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Oct 2, 2013 eblast: There
are no words to express my appreciation to everyone who made a contribution towards Georgie's emergency veterinary bills.
You are all so very special to me for taking time out to do what you could, despite the sad outcome. In total, the medical costs
incurred in an effort to save Georgie's life came to $3,436.44 and that was with discounts kindly provided by our vets at
Beaches Animal Hospital as well as the specialists at the Central Toronto Veterinary Referral Clinic. Still, it hit us hard. All that money and no happy
little dog to show for it. Please know that I'm beyond grateful for the donations that poured in. We've received close to $3,000
from some very kind and generous people, many of you I know already and love dearly but there were others I've only just met
through this dear little dog. Unfortunately, Georgie hasn't been the only medical emergency we've had recently. Annie's
vet bills are souring as we try to resolve a severe infection to one of her paws - so severe that she may lose one of her
toes. This is the second medical emergency she's had since her arrival in the spring. We can't help but wonder if these issues
stem from the horrible conditions in which she lived before rescued from the garbage dump that served as her backyard. And
sweet old Bubba was rushed in today when his permanet foster parents noticed a concerning lump on his gums. Xrays revealed
a cancerous abdominal mass likely related to the mass in his mouth. He's undergoing surgery tomorrow and we're all hoping
and praying for the best. Bubba is very much loved by his forever foster family. There are more stories, but I'll stop there
for your sake.
Altogether,
we've incurred over $7,000 in veterinary costs in less than one month. It's unprecedented. It may seem like an uphill battle
right now but we want you all to know that we refuse to give up and we have you to thank for keeping us so stubborn, aside
from all the beagles that constantly serve to inspire us. Somehow, we'll get through this. But for the time-being, we will
not be able to take any new beagles into our care. We need to recover from the incredible hit to our funding. I'm hopeful that we will
have a huge success with this year's BEAGLE BASH FOR CASH on November 24th. We'll be sending you details on our signature event, proudly in its 8th year, very
shortly.
But
I'm also hopeful more donations will come in to help us in the meantime. I'm hopeful that many more of you will consider joining
our family of monthly contributors. You would be amazed the impact each monthly gift has on our little beagle rescue. If we
just had a few more folks sign up to give $10 or $20 each month, we could recover from this crisis sooner and be in a position
to once again reach out to the next beagle in need. You see, we're in the business of fixing broken down beagles. Such repairs don't come
cheap. And sometimes, the repairs are not enough to fix the beagle in the end. We understand that. Our hearts are in the repair
shop about as often as these beagles. But we don't want to stop trying. There are too many happy endings that make it worth
suffering through the heartaches. When you really think about it, even the heartaches are worth it. They remind us that we're only human and sometimes
love is all we can give in the end. It's a good reminder to get once in a while. With all our love and appreciation,
Marna
Gale & The Rest of the Crew at BIG ON BEAGLES (BOB) Rescue
Sept 27, 2013 eblast: Dear Friends, Many of you already know
the sad outcome for Georgie, but for those who do not - this message is for you. You all matter so much to me and it was important
to me that you know it. First
and foremost, I want to repeat what I've written to everyone who has already sent a donation. I want to thank you for your
incredible kindness. I am completely overwhelmed by the outpouring of support. It is very difficult to share this news, but we lost Georgie last night. The surgery was not successful and the
specialist recommended that we let her go. That specialist was crying over the phone right along with me. Such a loss is especially
devastating because we never got the chance to give her even one day of the happy future she deserved. For everyone who has made a donation, for everyone who is about to make a donation and for everyone who cannot
but have sent heartfelt messages - you are all such wonderful human beings. There was no hesitation by you. You immediately
came together for a special dog who had no idea how much she was loved by those she never even met. But all of these gifts
mean even more than that. Together, you've saved this little beagle rescue of ours - this little beagle repair shop, as one
fabulous foster dad likes to describe it. The medical costs incurred in an effort to save Georgie's life significantly impacted
our funding. We don't regret those efforts but we had hoped they would pay off with the return of a happy-go-lucky little
beagle with a few golden years ahead of her to romp in that field as I had imagined she would do. When we lost Georgie, we
thought we'd lost our ability to save the next Georgie that comes our way. We thought we'd have to close our doors indefinitely. These gifts and thoughtful messages from you mean more than I can explain. This is a time in our rescue history
that will never be forgotten. We will never forget Georgie despite only knowing her for less than 24 hours, and we will never
forget the friends who were there in an instant all because of an inexplicable thing called love. With all my love and appreciation, Marna Gale
Sept 26, 2013 eblast: You may have
picked up on the buzz about this sweet old beagle at Georgina Pound this past week. She made quite an impression on social
network. So much so that we were inundated with pleas to save her. Her little face posted several times on our BOB Facebook
page.
Georgie, as we named her in honour of the shelter
that rescued her first, came to them as a stray. She was clearly an older dog with evidence of some serious health issues.
Georgie was struggling to breathe. But they could do nothing for her until they were certain an owner wasn't about to appear
and save the day. But nobody came for Georgie. The shelter suspects her owner chose to abandon her instead when simply ignoring
her worsening health issues became impossible. We didn't hesitate to come to her rescue as soon as her claim period was up at the
shelter. Our thanks to Sara Hawton for gathering her straight after work on Tuesday and making up a little bed for Georgie
in her home that night. On Wednesday morning, I met Georgie for the first time halfway between here and Sara's home in Keswick.
Here was this determined bundle of beagle cuteness trying to stay brave with every laboured breath she took. Georgie and I
then made the trip together to our vets in the Beach. Almost immediately, before even touching Georgie, our vet determined the condition
just by the sounds coming from her throat. Georgie was suffering from severe Laryngeal Paralysis which essentially means the
muscles of the larynx are not working properly to the point that when one needs a deep breath, one doesn't get one. This leads
to tremendous anxiety and that leads to more distress. This can lead to a respiratory crisis at any given moment which can
ultimately lead to death. It pains us to wonder just how long she's been suffering through this. There was no
question. Georgie needed emergency surgery. But there is one other serious concern. X-rays showed a possible mass lesion in
the throat. We had some very quick decisions to make. Give up then and say goodbye before even giving her at chance at the
happiness she most certainly deserves, or run expensive diagnostics to prove or disprove cancer. If disproven, she would have
a fighting chance with surgery. We chose to give her a fighting chance, even if it meant wiping out our funding entirely. As I write this,
Georgie is in surgery. A preliminary ultrasound by the specialist uncovered no tumours but it's not to say there may still
be one lurking somewhere which could be uncovered during surgery. We must hope for the best. But even if there is no mass,
there is much risk with this operation especially given her age. She's at least 10. But still, we're clinging to hope. Georgie
has this incredible spirit about her and I cannot help but picture her running through the field at Sheba's Haven, tail wagging
and howling with glee. I'm clinging to that image and hoping we can make it reality.
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