True Stories of Abused Animal and Puppy Mill Rescues-Kaya
A beautiful sunny day in Guatemala and Cathy, a volunteer from A.W.A.R.E. (Animal Welfare Association - Rescue/Education)’s stateside adoption program in Colorado, hit the streets of Antigua on a typical mission to look for stray dogs in need of help due to abuse and neglect. While passing the bus station, she spotted a scrawny, young dog who was emaciated, scared and had one of the worst cases of mange she had ever seen (as evidenced by the lack of hair on her body).
It was obvious she had birthed a litter of pups in recent weeks, but they were nowhere to be found. Luring the dog with some food, they were able to leash her and bring her back to AWARE's no-kill shelter in Sumpango (an hour bus ride into Guatemala's Central Highlands) for a medical evaluation and some much-needed medication (severe cases of mange can be fatal if left untreated).
Part of the stateside adoption program protocol is that once a volunteer rescues a dog, it becomes their responsibility to work with shelter personnel to have that dog evaluated for medical concerns and then raise the funds for transport (by air or ground) and fostering in their home state before being placed in a forever home. AWARE's donations pay for spaying or neutering and initial vaccinations, as well as veterinary paperwork required to transport the dog into the United States. From there, it is up to the volunteer.
"Freya" (translation: "Lady"), the name the dog was given at the shelter for her delicate demeanor, began her journey to a better life. After one month of intense treatments for her mange, she showed signs of improvement and was brought to the vet in hopes of confirmation that she would qualify for the adoption program and be off to Colorado to be reunited with Cathy.
Initially, the vet was not willing to sign off on her paperwork, as he felt her immune system challenges and skin condition would limit her overall adoptability and potential life span. It was through the encouragement of AWARE founder Xenii Nielsen (based on how young she was, general temperament and Xenii's determination to give these street dogs a better life) that she convinced him to give Freya a chance.
First stop (and little she know, last stop!) was Los Angeles. After several forms of ground transportation and an overnight in a local motel near the airport, Freya was put into a cargo crate and loaded on a plane bound for Los Angeles where they were received by another stateside AWARE volunteer.
Parker Bartlett, a former music manager and now a canine rehab therapist as well as rescue volunteer, was called in to assist. Freya would be staying in a foster home with several animals for another day or two before her next flight. When Parker asked about her breed, the vet didn't know what to tell her, as Freya’s skin condition made identification a challenge.
Parker arrived at the house where the foster volunteer had let the dogs out in the backyard to explore for the first time. Peering through the sliding glass door, there she was – “the little lady" (as Xenii would refer to her) – huge bald patches and all. “But the brown doe-eyes had it!” Parker recalls.
Some call it "love at first sight;" others a "soul connection." All Parker knew was that despite the fact that she sees neglected dogs in need every day, after a few hours she quietly knew Freya had "chosen" her to be her forever human. “I only hoped my south central LA street rescue dog at home would agree,” she said. It was the perfect rescue story until reality presented itself. "Kaya" (translation "healing love"), the name Parker chose for her once she made the commitment to adopt her, had several hurdles ahead both medically and behaviorally. Given her humble beginnings, she had a lot to adjust to in her new world. In addition to food, shelter, consistent human contact and a canine sibling, she was still battling health problems. Upon initial evaluation, she tested positive for heartworm, which required a chest x-ray before treatment. The films showed a mass in her lung lobe leading to a potential diagnosis of the youngest case of canine lung cancer the tending oncologist had ever seen.
“I can't tell you how many times I heard, ‘How far do you want to go with this dog’?” Parker said. “But hope and my commitment to her prevailed.” First things first. The heartworm test turned out to be a false positive. Parker needed to continue to treat her mange and improve her immune system through homeopathy. In addition, she needed to address her behavioral challenges that were primarily fear-based and territorial – guarding people, places and things.
“This is where Cesar's methodology of one, exercise, two, discipline, and three, affection came in as our set of rules helped to establish boundaries and limitations as well as balance to the situation, especially when my human emotions and reactions wanted to lead the pack at times,” Parker, a loyal Cesar fan, said. In addition, once Kaya’s mange condition improved to the point where she could undergo a CT scan, the vet discovered that the mass in her lung lobe was not cancer after all, but instead a diaphragmatic hernia likely caused by a swift, hard kick of a human being's booted foot when she was a puppy on the Guatemalan streets. A portion of her liver had penetrated through the injury site and due to no medical treatment had healed around it, now occupying part of her lung lobe.
“I never thought that diagnosis would be a blessing,” Parker said, “but not only did she not have a terminal illness, this offered me invaluable information to be able to work with her issues clearly related to physical abuse.” Over the last two years, Kaya has transformed into a wonderful, thriving dog living a happy life in Los Angeles thanks to Parker’s commitment and overall patience every step of the way. Not only has she taken on the alpha role as mentor to many dogs she works with, but she now has two more rescue siblings with their own stories as life companions at home. “Committing to an animal with a history of neglect and abuse has been one of the most fulfilling things I have done in my life,” Parker said of Kaya. “I maintain balance with the established rules and every day provide an opportunity to train. The lessons I have learned from these animals in kind are invaluable to me as a human being. Thank you Cesar for always having a suggestion for a better way of doggy life for these pups!”
