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Silas
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Silas
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| Age: Adult (4-7) |
Gender: Male |
| Color:Fawn |
Spayed/Neutered: Yes |
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Description
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IN MEMORIAL AND WITH LOVE
Silas :-: ~1993-November 24, 2002 9 years
Silas was the original national ABRA "ER" dog and the money that was raised over his needs, was donated by Fran Davidson, Kansas City, to the ABRA to establish a fund to help other boxers that had serious but manageable problems like Silas. "Silas" was the first ’rescue’ boxer that was supported by people from around the world as the word reached the boxer-lovers world on the email lists.. as in 1997, this was a new concept for people to communicate about the breed they love. Silas came to rescue in the Kansas CIty area originally in 1994; and reappeared in horrendous condition in 1997. Silas had a serious seizure disorder, had lost an eye to a impacted bullet, but he was a survivor. And with the help of his adoptive parents, Dr. Bryce and Joyce Peckham, Silas had a wonderful life for 5 years. Silas left us on Sunday, November 24th, 2002. Bryce was with him as he slipped quietly from this life to the Bridge after a full day helping his ’dad’ in the yard. Earlier that evening, his mom, Joyce accepted the 2002 Kansas CIty area ’rescue’ volunteer of the year award.. a greatly deserved accolade for her tireless work in Kansas and Missouri for breed rescue. Rest in peace, sweet boy... his legacy has helped so many boxers that he will live on.. We’ll miss him barking at us on the phone as we try to talk, him burying his head in your lap for his ear scratches, and most of all the concept that he created, that people around the world can come together for this common cause.
CAUTION! **************************CAUTION!
Viewers will find some pictures of this dog disturbing
CAUTION! **************************CAUTION!
Silas: The origional boxer ER dog!
Three years ago a young boxer male was left on the doorstep of a local Kansas City Animal Control Shelter. The note gave the dog’s name, his age (one year) and said the owner could no longer keep him. The former owner asked that they please find him a good home. "He is extremely well trained and a very good dog."
Four years later the dog is getting a new name and another new home. He is a natural eared, neutered fawn male. For his bone structure and age he should weigh more than 60 pounds. He now weighs close to 35 pounds if that much. The boy was rescued or "adopted" Friday, May 30, 1997 from the same shelter he first visited 3 years ago. You could see the outline of veins between his skin and bones he was so thin. There is no muscle tone. The dog could hardly stand on his own or even hold his head up. His legs quivered violently when he stood, they could barely support what weight he had. His feet are twice the normal size and a beet red color. They were swollen and sore from being out on the street for almost four weeks. Despite the rescuer’s offer to lift her new adopted dog in the car, the animal control officer had him jump up 3 feet into the back of the car.
Animal control had picked him up as a stray on Memorial Day (May 26) after a call from the rescuer. The rescuer had been called early that morning by a local boxer owner who tried to help the dog and feed him when he was seen near their home. The good Samaritan, being unable to get close to him, was instructed to call the local Animal Control Agency. Checking on dog two days later, the rescuer was told the dog was doing fine, despite the "two bullets in his head", the fact that he was in extremely poor condition and was blind in one eye. The rescuer told the kennel manager that she was with Boxer Rescue and that if the dog’s owner did not claim him in the allotted time, she would like to adopt or rescue him. She was told that the owner was at the shelter at the time and had given permission to put him down. The manager let her speak to the owner and it was agreed that the dog would be released to Boxer Rescue instead. This is when the rescuer found out the dog had been a stray for over four weeks. There would be a $16.00 adoption fee. She told them she would get back in touch the next day after she had arranged for a foster home. They said no problem. The dog would be waiting for her.
The rescuer found out who the vet was that originally examined the dog for the shelter and called for more details. The vet said he had known the dog from his regular practice. He had been a house dog for several years and then last year the owner started leaving him chained outside. The vet was concerned that the dog had never had heart worm treatments during those years. The vet said he had been a really good, smart dog. He had also treated him in the past for a broken right leg. When arriving to pickup up the dog, the rescuer mentioned the heartworm issue and of the shelter vet’s concern. The kennel manager said the dog should be OK. Asked how he knew for sure, he said the owner’s right here you can ask her yourself. The owner was the animal control officer who made dog jump up in the rescuer’s car.
When taken to the rescuer’s vet it was confirmed, the dog had two small bullets or pellets in his head, one above his left eye that was badly infected and draining badly. That wound site posed no immediate danger, it will be removed when the dog is in better shape and can handle surgery better. A second pellet appears to be on the edge of the socket of his right eye. Remember, the original vet and the animal control officers thought he was blind in the right eye. In testing, the dog could follow slow movement of large objects. The very clouded right eye was from an extremely bad ulceration. The right eye has been cauterized and is getting continued treated. The rescuers vet has cautioned that the right eye may have to be removed if repairs don’t go well--but after three days of care, things look very hopeful. There will still be a long treatment period of several months before the eye is completely healed. The dog is also required to stay at the vet’s for 4-5 more days to make sure the eye is monitored constantly.
The dog’s mouth was swollen and had small cuts everywhere from eating out of cans and any other trash he could find. He had at least one broken toe on his left foot. He also showed signs of a long ago healed break on the right leg (the former owner had mentioned he had broken it over a year ago, it has a terrible scare on it and is slightly bent). The dog’s ears were full of ticks and he smelled wretched despite spending 4 days at the shelter. As we held him for treatment, he would lay his head in your hands and fall asleep-this despite all the poking, prodding and treatments he was getting. He had every kind of worm but heartworm. The now former-owner had said the dog had received the heart worm treatment maybe a year ago from some vet somewhere in Missouri. She couldn’t remember anything about the vet, where it was or what the office was close too. She thought she had given him the preventative medicine up to 2 or 3 months ago. ( In our part of the country you are supposed to give it year round).
Silas, as he is now called, is recuperating and gaining the strength to continue the repair work. It is too early to remove the pellets. X-rays will be taken. Blood work will continue. The diarrhea Silas had been suffering (the first few days he was hospitalized it was like water) appears to be under control thanks to the various medicines used. He’s getting a special super-fortified diet and eating well. Silas gets along exceptionally well with the vet staff and the other clients (dogs, cats etc). This despite the fact that the ex- owner said he had been chewed up by Rottweilers-but she couldn’t remember if that’s how he broke is leg. He still doesn’t move much or very fast, that will come as he regains his strength. Giving him cortisone could affect the healing rate of his eye, so the swelling in his paws and mouth is going down slowly and is still very uncomfortable.
By the way, I’m the person who "rescued" Silas, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. Fran Davidson-Mystique’s Haven or Haven1986@aol.com. I’m listed under Missouri and Kansas as a rescue contact. In all my years with rescue, this little guy is in the about the worst shape and deserves a better life. Please help. Pictures of our little man will be available later this week. We’ll work on his permanent placement over the next few weeks. Right now I can tell you, he’s lovable, appreciative and despite it all, that little stub of a tail wiggles just fine. We just want to see it wiggle faster.
Where is Silas now?
I saw Silas’s story online right after I got my first computer. I have known Fran for many years from the boxer club. My last "showdog" was old and dying, and I knew my home was about to be boxerless for the very first time. I saw his story and it touched my heart. My husband is a Vet and we discussed it and believed we could cope with his special needs. We contacted Fran and even though she had many offers to take him, she felt we were best suited to his needs. So Silas came to the Peckham house and lives here still. He now weighs a robust 78 lbs, and the injured eye has been removed. Once again the rescue angels were on his shoulder. One of the bullets had migrated to below his "good eye" and needed to be removed. It seemed like an appropriate time to remove the "dead eye", at surgery it was noted the dead eye had become malignant but had not spread beyond the eyeball itself. We felt so fortunate that day. He does have some physical problems, he was left with a seizure disorder, that we control with medication, and a bad foot {it was also broken at some time in the past}. Silas is a happy boy who was supported and cared for by internet boxer lovers.
Silas/MoKanBoxerRescue/ABRA ER Fund
After Silas came to live with me, I received my very first rescue call (I had never been involved with rescue). A Vet had two young boxer boys and wanted me to take and place them. I took them and had no clue what to do, so I called Fran. She put me in touch with Elizabeth Phillips, who had begun doing rescue with Fran. I met Liz at an "adopt a pet" with my two newly acquired boxer boys. Liz and Fran helped me place those boys and I was hooked. Liz and I discovered we liked/respected each other and began "doing rescue" together. Fran mentored and guided, and eventually turned over the boxer rescue in this area to us.
Silas was living with me and doing well. Bryce and I felt perfectly capable of meeting his medical needs, and did not need the remainder of the funds that had been donated for his care. Fran, Liz and I decided the monies would go to ABRA, to establish a fund that other rescuers could apply for in an emergency. This was established and called "The Silas fund". It has since evolved into the ABRA ER FUND! We are proud to have seeded this fund, and are awed, amazed, humbled, and thrilled at how it has been embraced by the boxer community. The ABRA ER online auction is now an annual event and has helped/saved many many needy boxers in boxer rescue programs from coast to coast.
Thank you,
Joyce Peckham
Mo/Kan Boxer Rescue
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