We get a heartworm report on each shelter dog we adopt. If a dog we like tests positive for heartworm, we still adopt the dog and commit to getting it healthy.
Cassette and Groove tested positive for heartworm when we adopted them.
Heartworm is caused by a parasite transmitted through mosquito bites.
It affects the dog's heart and lungs, which can cause long-term damage if left untreated. However, with early detection and appropriate care, heartworm-positive dogs can recover.
While heartworm infection can be serious if left untreated, it is not a life-ending sentence. With the proper treatment, heartworm-positive dogs can make a full recovery and live happy, healthy lives.
We’ll be closely monitoring Cassette and Groove through their recovery process to ensure they receive the best care possible.
Treatment is expensive and takes time. It involves a series of injections or oral antibiotics, rest, and regular follow-up care to ensure the parasites are eradicated and the dog’s health improves.
We share this with you to show you the commitment and care we put into every dog we bring to our campus. We will keep you updated on our three sweet angels. In the meantime, please consider contributing to the cost of their extra veterinary care.
Broadway's Starring Role
Broadway will star as First Responder Facility Dog for the 3,000 hospital staff at CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Hospital, Westover Hills in San Antonio after he successfully matched with their Chaplain Julie Harris.
CHRISTUS Health is a Catholic health system that provides care in the United States and other countries. It includes over 600 hospitals, clinics, and other health care facilities.
Julie created the position and even designed her new office with a Facility Dog in mind. Julie, a former special education teacher, wrote in her application to SDI:
We realize that the hospital can induce anxiety, fear, and stress for both patients and staff. We are hoping that by providing a Facility Dog, the staff will be able to reduce their stresses and anxieties, in order to perform better and have a better outlook for each day of work. Most patients on the telemetry floor have dealt with very stressful cardiac events. We hope to be able to provide a form of animal therapy where they can take their focus off of the stresses of the cardiac event and surgeries and place their mind and bodies in a more relaxed state to help their healing.
Broadway's New Stage:
CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Hospital, Westover Hills, San Antonio
Broadway has a heart as big as The Great Bright Way. After custom training for his new role, he will be ready for his debut this Spring!
A special thanks to the The Ruth C. and Charles S. Sharp Foundation for sponsoring Broadway's training!
Most of our dogs do not have individual Sponsors. Can they count on your to support our training program with a tax deductible gift?
On The Road Again!
Thanks to your donations and a grant from the Stahl Family Foundation, we purchased the first of two additional vehicles to keep our staff and dogs safe on the roads of Texas!
Perfect timing as our "good van" just got towed to the mechanic's after stalling out around the corner from the training center.
We are beyond grateful to everyone who helped get us back on the road!
My Cinderella Story
By Jingle, Service Dog in Training
Once upon a time, there lived a homeless and very thin dog, me. I didn't have a name or a family. But what I did have was faith.
Last winter, a gallant man came to see me at Harris County Pets where I lived with 300 other dogs. His name was Tailer. He didn't care about my dusty coat or or how thin I was. We had our first dance - an evaluation he called it - in one of their yards. I politely demonstrated that I was smart, kind and sincere. Fit for a prince, you might say.
"After we take care of you, you're going to be stunning," he said. "I'm taking you to the ball. Let's go!"
It was 6 days before Christmas. As my Prince Charming drove us from back from Houston, the most beautiful music was playing. "You're Jingle," he said, our eyes meeting in the rear view mirror.
The people at SDI are magical to me. They fed me, taught me, played with me, loved me and most of all, believed in me.
Now, I look like royalty. My coat is glossy, my eyes are bright, even my ears look regal.
I've learned so much that I advanced from Foundation training 5 weeks ahead of schedule! That means I've earned my vest and started public outings!
But I'm not just Cinderella. With your help, I will turn become someone else's Fairy Godmother and make their dreams come true. My new partner.
Keep following me and see how we live happily ever after!
Service Dogs, Inc. adopts all our dogs from animal shelters. We train and provide them to our clients free of charge. Will you support our training program with a tax deductible gift?