Champ - In Foster Care

Name: Champ
Sex: Male (altered)
Breed: Pit Bull/American Bulldog Mix
Age: 2-4 years (estimated)
Location: San Jose, CA

 

Vet/Medical Info: Champ is neutered. Rabies and distemper next due 7/17/2015, Bordetalla due 7/24/2013.  He is heartworm negative. Vet is holding him as a special favor to the lady that saved him (she works there), they can only give him a couple of weeks at most more there. 

Owner Info: Champ was found on July 11, tied up to a school fence with a TV cable. He was beat up, bleeding, and severely starved. The person that found him called a family member who works at a vet, crying, that she couldn't even cut him free from the fence and that she was sure he would die without help. He was in such horrible condition. His ears were swollen and oozing, his face was covered in puncture wounds and scars, he had an actively bleeding abscess on his chin and several lacerations on his legs, he was so starved you could see the bones in his hips and back, his eyes were swollen almost shut and one was cut, he could hardly stand, and he was terrified. He was taken to a very kind vet clinic to be treated. It was discovered there that he was completely blind due to trauma. The clinic believes that he was used as a bait dog.  The called him "Champ" because he is such a wonderful dog despite what has happened to him and he is living his life like a champion. The hospital cleaned his wounds and got him started on vaccines but his eyes were very worrisome. One was extremely swollen and had a floating lens, the other was not much better. Last week the hospital removed both of his eyes and neutered him. He is recovering the same way he has been living-like a Champ. Aside from needing to have the stitches removed from his eye removal surgery and his neuter, as far as they know he is in good health. He still needs to put on more weight (he is now 75 pounds and still growing) but his other wounds have healed nicely. He just has a few scars. Champ is a wonderfully happy dog, a miracle considering what he has been through in his short life. Since he's been getting love and attention and food he has really come out of his shell. He loves to give kisses and go on walks and his tail never stops wagging! He loves to play with toys he can hear as well as rope toys. He is getting the hang of the leash. Champ is housebroken and crate trained, He only started training a week ago but is working well with a clicker. He is learning "here" "sit" and "whoa" (whoa has meant stop so he doesn't run into things while on the leash). He is also learning how to take cookies gently. A trainer/behaviorist came out for about 2hours and donated her time to work with him during that time. She has offered 3 more sessions as well. The lady that took him to the vet and works there has been working with him as best she can everyday with the advice she provided. Obviously his medical expenses have been difficult so help with his surgery costs would be wonderful. More importantly however, Champ really needs to find a loving foster or forever home. He deserves people who will love him and treat him the way he should have been treated from the first day he was born. He is an outgoing by, good with adults and teenagers. He gets very nervous when he hears other dogs barking and has gotten nippy with them if they come to his kennel. They have not tested him with other animals. He did attempt to bite a technician at the hospital when she took his temperature. She said that she thinks she surprised him and it wasn't a nice surprise. Champ adapts well to new situations, he knows exactly where you are despite the blindness and he learns VERY quickly through clicker training. He doesn't like places with a lot of dogs barking but other than that he is curious and friendly in new places. He doesn't really like staying at the hospital, he stays in a 4x6 run all day with lots of barking dogs and only comes out for brief walks. In addition, now that he has had a very big surgery it would be better for him to be somewhere where he can get used to his surroundings while he recovers as opposed to the very stressful environment of the hospital. The hospital have said that he is becoming dog aggressive in the stressful environment of the kennels and that if he doesn't find a home soon he will have to be euthanized. They can only keep him for at most one to two weeks longer. It is life or death for him now and it would be awful if such a great dog would have to be euthanized after coming so close to a new life. Champ is such a smart sweet boy. All he wants is a ball to chase and a rope for tug of war. He does need work with training. He went through a traumatic experience and still loves people. He is recovering well but still has a long way to go. He learns well and just needs someone patient and as special as he is.      

Update 8/13/2012: Champ has generated a great deal of interest and many people have been touched by his  story. Champ has a wonderful new foster home.  He is still looking for his perfect forever home, but he is safe until he finds it.  If for any reason anything changes, we will keep you updated! 

We've received this from his caregiver: "This morning I got a phone call from a co-worker who asked if she could foster Champ! She is actually the person who named him Champ to begin with! She is familiar with bully breeds and has been present at every single one of his training sessions.  She has lots of land that have separate fenced-in areas so he will be safe and have lots of room to play outside (supervised) without hurting himself. She also has an older son who is almost always home so Champ wouldn't be alone. He will be out of the loud environment of the kennel but still with someone he knows. He will be with someone who is aware of his needs medically and capable to handle them (since she has been already) as well as someone who knows how he is being trained and able to continue it, and he would be in a place where he could easily work off all that young pitty energy." 

San Jose Animal Advocates (http://sjanimaladvocates.org) is facilitating finding a permanent home for Champ.  If you are interested in adopting Champ, please complete this application (http://www.sjanimaladvocates.org/adoption-application-for-champ.html).  Any questions can be directed to sjanimaladvocates@gmail.com

If you would like to contribute to Champ's chip in here’s the link: http://sjanimaladvocates.chipin.com/champs-recovery