We say a sad goodbye to Boxer

Dear Friends,

I write to you all today with a heavy heart. In amongst all the happy endings we experience at Animal Tracks there are always stories that don't go so well...

Do you remember Boxer, the ill and depressed dog from Saipem village that was covered in mange and had a bad ear infection? Well, when Boxer came to the centre his condition was indeed very bad but not bad enough to justify him being euthanised as requested by his owners. Instead he was admitted, treated for his skin condition and operated in the ear to get rid of the infection.

We always knew it was going to take time for Boxer to recover and nothing can drive a dog loopy like weeks and weeks of confinement in a cage in the kennels. That's why we have so many great volunteers coming to the centre every day. They ensure that all the dogs get walked and cuddled at least once a day and the patients love all the attention they get... well, most of them do!

Anyway, back to the story. Boxer was given first-class treatment by the staff and volunteers because everyone felt he deserved a second chance now that he had been abandoned by his owners. The plan was to make Boxer one of us centre dogs when he was well enough. We all regularly got to meet him up close so we could all get used to one another.

Sadly Boxer never made it that far. His condition was not improving satisfactorily and the poor fella was still suffering after several weeks of treatment and care. His owners never made sure he was properly vaccinated and this fact, combined with his age and weakened immune system, made him an easy prey for all the infections that are passed around between the stray dogs in the kennels.

A tough decision lay before our vets: it was clear that Boxer would never recover at Animal Tracks. He had to get away from all the other sick dogs and the stressful environment. Should they send him back to his owners and hope they would continue the treatment and make Boxer well, despite knowing that the owners wanted him dead just a few weeks before? No, that would be sending Boxer back to an ill fate.

Only one thing could be done for Boxer to ensure that he would get rid of the pain and sadness…he was put to sleep on a late summer afternoon and although this brings sadness to us all we know that he is now free from pain and that he’ll never feel unwanted again.

Olive x