on this with me and I did 20 minutes yesterday!) and that I can open doors very easily if they don't have a round handle.

My mum says that whoever gives me my forever home can consider themselves to be very lucky as I am one of the nicest dogs she has ever come across.
 

Nancy is a 3 year old bitch that has come into the care of Daneline from Ireland. She was brought into Daneline through no fault of her own.

Nancy has previously had a litter of pups and will need to be spayed at a later date. She was very shy at first and would move away if you went to stroke her but now she loves a fuss, she really likes a good rub at the back of her ears! She has even started to nudge you now for a fuss and has started to wag her tail when she gets excited. She had an upset stomach when she arrived but that has settled really quickly. She has a healthy appetite and gets excited when she see's her food bowl coming!

She mixes well with other dogs and cats and has been great around children. She walks well on lead and off lead she is good on re-call, she does like to sniff every flower that passes which can be a bit time consuming but a pocket full of treats speeds up the proses.

In the home she is fully house trained, she can open doors to let herself in and out of the house and does like to spend a lot of time sleeping at the moment! If you think that you can you can offer Nancy a permanent loving home please contact Sue or Lissi at Daneline.
 

Hello my name is Harvey. I am a black neutered male. I am only 5 years old but I know I look older (the grey bits started at about 2!!). Playing football is one of my favorite things and I enjoy it even more if children are playing it with me, I just love children. I like grownups too, but they are not so much fun and soon run out of steam! As I mentioned before, looks are deceiving, I play like a puppy!!! My foster mum says I'm a very good boy indoors, love cuddles and chilling out on the lawn, but I do pull on the lead and am not keen to have it back on when running around the fields!!

I would love to have a home of my own that lasts forever ,maybe with another dog (they are fun too). I'm good with guinea pigs & cats. I can’t promise to grow old gracefully, but I do promise to give lots of love .

When Sid first arrived at my home he looked more like a Giant Greyhound than a Gt. Dane, he was so thin. He'd been brought over from Carrick dog shelter in Ireland with a companion where they'd both spent the last 4 weeks in the kennels, where he had lost alot of weight and was quite withdrawn. He is a 3 year old Fawn castrated dog.

He's settled down very well and is proving to be quite a character. We've found out that he's very good at opening doors and very good at getting on the furniture if you're not firm with him (he does get off though, be it rather reluctantly). We call him a 'sun worshipper' as he goes to the balcony door every morning if its nice asking to go and lie in the sun and there he'll stay for the rest of the day till the last vestige of sun has gone. He loves his walks and is very good on and off lead. He also has an excellent re-call. He's good with other dogs and cats, infact my cat actually stays around when he comes into the room and doesn't mind him at all. I have grandchildren who he loves too.

He's been vaccinated, wormed and de-flead and he's also microchipped.

He's a lovely boy and is now waiting for a permanent home where he can settle down for good.