Horribly neglected dogs look for new lives

Santa Rosa resident Eva Quiroz loves animals. She cares for them as a living so when a “friend of a friend” told her about some kittens that had just been born and they were not doing well, she sprung into action. Quiroz managed to talk her way into the home where the kittens were stashed and convinced the owner to let her take them. While on that visit, what else she saw horrified her more.

“Despite what they looked like, these were the sweetest little dogs,” recalled Quiroz who worked for two weeks to convince the owner to let her take the dogs and get them care. Once she had the dogs, she called around looking for help with what she knew would be extensive medical care and fostering.

Veterinarians at the Sonoma Humane Society of Santa Rosa agreed to take a look at the animals and the prognosis was not good. It wasn’t that they wouldn’t recover from their neglect, but it would be a long road. Humane Society spokeswoman Angie Bonnert says the sickest of the dogs were diagnosed with Sarcoptic and Demodex mange, bacterial skin infections and one also has a fungal yeast infection. Because of the highly contagious nature of the skin infections, they could not be housed at the shelter.

You guessed it. Up stepped Eva Quiroz again. She has agreed to foster the dogs, give them baths and three different kinds of medications, to help the little ones recover. “I have to suit up to care for them and when I hold them, they just melt into my arms,” she says. She has been caring for three of the sickest dogs and two others, a mom with her newborn pup, went to a second foster.

Sonoma County Animal Care and Control officers are investigating the case but the woman who owned the dogs has left the county.

Quiroz is hopeful. After one week of intense the therapy, the sickest of the dogs (pictured) is starting to grow back some of her hair.

This blogger will keep tabs on the dogs but in the meantime, donations to the Sonoma Humane Society are most welcome. The money will be used to help offset the costs of the medical care.

(Photo courtesy of Sonoma Humane Society)