When a small dog appeared in the North
Florence community of Seven Points, those who saw her were shocked.
The white and tan terrier was sporting a tumor the size of a bowling
ball on her right side. It was fairly easy to take possession of the
hungry dog who wore no collar, but once at the Florence, Alabama,
animal shelter there was some doubt that the plucky little girl could
be saved.
A visit to a local veterinarian offered
no hope; the tumor was connected to various nerves and blood vessels
and was considered inoperable. Debbie Rappuhn, director of Heart of
Alabama Save Rescue Adopt, refused to give up and took the dog now
named “Pretty Girl” to a second veterinarian who agreed to
perform the sensitive surgery.
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| Debbie Rappuhn |
Pretty Girl underwent the operation on
November 22, 2013, coming through the ordeal weak but otherwise
basically healthy. HASRA didn’t want Pretty Girl to be forced to
recover in the impersonal shelter and sought a foster home for their
patient. Pretty Girl went to live with Kim Ferguson.
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| Kim Ferguson |
Once ensconced in the Ferguson home,
Pretty Girl came to be called “Pippa.” What started out as a
foster arrangement soon turned into a permanent family, and a year
later Pippa is one happy dog. Kim states that Pippa, being an older
dog, has some problems with her vision, moves slowly, and has only
nine teeth. No matter her physical problems, everyone who meets Pippa
describes her as 100% happy.
What started out as a death sentence
for a small discarded dog became a fairy tale come true for Pippa.
After all, she’s now the namesake of Prince William’s
sister-in-law—it doesn't get much better than that.
If you would like to donate to HASRA, here's the link:
