SAVING SAMSON

Please be warned that Samson’s story is devastating and the pictures can be graphic. That being said, we are desperate for your support in saving this sweet, little boy.

Samson is an adorable, but very sad 6-8 month old black lab/pit bull mix puppy. He looks the size of a 4-month old puppy, and we believe his growth was stunted, and he may not get much bigger. He was found in the basement of an abandoned home, unable to stand or walk, extremely emaciated and dehydrated.


The shelter believes that Samson was severely abused: dragged and tortured. He has multiple, seriously infected open wounds on his hind legs, knees, ankles and feet. One of the wounds on his knee is especially severe, and the tissues are dead and necrotic. His paws are splayed due to malnutrition and he was unable to get up and walking. X-rays have not revealed any breaks yet and it may just be the extent and pain from his open wounds. X-rays of his stomach show that this baby was eating rocks and dirt, probably in an attempt to survive.


The shelter began treatment for Samson’s wounds and sent out an emergency plea, knowing he would heal much faster outside of the shelter environment. One look into Samson’s eyes and our rescue responded immediately.


Samson arrived at our veterinary hospital on April 19 in the evening, and we will post updates on his prognosis as they are available.

UPDATE April 21: The shelter bandaged Samson up and he was brought to the safety of our veterinary hospital. He curled up into a little ball on the front passenger seat in the car and did not budge the whole ride! Our veterinarian determined Sam is only about 6 months old and he weighs a whopping 25 pounds. He confirmed that Samson was dragged, as his paw pads are completely shorn off. Fortanately, they will grow back with time. Most of his open wounds will heal with time and TLC, however, the one large wound on his knee will require skin grafts. Samson will be going in for surgery on Thursday, April 22 to have skin grafts performed on his knee. Please continue to keep him in your thoughts, he still has a long road to recovery!

Now, we are asking for your help in saving Samson’s life. As an all volunteer, 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, Pet Rescue of Mercer relies heavily on your donations to continue saving lives. We desperately need your support for Samson. Contributions can be made online through our website www.petrescueofmercer.org or mailed directly to us at Pet Rescue of Mercer, P.O. Box 2574, Hamilton, NJ 08690.


Please keep Samson in your thoughts, he needs all the support he can get.

Help Rudy!

Rudy is one fantastic pit bull mix waiting patiently for his big break in life. Read on to learn more about this incredible dog who has overcome so many obstacles, all he needs now is his forever home.

His story...

Rudy suffered from major trauma before he walked through the doors of the Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Sadly, we'll never know what exactly happened to Rudy, but it was devastating. He arrived a physical mess. Underweight and had major neurological troubles with walking. The shelter also feared Rudy has problems with seeing and hearing.

Yet, Rudy was one of the lucky ones. His past was rough but he made it out with his life. Even more importantly, his love for humans is intact. He has no fear, no aggression towards humans, and greets everyone with his tail-wagging, wiggly butt.

The shelter worked to nurse Rudy back to health, but they are limited in the amount of care they can give. He greatly improved medically and was able to put up for adoption.

Rudy sat in a cage for months, watching everyone walk right by him. No one would adopt a dog with such an intense medical history, let alone a pit bull with medical issues!

This fantastic dog, again, had to beat unbelievable odds. He had to make it out of a shelter that regularly already has a 40% euthanasia rate. The spread of disease in another shelter in Philadelphia had caused the shelter to temporarily shut down, and the 150 dogs had to be transferred to the PSPCA. As a result of space constraints, Rudy was now on the urgent list.

His present...

One of PRM's volunteers had met him previously during a shelter visit, and when she saw Rudy on the urgent list, she could not stop thinking about his happy, wiggle butt self. We knew what fate would happen to him if we did not come to his rescue.

So, we made arrangements and drove to Philadelphia to pick up this special boy. He lacked confidence outside of the shelter, and had to be picked up into the car. He slept the whole ride home back to NJ without making a peep, just curled up, enjoying the peace and quiet.

Rudy's first step was our veterinary office, to find out everything about what's going on. Once again, Rudy had more luck. He can both hear and see fine. Our vet x-rayed his pelvis and it also his perfectly fine. Yes, he wobbles when he walks, his gait isn't the steadiest, but he is not in any pain, and Rudy seems perfectly happy and content with his condition.

Yes, Rudy walks funny. It's cute in its own way. But other than that, he does not have any long-term medical issues. He is up to date on shots, neutered and only about 1-2 years old and 45-50 pounds.

Rudy is fine with other dogs and would probably be okay with cats too. He is not very energetic, hyper or over-the-top bouncy. A walk or two a day and he will be more than happy to hang out with you around the house or snuggle up on the sofa.

His future...

Rudy faces just one last obstacle. He needs an end to his story. A home to come home to. And we know with his luck, he'll find the most wonderful family. Maybe with you?

Blizzard, a snowstorm rescue!

One of PRM’s volunteers was at the shelter picking up another dog when she saw Blizzard. Immediately this sweet girl began giving kisses through the gate and rolling over for belly rubs in her cage. Needless to say, she packed her up in the car and brought her home too!


Blizzard is a sweet 1-year old lab mix who was found early February in the midst of one of the big blizzards. She had been hit by a car and her rear legs were suffering from serious injuries and abrasions. Her back right leg was severely injured to the point that the bone was exposed, and dirt and grit from the road had gotten into her exposed wounds.

The shelter cleaned her wounds and changed her bandages daily, and Blizzard slowly started to recover. Once PRM pulled her, we brought her straight to our veterinary hospital to find out if anything else could be done to help heal her injuries. Our veterinarian had to amputate one of Bliz’s toes, and she is now already putting weight on her back leg that she had been favoring all this time.


Bliz is always the center of attention at our veterinary hospital, she is super sweet, affectionate and loving. She is great with all the other dogs and people she meets. Blizzard will be released shortly and is hoping she’ll have a loving family and house to go home to!

As an all volunteer, 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, Pet Rescue of Mercer relies heavily on your donations to continue saving lives. Any donations for Blizzard’s veterinary bills would be greatly appreciated. Contributions can be made online through our website www.petrescueofmercer.org or mailed directly to us at Pet Rescue of Mercer, P.O. Box 2574, Hamilton, NJ 08690.

Maggie ♥

Maggie is a 3-4 year old boxer/staffie mix just waiting for her big break in life! This sweetheart was seized by animal cruelty agents due to unsanitary conditions. She waited at the shelter for 4 months until the case was resolved and she could go up for adoption.


Unfortunately, the problems didn’t stop there. At the shelter, Maggie developed a skin condition – a bad rash on her belly and her feet became so raw, sore, swollen and bloody that she couldn’t even walk!

It was originally thought her skin issues were due to severe allergies to the kennel disinfectant; the shelter sent out a plea and we responded. As soon as we met Maggie we loaded her in the car and were on our way – WHAT A SWEETHEART! She is an amazing, friendly, sweet doll of a dog.


In combination with the allergic reaction to the disinfectant, our vet determined Maggie also has demodex mange on her feet. She is now on treatment for both and is well on her way to recovery.

This angel is currently staying at our veterinary hospital and is looking for a warm foster or forever home for recovery. After all this, she deserves to be pampered! She is both dog and cat friendly and is a very easygoing girl.

What's New, Mr. Magoo?

Our lovable Mr. Magoo had gotten himself into a sticky situation before we came to his rescue! Magoo was surrendered to a high-kill shelter in Philadelphia because his owners could not afford to medically care for his injured hind left leg.

We saw Magoo’s face and had to help save him. He arrived at our veterinary office on February 22nd and we are anxiously waiting to hear his prognosis.

UPDATE 2/24/10: We are happy to announce that Magoo does not need surgery, so he is ready for adoption now! Our vet determined he had a femoral fracture that healed the wrong way because he was never treated at the time of injury. As a result, the one leg is slightly shorter, but Magoo is in NO PAIN at all and gets around just fine!

Magoo is an incredibly sweet and loving dog. He’s just a puppy around 6 months old and weighs about 43 pounds. He is an American Bulldog mix, possibly with pit, but we’ll never know for sure. He is mostly white in color and has an underbite that you just can’t help but fall in love with!

Magoo is great with handing and loves to give gentle kisses. He previously lived with kids and has done well when meeting other dogs and cats.

SWEET SISTERS NEED LOVING HOME TOGETHER

Madison and Mojo are two gorgeous, dainty 7-8 year old sisters looking for a forever home together. They are each about 40 lbs and have super soft coats. We have no idea what their mix is, but our best guess is maybe collie, greyhound and lab.

Madison is slightly taller and lighter in color. Mojo is just a bit smaller, and she loves to give you paw. Both girls love to snuggle in close and just be loved. They are very affectionate and eager to give you little kisses or curl up in your lap.

Their owner showed up to our adoption day looking to surrender them; his landlord was going to evict him the next day if they were not placed, and his only other option was to have them put to sleep. We met the girls and took them right in, they are just too sweet.

Madison has had a tumor removed and Mojo just had a few skin tags removed, but other than that they are in good health. They will be spayed and brought up to date on shots before adoption.

Both sisters are friendly with other animals and we believe them to be housebroken. They are currently staying at our veterinary office and will be going to foster care in a few days, so check back for updates.

If you could open your heart and home to these two sweet sisters, they will reward you with a life of unconditional love.

PLEASE HELP US SAVE BABY!

Baby, a beautiful 18-month old pit bull terrier mix, is desperately in need of your support! Baby’s story is a very sad one… She was found curled into a shaking ball on the side of the road in mid January in horrible shape – dehydrated, emaciated and void of the basic necessities of life. Someone spotted her and called animal control, she was brought to the local shelter and then transferred to our care.

This poor girl is just skin and bones, unbelievable skinny. She was so weak she was unable to even lift her head, let alone walk, the first day she arrived. Baby was so dirty it took two baths at the shelter to even make a dent in getting her clean, and her should-be-white legs are still stained brown. We are still horrified to think that someone could let this happen to her, but relieved to know she will never suffer again.

Baby is currently staying at our veterinary office, where she is receiving fluids, heat, food and some much needed TLC, for probably the first time in her life. She has a great appetite and is eating 4-5 times a day. Although she was starved, she is not food aggressive. We’re waiting on results from a urinalysis, fecal and bloodwork, but in just 1 day she is already gaining strength.

UPDATE 01/18/2010: Baby's tests results came back, her fecal, urinalysis and bloodwork all look good. This poor girl is so emaciated because she was malnourished, starved. Fortanately, after just a few days at the vet's office, Baby is quickly regaining strength and is able to go for short walks. She still has a long road until she is completely recovered and back to a good weight, but her prognosis looks great!

Now, we are asking for your help in saving Baby’s life. As an all volunteer, 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, Pet Rescue of Mercer relies heavily on your donations to continue saving lives. Baby’s vet bills are projected to be at least $1100 and they are quickly mounting. We desperately need your support for Baby. Contributions can be made online through our website www.petrescueofmercer.org or mailed directly to us at Pet Rescue of Mercer, P.O. Box 2574, Hamilton, NJ 08690.

We can’t believe what this poor girl has made it through already, and we are asking for your support to give her a chance at life. She is a wonderful dog, so sweet and loving with everyone. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.