The goal of animal shelters is to save as many animals as they can, and in the instance of a Columbia, Tennessee puppy, it all came down to Rockie, the shelter dog.
He helped save the life of a young puppy that was in great pain by donating blood. The benefit? Rockie quickly discovered a devoted family of his own.
When 1-year-old Ice was brought into the care of Maury County Animal Service (MCAS) in July, the staff realized that his only chance of survival was through a kind donation from another canine.
According to MCAS volunteer coordinator Kim Raffauf, “it was a cruelty case—the dog was being eaten alive by fleas,” as she puts it to Daily Paws.
Ice’s iron and blood cells were almost completely gone. If he was going to survive, he was going to need some major support. According to Raffaf, only a blood transfusion would be effective, and they knew just the right dog to assist.
It was Rockie, an adoption website mention of a 2-year-old American bulldog mix who is described as a “adorable chonk.”
We can work with Rockie securely and he has a terrific disposition, according to Raffauf. He was an excellent candidate to give blood because he was also a touch on the “healthy” side.
Human and canine blood transfusions are comparable in that: The dog can give blood if it satisfies the physical, age, temperament, and health (no blood-borne infections) standards. In Rockie’s instance, he made the most of his time, as the entire donation procedure usually takes less than an hour.
Ice is already content with his second opportunity in life because of Rockie. “Ice is doing amazingly well! He’s totally healed, according to Raffauf. Because of the continuing investigation surrounding his finding, he is not yet available for adoption.
The shelter was so impressed with Sweet Rockie’s work that they gave him a medal. The large, adorable “ham bone” in the shelter was getting up to 200 days there when August came to a conclusion.
Raffauf remarks, “I just can’t fathom why he’s had to wait so long.” It’s been six months, yet he still feels joy all the time. His passion for others knows no bounds, and he is always grinning.
Fortunately, this past weekend was the end of that wait. Rockie—now Kevin—joined his permanent family, the Johnsons, after serving 198 days at MCAS. Now at last, that lovely brown and white coat, brilliant eyes, and beautiful grin have a loving home.
Was there any unattractive sobbing after he disappeared from view? MCAS shared a Facebook post. “We’ll never tell.”
(Undoubtedly, some unpleasant sobbing had place.)