A little dog named Sophie is living her best life.
But just a few months ago, the about 7-year-old black-and-white shih tzu was in heartbreaking condition.
“I would say it’s one of the worst, maybe the worst,” said Aubrey Whittington, president of the Leflore County Humane Society’s board. “We get them with their hair matted a lot, but she was covered in filth, fleas and dirt. It was heart-wrenching.”
Sophie, now rehabilitated and in a loving home, was the recent winner of the Clinician’s Brief Shelter Pet Hero award, sponsored by Hill’s Pet Nutrition. Clinician’s Brief is a veterinary magazine.
This little dog’s journey to finding her forever home began in July, when Sophie was relinquished by her former owner to the Leflore County Humane Society.
When she first arrived at the shelter, Whittington said Sophie’s hair was like an “armadillo shell.” An about 1½-inch layer of hair matted with dirt and feces covered her body.
“It was like an armor of filth,” she said. “You couldn’t find her face.”
It was estimated that Sophie’s upkeep had been neglected for at least a year, if not longer, to be in such condition.
Her hair had grown so long and matted that it wrapped around her mouth.
It took two days to remove the matted hair and filth covering Sophie.
“She only had a little space to eat,” said Whittington.
Tangled hair was also wrapped around her toes so tightly that some were red and swollen because of a loss of circulation.
On top of that, Sophie also had a flea infestation.
The shelter immediately tried to help Sophie.
“I tried to shave her as best I could, but I could tell it was way over my head,” said Whittington.
Sophie was taken to Cooper Animal Hospital.
“She was the absolute most matted dog I have ever dealt with,” said Debby Cooper of Cooper Animal Hospital. “We had to use a scalpel blade to ease through the knots to get down to where we could get them off of her skin. It was really, really bad.”
It took two days to remove the matted hair and filth.
“It’s just such a tedious process, and you don’t want to stress her out,” said Cooper. “But she was a trouper.”
Removing the hair revealed Sophie’s emaciated condition.
After Sophie’s hair was removed, her emaciated condition was revealed.
The little dog tested negative for heartworms and was treated for her medical conditions and administered vaccines.
A foster took Sophie home to rehabilitate her.
During this time, the little dog kept getting urinary tract infections. She was taken to Cooper’s, and radiography was performed. Four bladder stones were found, and Sophie had to have them surgically removed.
For such a small dog, the bladder stones were huge, Cooper said.
An X-ray showed that Sophie had four large bladder stones. She had to have them surgically removed.
After that, Sophie also had to have several teeth removed.
“We did it in two different stages because you don’t want to have them sedated for too long if there is a lot of work involved, especially with a dog on the mend,” Cooper said.
The Humane Society worked to find a rescue that would take Sophie and finally did.
“She went to a loving home in Tennessee,” said Whittington. “The family was thrilled to have her, but it took about three months to rehabilitate her. ... The shelter did fabulous work on her mentally and physically. The end results were excellent.”
Whittington also said the work that Cooper Animal Hospital did on Sophie “saved her life.”
Despite the state she was in and the discomfort she had to be feeling, Cooper said Sophie was a happy dog.
“I think she’s a very special dog,” she said.
Cooper decided to enter Sophie in the Clinician’s Brief contest after receiving an email that included the details on how to enter.
“I immediately thought of her,” she said. “It was a nice surprise to find out she won shortly after, because it’s nationwide.”
At Cooper Animal Hospital are, from left, Clare Nance holding Sophie and Dr. Blane Cooper.
Being the August Shelter Pet Hero of the Month winner, Sophie received a year’s worth of Hill’s Pet Nutrition pet food. She is also eligible to win the grand prize, which is selected from the May through November winners. The grand prize winner will receive $1,000 to the shelter of choice, and the nominating veterinary clinic will receive $1,000 worth of Hill’s Healthy Advantage pet food. If Sophie wins, Cooper said the clinic will donate the food to the Leflore County Humane Society.
Cooper said the winner of the grand prize will be announced soon after the November Shelter Pet Hero is named.
“I hope she wins,” she said. “Her story is unusual, and it has such a happy ending.
“It’s just a feel-good feeling and to think that we had a part — the shelter and Cooper Animal Hospital — in getting her back to a loving situation just really makes you feel rewarded.”
Cooper said donations to the Humane Society help make stories like this happen.
“Sophie was a huge success story,” said Whittington. “Cases like that come in often. These animals come in here in such dire straits. That’s where everybody’s donations go, to help these animals and to rehabilitate them.”
The shelter currently houses 69 cats and about 50 dogs and has a group of dedicated volunteers and board members who work around the clock caring for the animals.
Whittington said most of the animals that come to the shelter are in need of medical attention and rehabilitation, which is costly for the nonprofit. She said all donations go toward giving animals such as Sophie a happy ending.
Another way to help the shelter, she added, is for pet owners to spay and neuter their animals.
Giving Tuesday
Leflore County Humane Society will be participating in Giving Tuesday this year. The event will be held on Dec. 1. Giving Tuesday is a global generosity movement. Partners of Giving Tuesday will match the donations received that day. For more information, visit Leflore County Humane Society’s Facebook page or its website, www.leflorehumanesociety.org.
For more information on adopting a pet, call 453-8085.
• Contact Ruthie Robison at 581-7235 or rrobison@gwcommonwealth.com.
