On August 31, 2022 our humane officers went out on a call about an emaciated dog tied up outside. When they arrived they found Hoss, a bluetick Coonhound. Hoss was found in a filthy outdoor pen, literally skin and bones. The water bowl in his outdoor cage was dirty and there was no food to be found. The 10-month-old hound puppy was so emaciated and dehydrated, he required emergency care at our partner veterinary clinic. Hoss stayed in our shelter, marked as unavailable because he had to go through weeks of scheduled feedings to help regain his weight back. It’s important that the scheduled feedings are done gradually or it can cause emaciated dogs to become very sick. In addition, we discovered Hoss was positive for Heartworm, something he probably came down with from living outside for most of his life. After about a month, Hoss was deemed healthy enough by our vet, neutered, and placed on the website as available for adoption! 

On October 20th, Hoss found a home and was adopted by a wonderful gentleman. Hoss’s adopter lived on his own, but had so much love to give to Hoss! He made sure Hoss came in for his follow up heartworm treatments and gave Hoss the time he needed to adjust to his new life in a new home! We have since reach out to Hoss’s adopter and this is how he described life with Hoss:

“Hoss is such a friendly, happy boy! I take him to the park every morning and sometimes, he even wakes me up with a leash in his mouth ready to go! Hoss loves to chase things (typical Coonhound) and play with all of his toys. When I originally adopted Hoss he had heartworm and only weighed 54 lbs. I am happy to report that he is now heartworm free and weighs a healthy 74 lbs! I cook Hoss 2 eggs for breakfast for him to eat with his dog food. My children spoiled Hoss with lots of toys for Christmas! He truly is a blessing. Hoss loves my daughter and granddaughter! I take him with me for truck rides and he absolutely loves them! I enjoy seeing his head and giant ears flopping out of the truck window. I enjoy his bark, which sounds like a broken fog horn, and his loud snores while I watch tv.”

FAPL loves to get these kinds of updates from adopters who are providing our animals with a lifetime of happiness! We like to remind all of our supporters that these stories would not happen without you! Thanks to your support, Hoss was able to heal — physically and emotionally — at Friendship APL. Today, he has a new home where he is safe and loved.