A dog that was shot and left for dead in Beaverdell, BC has found a loving new home after a long recovery. German shepherd cross Rose was found on a property in Beaverdell with bullet-riddled wounds on May 20 after she and her brother were abandoned by their owner following an eviction. “When Rose arrived at the shelter her injuries were severe, infected, necrotic and she could barely eat or drink,” says Sean Hogan, director of the Kelowna BC SPCA. “We immediately took her to an emergency vet where they made her more comfortable and started tending to her injuries.” Rose required multiple surgeries and round-the-clock care to keep her alive. When she got out of the hospital, she was sent to a foster home to heal. “Rose is such a sweet dog,” says Wendy, Rose’s foster mom. “She was very shy and easily startled when she first arrived, but that’s to be expected after everything she’s been through.” Her recovery was long and required five more trips back to the vet to treat the abscesses in her wounds. Her last stitches and staples were removed on June 22. She needed six medication pills a day, but Wendy says she “just opened her mouth and swallowed the pill. She was so good.” As soon as Rose started playing, Wendy realized that the canine was feeling better. “When Rose first came here she was not at all interested in toys and play,” says Wendy. “Watching her play warmed my heart.” The SPCA then found Rose a forever home. Photo: SPCA “We’ve only had her in our home for four days and it’s incredible how far she’s come already,” says Gwen, Rose’s new adoptive mom. “When we met her at the shelter her legs were shaking so much that when we put her in our car my husband D’Arcy stayed with her for the three and a half hour journey home to make her more comfortable. . It was settled pretty quickly, about fifteen minutes into the journey.” “It’s hard to see an animal dealing with trauma,” says Gwen. “We were wondering why she wouldn’t eat anything, so I set up a bed for her on the floor in our bedroom and watched her. In the middle of the night she went down to the kitchen where we kept food and water for her and she finally ate.” “We see this behavior with subsocial and fearful dogs regularly,” says Kim Monteith, BC SPCA animal welfare officer. “They are so afraid of people, their new surroundings or sounds, they won’t eat or move. It can be even worse when they’ve experienced a traumatic event like being shot.” Monteith says dogs like Rose need to learn to trust people, know they are safe, feel safe and when they do they will start eating around people, playing and just being a dog. Rose spends a lot of her time sitting on their large deck, which is twenty feet off the ground, looking out over the property. Gwen says she was encouraged to see Rose bonding with her when she came out to sit with her one day. “She looked like a big praying mantis with her very long legs as she came to greet me,” says Gwen. Gwen and Rose’s foster Wendy have been in touch since adopting her. “It’s been an amazing help for us,” says Gwen. “We can contact her to talk to her about some of Rose’s behavior, if she’s seen it, what worked while she was taking care of her. I think we’ve emailed back and forth more than fifteen times.” Gwen says they call her Rose Beauty. The “beauty” part comes from Anna Sewell’s book Black Beauty, and now that she’s been seen galloping around them on her lovely long legs, it seems so fitting. “We kept Rose because we want to honor her original name and all the people who helped her,” says Gwen. “She can be a little spoiled with us. After everything she’s been through, we want to give her the best life ever.”
