Here's What You Need To Know:
- Dog's Location : Mount Vernon, Arkansas
- Dog's Age : Mature adult
- Dog's Breed : american Staffordshire Terrier
- Dog's Gender : Male
- Dog's Size : large
- Dog good with other dogs? : Yes
- Dog good with kids? : Yes
- Is the rescue able to transport the dog to owner's location? : Possibly, we use a transport service
December 19, 2019 Rhino was found in the ditch severely emaciated and injured. What has happened to him since proves he’s earned the nickname RhinoTuff! Thankfully it was a cold day in December that probably kept him from going into shock and dieing, until his savior showed up.
Once he was in our care, we learned his leg and knee was completely crushed with exposed bone fragments. We also learned he was so anemic that surgery to amputate his leg was out of the question right away. 5 cbc tests later and 4 long amonths to get his red blood cells marginally high enough to even attempt the very risky surgery. While on pain management, he reinjured his leg causing it to swell and expose more bone, which left us with no choice but to proceed with the amputation, before his Red Blood Cell count dipped too low again.
Rhino came through the surgery with flying colors even though his red blood cells dropped dangerously low again after surgery. Now 4 months in a cone recovering that part was easy for him, awful on my shins! Hahaha! Next few months he learned how to rewalk on his new 3 legs and extra 25 pounds he put on! He was a whole new dog! A year into fixing on this special boy already, we broke down again when he tested heartworm positive. Taking two treatments to rid him of heartworms, and many months of kennel confinement, he never complained…. he finally passes with a negative after 14 months. Our 60 pound 3 legged bowling ball Rhinoceros is finally healthy. YET… 1365 days in rescue as I type, Rhino has not found the home that fits his expectations!
He can be selective. He knows right away if you’re not a pittie lover at heart. He loves other dogs and is even great with cats. He has the energy of a dog with 8 legs on a 6 pack of Redbull, so real young or eldly aren’t a good mix. Perfect fit would be someone who likes to go places with their dog because he loves to ride and copilot. They would also maybe work from home mostly or have a dogwalker so they can give him regular potty breaks, lots of love and attention. (Since his accident/amputation he doesn’t hold his poo much more than 7 hours.)