Another reiki practitioner alerted me to this article that we hadn’t seen from BRLA: Thank you Beth! What an incredible and moving story. Read on…..

There isn’t a Boxer Rescue Los Angeles (BRLA –  http://www.boxer-rescue-la.com/) supporter who doesn’t know the incredible story of Faith and  Joe; not a one who didn’t share in our heartache as we struggled to save their lives; not a one who didn’t share in our joy at their miraculous recovery. These two very special dogs define the very  reason BRLA is in business; to provide hope for a promising future for every single abandoned dog that is entrusted to our care; regardless of how tragic that dog’s past may be.Tragic does not begin to describe the conditions that Faith and Joe  were forced to endure before someone finally called Animal Control  and reported the deplorable scene in the backyard where they were abandoned.  Faith and Joe’s family fled their home after it went into  foreclosure.  They remembered to take all of their belongings with  them, with the exception of their two dogs.  The brother and sister  pair were left alone and terrified in their backyard; a backyard with no shelter, no food, and no water; not a dog house, nor a water or food bowl in site for these two.  Neighbors watched for weeks as  Faith and Joe endured starvation, dehydration, and pounding winter rain that turned to ice as it hit the cold ground up in the high desert.  Those of us in rescue will never understand why a phone call wasn’t made sooner; before Joe was forced to dig a five inch hole in which Animal Control discovered him, laying on top of his sister to keep her warm with what little body heat he had left.  The hole was filled with freezing rain water; water that both Faith and Joe laid in listlessly; too malnourished, too dehydrated, too weak to even move to a dryer spot in the yard.  When Animal Control arrived   at the scene, the dogs didn’t move.  They’d lost all strength and the ability to stand and walk on their own.  The Animal Control Officer, experienced in her field of work and accustomed to removing dogs from harsh conditions, had tears streaming down her face as she lifted Joe out of the water hole and tried to help him stand on his own.  When she lifted Faith out, Faith was unresponsive and the officer felt that they were too late, that they had lost her.  Both dogs were rushed to emergency veterinary care with Animal Control and BRLA in tow; hanging onto any last bit of hope that the brother and sister would make it.Upon arrival at the veterinary hospital, Faith was considered  deceased.  Both she and Joe were absolutely emaciated; Faith weighing  in at 36 pounds on the frame of an 80 pound dog and Joe weighing in  at 65 pounds on the frame of a 100 pound dog.  Both were not only skin and bones, but were covered in swollen bleeding skin caused by mange and parasites.  Poor Faith, despite her brother’s heroic efforts to spare her life, had lost her pulse and her eyes had rolled into the back of her head by the time the veterinary staff began to administer intravenous fluids into her body.  AC Officers, BRLA volunteers, and hospital staff stood watch, praying this little girl would pull through.  She deserved the life we knew we could give her; if only we could stabilize her.  Her brother deserved for us to save his sister after he sacrificed himself to protect her as best he could for all this time.  Joe, although in slightly better shape than Faith was also declining quickly upon arrival and was immediately administered IV fluids as well.  There wasn’t even time to treat the parasites and open wounds covering their bodies; keeping them alive was the first priority.  All we could do at this point was to let the veterinary staff do their job and pray for a miracle.

And we do believe in miracles here at BRLA.  Those of us in rescue get to witness them on a regular basis.  To us, it’s a miracle any time a dog is placed into a loving home; a dog that would have otherwise been discarded.  But rarely are we able to witness the miracle of a bringing a dog back to life.  And yet, as soon as the veterinary staff was able to get Faith hooked up to intravenous fluids, despite her unthinkable pain and exhaustion, this thankful girl managed to pull together just enough strength to give the  veterinary technician one small, sweet lick on her face; as if to let everyone know how grateful she was to be saved. We took this amazing sight as a sign that this little girl wanted to live and decided right then and there to do whatever it would take to get these two through recovery.  The weeks following were touch and go, as we expected they would be, as both Faith and Joe received IV fluids, rounds of antibiotics, medicated baths to treat all the infection and parasites, rehabilitation to get them both walking and moving about again, and lots and lots of TLC.  During this time, we posted Faith and Joe’s amazing story on our medical life line and the tears, the prayers, and the support began pouring in.  Emails came in from other rescue groups, fans of Faith and Joe wrote to us from all around the world for updates, and an entire community of animal lovers pulled  together for the recovery of this very special brother and sister. And recover they did! Through all the grueling medical treatments they endured, these two never once gave up on each other and continuously showed us their strength of spirit and a will to live that was touching beyond words.

Fast forward 8 months…..Faith and Joe are healthy, happy, gorgeous Boxers in need of a loving home!  The infamous brother and sister were transferred to Tracy Hon of Chico Boxer Rescue once they were declared medically stable.    Tracy has done a phenomenal job overseeing their care for many months now, getting to know their individual personalities and determining what food is best for their sensitive stomachs and what ongoing medical care they may need, given all that their bodies endured.  As it turns out, neither dog has suffered permanent damage, which is a miracle in itself.  But, understandably, their immune systems are highly sensitive to any change in food or environment.  What this will mean for their adoptive family is really quite simple.  Faith and Joe are on a special food diet; it’s a premium dog food, but no more expensive than most premium dog foods and does not require a prescription. They must stay on this food that has been the most agreeable to their sensitive stomachs and cannot be given any table scraps, treats, or other dog food; common sense for any dog that is prone to upset stomach.  Their skin must also be closely monitored for any signs of reoccurring mange and treated immediately with standard medication that can be prescribed by any veterinarian.  Both Faith and Joe’s sensitive stomachs and sensitive skin are compromised by the stress that comes with living in a kennel which is why it is imperative that we move these two to a home as soon as possible.  Their veterinarian believes very strongly that their immune systems will never completely repair until we can get them into a loving, stress free, stable home where they know they are safe and sound and never have to worry about being abandoned again.

Aside from their gorgeous looks and irresistible Boxer jowls, Faith  and Joe are two of the most loving souls you could ever meet.  Faith is the youngster of the pair at approximately only a year old and in typical Boxer fashion, loves to run the halls of the kennel, pounce on her toys, and throw them up in the air to entertain herself.  She is high energy, all puppy,  and it’s unbelievable that this is the same listless, lifeless dog that we rescued eight months ago.  She is a happy, silly, wiggly Boxer puppy whose feet still look too big for her body as she clumsily bounces through the orchards looking for adventure.  Joe on the other hand, Faith’s older brother at  approximately age two and a half,  is the perfect balance for Faith.  He’s the older, wiser, calmer brother and has a soulfulness about him that only a Boxer owner would understand.  When you look into his eyes, they tell such a story.  And yet, after all he has endured, this boy craves human attention and is all kisses and love for  everyone he meets.  He’s a favorite at the veterinarian’s office and despite his size will crawl into a warm lap and just savor affection if you’ll let him.  Both Faith and Joe have always conveyed such emotion in their eyes; from the very moment they were rescued and even now after a complete recovery.  When you get down on their level,  they stare at you so hard you can almost hear them speaking to you. Both of them thrive on human attention and unfortunately,  there’s just not enough of that to go around in a kennel situation. They deserve a home and a family to call their own.

Sadly, Chico Boxer Rescue will be permanently closing its doors at the end of 2008; at which time, Faith and Joe have no where to go. It is imperative that we find a permanent home for this incredible pair, but it must be the right home; a family that will solidly commit to their needs, have an appreciation for the past that they have overcome, and will give them all the love, patience, and time that they deserve.  For obvious reasons, we would love to keep this brother and sister together.  After all, without each other, they would never have survived.  However, we would consider splitting them up if it meant getting both of them into a loving home as opposed to moving them to another kennel; something that we’re trying to avoid at all costs as this will undoubtedly cause an immediate decline in their health that we have worked so hard to restore.  Faith and Joe will be best placed in a home as the only dogs, but love every human being they meet, children included.