Dear Shanna,
Yes, Duke is available for fostering or adopting. He is a wonderful dog. We are not certain as to whether or not he has cancer yet. The vet seems to think there is a good chance that he does. He cannot keep weight on. I think it is simply because he burns more calories in a day than what we can feed him. We've been feeding him 4 cups of dry with a can of wet, two times a day. He still is so skinny, yet he is full of muscle. I think it is because he is just so active in his kennel. It's a party with the pits at my kennel. They are crazy in the kennel. The entire back of my 50 Run kennel is pit haven. They are like a bunch of social butterflies...they simply jump and bark and carry on all day. I have one that can do back flips without even touching the walls. I've tried moving Duke to a quieter area, but he hated it. He fell into a deep depression and lost even more weight because he wouldn't eat.
Duke will not return to his former home. The owner, Angie, died of brain cancer and the husband wants no part of him since he is a constant reminder of his wife. Duke has a vet appointment in another week to find out more. No, his expenses aren't being covered. I have no donations since I'm not actually a rescue organization. I took Duke because he needed a home, other than a dog pound. I am paying for his vet costs out of my own pocket, because I believe Angie would have done so. Sadly, if he does have cancer, I will not be able to afford to care for him. With the economy, my business has declined to the point where all of our profit goes into the "winter" fun to help pay for heating costs. Last year our heating costs were close to $23K in four months. Yikes! People just don't board their dogs, when they have no money to vacation. If you can please post Duke's picture to pit bull enthusiasts that you know, I'd greatly
appreciate it. I so badly want to see Duke in a loving home, instead of a 4x4 kennel. He deserves much better.
Thanks for your concern and for caring enough to ask.
I would love to be able to take Duke, but I have so many concerns. Can I care for another cancer dog if this diagnosis is confirmed? How will Trouble react to an extremely high drive, high energy addition to the family? Do we have the resources to pay for another bout of cancer treatments? I really just want this dog to have the happy loving home Angie would give him.
Feedback please.....
Oh, and here is the big handsome guy!