Butch Cassidy came to BarkVille after being attacked by the other dogs in his run at an overcrowded, open intake shelter.  His wounds were so severe that he nearly bled to death at the shelter and then almost died on the seat of our volunteer’s car while she was transporting him to the emergency vet clinic.  

Fortunately, the vet was able to stabilize Butch and they kept him in the clinic for 2 weeks before he was physically able to be released.  When his foster parents picked him up, he was wearing a cotton t-shirt and they couldn’t see a spot on him that wasn’t injured.  They were told that the vet had made a map of all the stitches & staples they put in Butch so that, when the time came, they could be sure that they removed each and every one.

His foster parents said that Butch was sweet & soulful from the day that they met him.  They spent many hours on the kitchen floor with him comforting him through his long & painful recovery. Slowly, but surely, Butch began not only to heal, but to thrive in his wonderful foster home.  Once he was fully recovered, his foster parents gave him the greatest gift of all … they adopted him and made him a permanent family member in the loving forever home he deserved!

Rocco came to BarkVille with a severely embedded collar injury after being put out like trash in the parking lot of an Atlanta area shelter.  Embedded collars cause heinous injuries to dogs and it is a painful and agonizing recovery for them.  When someone puts a collar on a young dog and doesn’t loosen the collar as the dog grows, or places a tight collar or rope around the neck of a chained dog, the collar can grow into the dog's neck causing great pain.  Rocco’s neck wounds were so severe that he needed surgery to repair them and he had difficulty swallowing.  BarkVille raised $2,000 to cover Rocco's medical care and got him out of the shelter immediately.  After his surgery, we placed him in an amazing foster home where he not only fully recovered from his injuries, but thrived under the loving care of his foster dad!  He was subsequently adopted by his foster dad who continued to foster & adopt BarkVille dogs including Rocco’s brother from another mother, Spot, and little pitbull puppy Estella who came to BarkVille as a 3 month old pup with 2 broken elbows.

Clovis came to BarkVille as one of the worst cases of animal neglect many of us had ever seen.  He was found on the side of the road by 2 good samaritans and he was so emaciated that his bones had broken through his skin and were literally sticking out of his body.  Our community of supporters rallied to help Clovis, and a wonderful, caring foster family stepped up to be his saviours!  Clovis truly brought out the Superhero in so many good people! From the moment he was found by the good samaritans, to the shelter advocates, to the donors that helped cover his medical expenses, to his foster who jumped up immediately to say she would care for him, to his veterinarian team that helped him make it, to finally his forever family that will keep him safe and loved forever!  His story reminds us that Rescue does Take a Village!  A Village of good, compassionate people working together to make the world a better place for our canine friends!

Sometimes you get involved with a dog whose story reminds you of just how resilient dogs can be. Slate is one those dogs. This beautiful white German Shepherd was a stray who was found on the side of the road after being hit by a car. He went into a rural GA shelter thin, weak, and in tremendous pain.  He was passed over by numerous rescues because his medical needs were great, and it wasn’t long before the shelter had no choice but to euthanize him.  In a last ditch effort to save Slate’s life, a shelter advocate contacted BarkVille Dog Rescue and we immediately responded to the call.  We rallied our volunteers into action and drove 2+ hours to pick up Slate and deliver him to our partner vet.  Ultimately, it was determined that Slate had numerous fractures and a shattered hip.  The best course of treatment was to amputate his severely damaged rear leg.  Over the next month, thanks to a fantastic Vet Team and his wonderful GA foster, Slate regained his health. His foster mom said that although he was in pain, Slate was loving and friendly to all the dogs & people he met during his recovery.  He attended BarkVille's first annual Valentails Gala Event where he walked through the room and around the dance floor!  Once his recovery was complete, Slate traveled North to our network partners in CT and his loving, forever home!