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My basic info
Breed
Miniature Schnauzer
Color
Black - with White
Age
Adult
Size
Small 25 lbs (11 kg) or less (when grown)
Weight
–
Sex
Male
Pet ID
–
My details
Purebred
Shots current
Spayed / Neutered
Housetrained
My story
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Here's what the humans have to say about me:
WOWSER!!! DO WE HAVE NEWS!!!!!! Gio is our sweet little puppy mill survivor that endured years of chronic allergies, ear infections, and who knows what else while he was kept as a breeding stud in the puppy mill in deplorable conditions. His former life left him with calcified ear canals and chronic pain and ear infections and pretty much deaf. Well....are you ready? are you sitting down? GIO had his surgery. In fact, Gio sailed through with masts unfurled and flags waving. Woohoo!!! In fact, other than a little bit of eye blinking problem which is sometimes a sequel to the surgery and we hope will slowly be regained, Gio was amazing. And he loves everyone and has blossomed into such a sweet little man.
NOW--are you still sitting down? GIO HAS A FOREVER HOME!!! A wonderful family saw him, fell in love with him, and claimed him as their own. He has a family, a warm bed, great food, and his very own little boy to play with every day!!! We are over the moon about Gio's good fortune and are enjoying the update pictures and notes from his new family. We've posted a couple here that his new family wants to share with everyone who had a part in Gio's recovery so you can see him chilling and enjoying the good life!!! We love you Gio!! And we love everyone who contributed to help him. Without the help of the village that donated so selflessly to help Gio, this may not have come to fruition. You are all just the best and Gio sends many thanks to the many people that helped him. Goal 1-Help Gio to better health so he can be pain free and have a normal dog's life. Check. Goal 2-Find Gio the most awesome forever home where he will always have good food, a soft to nap on, a bed to sleep in, family to love him, and not a care in the world. Check. GO GIO!!!! Thank you all, many times over. From the bottom of our heart--all of the volunteers at SFRA.
Gio's original Bio:
This is Gio. Short for Giovanni---a name that means a Gift. He is a 5-6 year old parti-colored Schnauzer from a puppy mill surrender situation. A true a survivor and a gift to us and all that meet him. A sweet soul in a body that needs repair. Gio has a long path to go in his emotional and physical rehabilitations before he'll go to a forever home. He is not accustomed to human attention-he's never known anything kind and loving. He will stand on the floor or melt into a heap on the floor when placed there. We have several dedicated SFRA members spending time with him and taking him for walkies and just being a gentle presence for him. His physical rehabilitation? Well, that's where SFRA and Gio need some help. He is prone to allergies and these were not treated in the puppy mill. His allergies are so bad that his skin is a mess and we are treating it and hoping for rapid improvement with good food and medications. Then there are his ears----love his little heart. Poor Gio had an ear infection that never ended or had so many one after another that his ears became so inflamed over the years that his ear canals have calcified. The size remaining at his ear opening for sound to travel through is the size of a pin head-everything is full of horrible gunk and calcified tissue. Basically, Gio is extremely hard of hearing at best and likely deaf. If you rub on the side of his neck, you can feel these ear canals-they feel like a roll of quarters in his neck, on both sides. He doesn't complain, he is too scared still to want to speak up much-he just keeps quiet hoping nothing bad will happen to him. BUT, Gio needs a surgery for this condition of his ears or he will only continue to get one ear infection after another lifelong. This is a specialized surgery, a TECA is the name of the procedure, that only a board certified veterinary surgeon can perform. We have been quoted a price of $2100-$2800 PER EAR and this needs to be done in two separate procedures to the intricacy of the surgery and time under anesthesia. SFRA is hoping to raise $5500 to pay for these surgeries to give Gio some much needed relief and as a symbolic start to a new life in a new home with loving parents who will always take care of his medical needs. Without the surgeries, Gio will only continue to get one ear infection after another. Once his surgeries are done, he will be in the best position for a new forever home. But we cannot accomplish this without your help. Any rescue's largest expense is its vet bills and Gio's are going to be exceptional. Since starting to do rescue in 1996, we have never had an expense like this on a rescued dog. We have also always been able to financially provide for all of the needs of all of the dogs we have rescued. This time, we need help. We know it's the Christmas season and that it's a tough time economically speaking, but we are hoping that many of you will see it in your hearts to donate $5, $10, whatever you can so that we can help Gio start his new life free of health problems and only dim memories of the place he came from. We hope to replace those memories with happy ones of playing with balls and snuggles on the couch in front of a fireplace with his new mom and dad. Just think, if only 1100 people donate $5 we would easily reach Gio's needs and be able to set his surgery date. Please consider Gio's plight and help him.
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