Maddy Needs a Hospice Foster Family

This past Friday, our Spay & Neuter Center staff came in early to work, and as they arrived, they realized they would have an added mission for the day. The tree by our front entrance had a very scared Rottweiler tethered to it by a short rope, and the poor girl was soaking wet. Whoever abandoned her must have tied her to the tree the night before, and she was dripping from the overnight storms that she had to endure all alone. Our staff brought her inside and dried her off, and although she was clearly scared, it was soon obvious that she is a very sweet girl who just didn’t know why she had been left out in the storm by her owners—the people that she should most be able to depend on. Our staff decided to call her Maddy while they figured out what to do with her.

As our staff dried Maddy, they noticed a very large tumor on her underside that they knew would need to be removed. Dr. Capehart, our staff veterinarian, removed the tumor on Monday and we sent her biopsy and blood sample to the UGA Veterinary Diagnostics Lab. This afternoon, we received the unfortunate prognosis that Maddy’s tumor was cancerous and that the cancer has already spread to her lymph nodes—she has mammary adenocarcinoma with lymphatic invasion. She’s only expected to have about six months left in this world, and she’s now in limbo and homeless at our shelter.

Right now, we’re keeping Maddy in one of our multi-cat rooms at our Zeus House Shelter, but we can’t continue to house here here—this was just a temporary solution until we learned more about Maddy and what we could do to help her. We won’t be able to add her to our adoption program because of her health, but we can’t just sit by without trying to find her a home to live out the rest of her days with someone who will love and care for her as she so deserves right now.

So that’s why we’re sending out this plea. If you or someone you know would be willing to take in Maddy and give her a home for these last few months of her life, please contact our Zeus House Shelter at 706-705-2247. She is a very sweet girl who listens well, is potty-trained and knows how to sit. She appears to be a senior dog, but we don’t know her exact age because of the circumstances. We think she should do well with other dogs, but she should be in a home without cats.

Please give Maddy this second chance at such a crucial moment in her life—tell everyone you know about her, and let’s work together to find a hospice home for Maddy as soon as possible.

If you would like to donate to help Maddy and other animals at AAHS who need extra medical attention, please donate to our Healing Paws Medical Fund though our website’s Donate Now page at www.AthensHumaneSociety.org.

Our staff is pulling together as individuals to help Maddy because she has touched our hearts. The Athens Area Humane Society does not take in animals from the public, and it is a crime to abandon animals at animal shelters.