Angels Story

Angel came into DAWG’s care after a community member convinced her owners to relinquish her after seeing her treatment and condition. She was so frail, so painfully thin, and covered in sores. That community member stopped one of our volunteers in the Woolworths carpark, desperate for help. Angel lay limp in her arms - floppy, exhausted, and frighteningly quiet. In that moment, none of us were certain she would survive.

She was taken straight to her foster home and placed into immediate care. Derby relies heavily on the weekly vet visits - arriving Wednesday, leaving Thursday - and we are endlessly grateful for them. But Angel arrived on a Sunday..... Three long days stood between her and qualified veterinary support. Thankfully, our fosters had seen cases like this before. Sadly, Angel was one of the worst we had encountered in quite some time.

Her smell was the first thing that hit us - like something was rotting from the inside. Her breathing was laboured, her gums were white from a heart struggling to circulate blood, and her skin was raw and weeping. Still, we began where we could: fluids, soft food, and the slow, careful process of removing parasites to ease at least one burden from her fragile body.

Through that first night, she was tended to with quiet, constant care. And somehow, despite everything, Angel showed a spark - a tiny will to live. That spark was enough for us to push forward. Knowing she wanted to hold on and was tough enough to fight! We bathed her in medicated wash, removing the remaining ticks, treated her for worms, and began soothing her raw skin.

For most of those three days, Angel slept. She woke only to eat, drink, and accept gentle affection - though even that was hard for her. She flinched at every approach, startled in panic if touched while resting, and avoided eye contact as though expecting punishment. Slowly, she began to understand she was safe. There was no yelling, no chasing her from food, no consequences for accidents. She guarded her meals fiercely - understandable for a dog who had clearly fought for every mouthful. Dog food was unfamiliar to her, scraps and human leftovers were all she knew. Instead we introduced extra calories and supplements to her food along with fresh eggs and puppy formula.

When the vets finally arrived, Angel was diagnosed with a severe chest infection requiring antibiotics. The sores across her body had developed into a widespread skin infection, also needing medication, medicated baths, and soothing ointments. She returned home to rest and heal - by the very next day, the change was already remarkable. Bit by bit her energy lifted, she slept a little less, and she began to show curiosity about the world beyond her pen.

She met the many, many cats of the household, two fellow fosters from traumatic backgrounds (Mimi and Poppet), the chickens, and Mango, the resident guardian. Angel took it all in stride. And then, using every bit of her newfound strength and cleverness, she managed to manoeuvre her way out of her containment and sneak into her foster carer’s room. There, she claimed an old saggy pillow in the corner as her own. No amount of gentle persuasion or treats could convince her that the pen was where she belonged anymore.

Angel had decided she was home - at least for now - and that soft, saggy pillow was the first place she had ever chosen for herself.

Angels story is still ongoing - her chest infection has cleared up, her skeleton is no longer prominently visible (in fact she has more than made up for missed meals and has a healthy tummy on her!) However her skin still bears the marks of her trauma and she is cautiously protective of her food. 

She is an incredible example of the resillience of animals, their ability to love and trust again. Soon Angel will be ready for her forever home and we hope that with the increased awareness that the ABC news article generated, her new forever family is on their way to her!