The story of a bitch and her son now happily rehomed highlights the good work by Central German Shepherd Rescue – and why its financial support is important.
Destiny was less than a year old when she was run over and seriously injured. She faced being put down when her owners did not want to pay for surgery.
The charity – based in Quadring and with kennels in Pinchbeck – stepped in and paid for all her treatment, including the removal of a femeral head from a hind leg.
She then went to one of the charity’s volunteer workers, Anne Kozak, for foster care – and there was shock when it was soon discovered that Destiny was pregnant with three pups.
CGSR’s Mark Aspden said: “With all the medication she was on, no one would have said that any of them would survive.”
Just one – Remo – beat the odds. He could not stay with mum as she was not well enough herself to look after him. So he was hand-reared by two human foster mums.
Mark said: “Remo has broken all the rules in the book with what he has had to go through himself.
“With all the medication that Destiny was on, it has had some adverse effect on him, but thankfully he has pulled through it.”
Remo is now permanently rehomed in Sheffield.
Meanwhile, Destiny has been taken on permanently by Anne, who also has a nine-year-old German Shepherd bitch called Sasha, who came from another rescue centre.
Anne said: “Destiny came to me in a bit of a sorry state. We had to teach her to walk again.
“The longer she stayed with me, the more I wanted to keep her.
“She’s full of beans and very friendly. She loves chasing a ball, but Sasha’s not interested in playing!”
Destiny now accompanies Anne on fundraising events for CGSR.