BC SPCA rescues severely matted poodle mix found chained in the snow. While this story is painful to read there is hope today – and every day – because animal-loving people like you make rescues like Pixie’s possible.

As people across the world share their loving kindness with causes they care about this Giving Tuesday, your compassionate support will give Pixie, and many more like her, a chance at a brighter future filled with love.

When an Animal Protection Officer reached Pixie, they gently knelt and offered a hand for her to sniff. She was almost impossible to recognize as a dog. Beneath the heavy mats, the officer’s eyes met Pixie’s – full of pain and a desperate plea for help. The snow around her was stained brown from the filth clinging to her tiny body, and the smell was overwhelming. Shivering and unable to use one of her back legs, there was no question she was suffering. In fact, the thick, painful mats of fur may have been the only thing keeping her from freezing to death in the cold temperatures.

Pixie spent a lot of time alone in her previous life, which might have made a different dog very fearful of people, but not this little one. She immediately wanted to be held and couldn’t stop licking everyone when she first arrived into care. It’s astonishing she still has so much love to share with others considering how little she had experienced herself.

Will you open your loving heart to Pixie and other animals like her today?

Once in BC SPCA care, there was no time to waste. Matting is extremely painful, constantly pinching the skin and causing uncomfortable rashes. The vet and staff members stayed late to carefully shave and remove the clumps of hair while Pixie was sedated. Over multiple hours they stripped away years of neglect from this seven-year-old poodle mix, a symbolic moment to mark the start of her new chapter. Beneath the mats, filth and trauma is a special dog with so much love to share.

The Animal Protection team is investigating and will be recommending charges to Crown Counsel given the suffering Pixie has been through.

Freed from the weight of her past, Pixie’s energy is improving, but mostly she just wants to be near people. Gentle pets, a soft lap or cozy spot for a nap, she never wants to be far from the comfort of caring hands. She’s even taken to snoozing in people’s purses – a surefire way to ensure she’s never left behind!

An x-ray revealed Pixie has significant damage from an old injury to the upper part of her back leg. A painful callus below her knee shows where she’s been forced to bear weight on it. To give Pixie a pain-free future, surgery has been scheduled for later this month to remove her injured leg.

Beyond her physical pain, Pixie has emotional scars that we’re still understanding, but she’ll receive the time and patient care she needs to work through them. Thanks to love like yours Pixie and many others will receive care, shelter, kindness and time to heal this Giving Tuesday.

You have the power to bring love and comfort to those in need; please consider making a kind gift.

When you give, you join a loving community of people who believe—just like you—that every animal deserves safety and kindness. It’s a powerful thing to stand alongside others who share your compassion.

Thank you for being someone who shows up for animals when it truly matters.