Bruno was going to die....

[rpcrowe]

No one wanted to adopt poor Bruno, a one-year old Maltese. It's pretty obvious why no one wanted him. He was matted. absolutely filthy and infested with fleas and ticks. He also smelled to high heaven. He was scheduled to be put down. We found out about him late in the afternoon, too late to make the hundred mile drive to save him. A series of frantic phone calls resulted in the shelter giving Bruno a stay of execution so we could drive to pick him up the following day...





In fact we have never seen a dog from any shelter is this bad of a condition. It took my wife two and a half hours to shave him down. He's clean now but it will be a while before he looks good. Bruno needs to coat to grow back.



He's a friendly and darling young dog and we are glad that we had the opportunity to rescue him from the San Bernardino Animal Shelter.

NOTE: There is a great difference between shelters in Southern California in the way they care for the animals that they are charged to assist. A bath and a clip would have gone a long way towards getting this boy adopted and saved from euthanasia.

BTW: His coat was so matted that it came off in one piece...


A few weeks of TLC will set him on the road to a loving furever home...

[Shadowman]

He looks much better, job well done.

[deetheturk]

God bless you and your wife Richard, and all the other helpers too, great job!

[truonda]

Seeing the first two image nearly broke my heart. Keep up the good work, Richard!

[Manfred M]

The image of his ex-coat looks a lot like roadkill. Perhaps appropriate treatment for the people that got him into that state? I can never figure out why people neglect or abuse pets.

The nice thing about fur is that it does grow back...

[IzzieK]

I got goose pimples when I saw the first picture...he looks good in the last one...He is not meant to go to heaven yet...he needed that chance to be loved...I salute the job you and your wife are doing to these animals..

[bnnrcn]

I'm glad that you save a lot of dogs Richard

[rpcrowe]

Here is a new picture of Bruno (image right) in a dog bed with his new buddy Elmer (image left). Elmer and his sister Elsie were junkyard strays in a really rough area of Los Angeles...

Elmer and Bruno 01 by richardpcrowe, on Flickr

Elmer and Elsie were so filthy that they were as gray as the scrap metal in the yard. This is a shot of Elmer after he was washed but before he was groomed.

Elmer 02. by richardpcrowe, on Flickr

Here is Elsie...

Elsie 01 by richardpcrowe, on Flickr

Here are Elmer and Elsie together...

Elmer and Elsie 01 by richardpcrowe, on Flickr

And here are the brother and sister after they were groomed by Kim, owner of Sydnee's Grooming in San Marcos, California. Kim will groom all of our rescue dogs free of charge...

Elmer and Elsie after grooming by richardpcrowe, on Flickr

[Otavio]

Great effort delivered to poor Bruno, Richard. These are attitudes of a great value. Very nice job! (And very nice images, too!).
Regards,

[IzzieK]

What a great job Sydnee is doing to help you make them look good Richard! I am sure she is enjoying her job with them seeing the results with the before and after...

[csa mt]

" A bath and a clip would have gone a long way towards getting this boy adopted and saved from euthanasia."

I agree! It appears they have little interest in adoptions.

Bless you & your wife for giving Bruno the chance of life and a loving home, that he so desperately deserves! Plus all the others you help along the way!

My yellow lab Juneau just celebrated her 10th birthday yesterday, and I just cannot imagine people abusing these sweet animals that so deserve our love and protection.

[travis4567]

Richard, this story really got to me. The photos too..Keep up your wonderful work

[rpcrowe]

I am trying to find the first picture that I saw of Elmer and Elsie in the scrap metal yard. They were such a filthy metallic gray that I (at first) thought that the image was monochrome...

[NorthernFocus]

These stories are so touching, Richard. You folks are doing wonderful things there. I'm another person who can't imagine how people treat animals so badly. I suppose it would be truly appalling to find out how the same people treat other humans.

[rpcrowe]

This is what Elmer and Elsie looked like when they visited the vet for the first time... (note - I did not shoot these images but they are the property of our rescue group)...



This is where they had been living. you can see Elsie, who is very shy, hiding in the background while Elmer investigates...



This pair are closely bonded and we will find a furever home who will accept both so we don't have to break them up. I think that Elmer would do quite well without Elsie but Elsie depends on Elmer.



I don't know what family bond there is between the two dogs but, I suspect that they are siblings...