Here's Baxter who was abandoned outside a local vet's office. This is the sweetest, smartest little boy, with a super disposition. He's a nuzzler and a leaner. He knows a wide variety of commands and is eager to please. His tail never stops wagging, despite what's happened to him. He loves his Foster brother and sister, and the resident cats.

The following was the report on him when he came into rescue: "He is in an advanced stage of heartworm disease but we are trusting our wonderful vet to pull him through. Once treated, heartworm disease is not considered to have any lasting effects upon the future health of a dog. Left untreated, heartworm is always a fatal infection. The treatment of the disease is horrible for the dog and can itself be fatal.
Physically, he's a wreck. He tips the scales at 66 pounds, and needs to gain a lot. You can feel every bone in his body and his coat is like straw. He's got a small growth below his right eye. Ears and teeth look surprisingly good. He is in need of some serious TLC.
Our vet also discovered a large growth on one of his back legs which has been examined by a veterinary oncologist to rule out cancer. It is, however a very large fatty tumor that has infiltrated much of the soft tissue of his leg; it will only be during the surgery that we will be able to ascertain whether the tumor can be removed and still leave a viable leg.
Baxter has a long and expensive road ahead of him and he is going to be with his Foster family for quite some months to come as they nurse him back to health. We do know that it is going to be one very lucky family that gets to share their hearts with this special little boy - be he three-legged or four."

UPDATE 04/19/10: Dr. Dave pulled Baxter through his heartworm treatment and he is doing beautifully on that score. Next step is surgery on his leg and a couple of other lumps. The lump on his leg is benign but it is growing at a rapid rate and is starting to seriously impede his range of motion and he has begun to hold the whole leg at an odd angle to accommodate the growth. He is scheduled for surgery on April 24th at Sarasota Veterinary Center. Baxter has gained some weight and his coat is beginning to take on a lovely deep red shine.

We are also finally seeing a shine in his eyes and a Golden "smile." This little one has taken a very long time to come out of his shell and really start being a happy dog again - we know that his heartworm disease and the very unpleasant treatment process is somewhat to blame, but we think he may have been quite severly neglected for most of his life. The good news on the emotional front is that he seems to have realized that he's safe and loved, and that he can trust his Foster Mom & Dad in every way. While we absolutely hate the fact that anyone could cause a dog to become so emotionally battered and would far prefer that we never had to rehab another dog - ever - it is the most incredibly rewarding thing to see that dog start to come back to life and be a proper bright-eyed, bushy-tailed, alert-eared, and trusting boy (as he should always have been).