Houston
(Houston is represented by: MAGSR) Gender: Male Good With Kids: Older kids, over 12
Breed: German Shepherd Dog
Color: Black & Tan
Date of Birth: 10/11/2018
Date of Birth is estimated: Yes
Current Size: 60 lbs
Ideal/Potential Size: 65 lbs
Housebroken: Unknown
Obedience Trained: No
Living With: Foster
History: Stray to Shelter
Good with Cats: No
Other Dogs OK: Yes
Foster Needed?: No
Represented by: MAGSR
Contact Email:
Contact Name:
Contact Phone No.:
NID#: 9958
Date Added:
Added to DB: Mon, 2021-10-11 22:12
Last updated: Fri, 2022-08-12 21:43
Not Ready for Adoption: No
Commitment Dog: Yes
Show as New: No
Special Needs: Yes
Dog Record Archived (1=Yes/0=No): 1
Description
Handsome Houston was picked up as a stray in a busy city. He was brought to a local shelter, where staff members immediately fell in love with this sweetheart. Although Houston quickly won over the hearts and minds of the shelter staff, they knew that he needed more care than they could provide. In order to find Houston the help he needed, a rescue plea went out. MAGSR knew Houston deserved a family to call his own so we stepped in to help him.
Houston is a stable, confident and friendly guy. Although we do not know what Houston's life was like prior to his arrival at the shelter, at some point he did know love. Known to shower his handlers with affection, Houston does tend to give wiggles and kisses when first meeting new people. He's simply a lovable guy. When Houston arrived at the shelter it was highly evident that something was wrong with his front right leg. He was non weight bearing as the lower portion of his leg was hanging from the carpal area. Upon closer inspection, it was determined that Houston has a right distal radial ulna fracture. This will need to be repaired by one of our surgical specialists. Unfortunately, Houston will need to wait a few weeks as he is also suffering from a rather serious upper respiratory infection. Although he is getting the additional attention and support he needs to recover, he will need time to heal before surgery.
In addition to Houston's other medical needs, we have learned that he is heartworm positive. This diagnosis could have been avoided if he had been given monthly heartworm preventatives. Houston's heartworm treatment has begun. Although treatment is expensive, this sweet boy is more than worth the cost. Please consider donating to Houston's medical needs. Your generosity will help us care for Houston as well as other dogs who need medical support. Houston will need some extra support over the next few months. However, with time, patience, and an amazing medical team, he will be ready for his forever home soon.
Updates
Handsome Houston has been living with his foster family since the beginning of November. Due to the extent of his injuries, he has been on full crate rest since he arrived. This is essential as the bones in Houston's leg need time to heal properly. Too much pressure or activity could cause the plate in his leg to fail. Although crate restriction is not likely Houston's favorite activity, he has remained a joyful and affectionate guy throughout the past few months. With weekly vet visits to change his cast, monitor progress, and keep his skin healthy, Houston has gotten to know the staff at Paradise Animal Hospital very well. He greets them with tail wags and kisses on every visit. As sedation is needed with every visit while changing out his cast, Houston has consistently woken up from sedation with a happy, thumping tail. With some luck, Houston will hopefully be able to say goodbye to his cast forever at the end of January and begin physical therapy in February.
As Houston's skin infections have cleared up and his healing is progressing, he is now ready to start his heartworm injections. These will begin in early January. We are excited that Houston will be able to start this next step in his heartworm treatment on time as it has taken a couple of months to get his health back up to a point where we felt comfortable moving forward. Since Houston is already on strict crate rest and is crate trained, this next piece of his healing process should be very familiar to him. With so many medical needs upon arrival, Houston has been very patient with us as we handle one medical hurdle at a time. We cannot wait for the day that Houston is cast, cone, and crate free to run and play. Please consider contributing to Houston's medical needs. This happy, energetic, and inquisitive guy is just a few more months away from being ready for a forever family.
