In June 2023, we received a call from Cascade Hospital for Animals. An emaciated dog had been found lying in the middle of the road. The kind people who rescued her immediately brought her to CHFA and fondly named her “Hope.” They couldn’t have known how much time, care, and support she would need — but they found a way to help this sweet girl every step of the way.

Hope is an American Bully, and while the exact circumstances that led to her critical condition are not fully known, she came from a breeder under deeply unfortunate and neglectful conditions. She weighed only 35 pounds when she was rescued — less than half the healthy weight expected for her breed. Upon examination, she was found to be hypoglycemic, anemic, significantly dehydrated, and suffering from several metabolic abnormalities. Regardless of whether an underlying disease was present, it was clear that Hope had endured chronic and severe neglect.

Hope was admitted for hospitalization, where she received life-saving custom fluids, a wide array of medications, nutrition through a nasogastric tube, and so much love. Since she was unable to walk much on her own, Dr. Becky Schaffer, assistant medical director at CHFA, visited regularly to start physical therapy, giving Hope the very best chance of recovery.

Hope continued to improve a little more each day thanks to the combined efforts of her care team — and it was easy to see why her rescuers would stop at nothing for her. Little victories, like her tail starting to wag and her excitement over treats, had everyone falling in love. After just five days in the hospital, Hope was strong enough to be discharged to her new home, with a continued care plan in place through Cascade Hospital for Animals.

Fast forward two years — and we got to see Hope again! She now faces chronic kidney issues, likely a result of her past starvation and neglect. Hope came to see our internal medicine specialist, Dr. Andy Ogrodny. Except this time, she was like a brand-new dog! This happy girl now weighed close to 60 pounds and has been thriving with her new family — the very people who originally found her.

The team who remembered Hope from her first visit was ecstatic to see her doing so well, clearly loved and cared for. Dr. Ogrodny diagnosed bladder stones and he is actively investigating the cause. He remains optimistic that with surgery and dietary management, we can continue to make sure she remains the happy girl we’ve all come to know.

Hope is now a patient at Clarke Animal Hospital, where it’s clear she is just as cherished as ever.

"When we brought Hope to your facility that Friday evening, two girls came out with a gurney to receive Hope, my first words to them through tears was “do not give up on her!”, they promised me they would everything they could to save her.

Your staff was amazing, everyone was so kind and made us feel welcomed each night we came to visit Hope. We remember one of the vets giving us an update and stating she was cautiously optimistic that Hope would pull through, those words gave us hope for Hope.

We will forever be thankful to your facility along with Cascade Animal Hospital and Clarke Animal Hospital who have gone the extra mile with Hope’s care.

Hope has had such an impact on so many lives, it is hard to believe it has been almost two years, it has not been easy, but we would do it all again."