The photos of Rose’s injuries were so devastating they came with a ‘graphic’ warning. The German shepherd cross was found on a property in Beaverdell with multiple gunshot wounds. Rose and her brother were abandoned by their owner when he was evicted from the property. During a storm they ran into the neighbouring woods and when they returned Rose was suffering from serious injuries.
“When Rose arrived at the shelter her wounds were severe, infected, becoming necrotic, and she could barely eat or drink,” says Sean Hogan, manager, Kelowna BC SPCA. “We immediately got her to an emergency veterinary hospital where they made her more comfortable and began attending to her wounds. They determined she had been shot when they discovered buckshot scattered in the wounds.”
Rose required multiple procedures to save her including extensive primary wound closure surgery on her face and neck. She had drainage tubes in her abscessed wounds and required 24-hour care due to multiple bandage changes each day, along with daily check-ins and monitoring from the veterinarians at the emergency hospital. Everyone recognized that Rose had a long recovery ahead of her, but were optimistic that she would make a full recovery and would be available for adoption.
When Rose was released from the emergency hospital she was immediately transported to a foster home to heal. “Rose is such a sweet dog,” says Wendy, Rose’s foster mom. “She was very shy and startled easily when she first arrived, but that is to be expected after all she has been through.”
Rose had a few bumps in her recovery. “Rose had to go back to the veterinarian five times after she was initially released from the hospital to deal with abscesses in her wounds,” says Chaelyhn Berry animal care supervisor for the Kelowna BC SPCA.
Berry says Rose went to have the last of her sutures and staples removed on June 22. She is still underweight and is being treated for tapeworm a second time.
Wendy says that Rose was really good at taking her medication and handled all of her treatments really well. “Rose was on six pills a day,” says Wendy. “She would just open her mouth and swallow the pill. She was so good.”
Rose is a big hit in her neighbourhood where they go for daily walks. “Everyone we run into wants to say hello to her,” says Wendy. “They think she is pure love.”
Wendy realized Rose was feeling better and more comfortable with her new surroundings when she started to play. “When Rose first got here she wasn’t interested in toys and playing at all,” says Wendy. “Watching her play warmed my heart.”
“Whoever gets her will be lucky to have her,” says Wendy. “She is so smart and sweet. She will need to be trained, but she is already really good with hand cues and has learned to ‘stay’.
And that day has arrived! “We have only had her in our home for four days and it is unbelievable how far she has come already,” says Gwen, Rose’s new adopted mom. “When we met her at the shelter her legs were shaking so badly that when we got her into our car, my husband D’Arcy stayed with her for the three-and-a-half-hour trip home to make her feel more comfortable. She settled down quite quickly, at about the fifteen-minute mark in the journey.”
“It is hard to see an animal who is dealing with trauma,” says Gwen. “We were wondering why she wouldn’t eat anything, so I set up a bed for her on the floor in our bedroom and kept an eye on her. In the middle of the night she went down to the kitchen where we keep her food and water and finally ate.”
“We see this behaviour with undersocialized, and fearful dogs regularly,” says Kim Monteith, BC SPCA’s manager of animal welfare. “They’re so afraid of humans, their new environment, or sounds, they don’t eat or move. It can be even worse when they’ve experienced a traumatic event like being shot.”
Monteith says that dogs like Rose need to learn to trust humans, know they’re safe, feel safe, and when they do they will start to eat around humans, play and just be a dog.
Rose spends a lot of her time sitting on their large deck, which is twenty feet up off the ground, surveying the property. Gwen says she was encouraged to see Rose bound up to her when she came outside to sit with her one day. “She looked just like a big praying mantis with her really long legs, as she came up to greet me,” says Gwen.
They have also enjoyed exploring the long trails that lead up to their property with Rose. “She loves going for walks,” says Gwen. Rose also loves their granddaughter Nora. “Rose’s reaction to meeting our granddaughter surprised all of us,” says Gwen. “She immediately perked up, stopped cowering and quivering. She just wanted to protect and take care of her.”
Gwen and Rose’s foster Wendy have been in contact since they adopted her. “She has been such an amazing help for us,” says Gwen. “We can reach out to her to talk about some of Rose’s behaviour, if she had witnessed it, what worked while she was taking care of her. I think we have emailed back and forth more than fifteen times.”
Gwen says that they call her Rose Beauty. The ‘beauty’ part comes from Anna Sewell’s book Black Beauty and now that they have seen her galloping around them with her lovely long legs, it seems so fitting. “We kept Rose because we want to honour her original name and all of the people who helped her,” Gwen says. “She might just get a little spoiled with us. After all she has been through, we want to give her the best life ever.”
Dog with multiple gunshot wounds needs your help
Original story: May 31, 2022
WARNING: The following story contains graphic images
The BC SPCA is hoping you can help Rose, a sweet and affectionate dog, who was found with multiple gunshot wounds on a property in Beaverdell.
“Rose was abandoned on a property along with her brother for over a week when their owner was evicted,” says Sean Hogan, manager, Kelowna BC SPCA. “The landlord discovered them but waited to see if the owner would come back, but unfortunately, he never did.”
Hogan says that during a storm the dogs got frightened and ran into the woods. When they came back to the property the male had minor injuries, but Rose had multiple, serious injuries.
“When she arrived at the shelter Rose’s wounds were severe, infected, becoming necrotic, and she could barely eat or drink,” says Hogan. “We immediately got her to an emergency veterinary hospital where they made her more comfortable and began attending to her wounds. While they were attending to the wounds they discovered buckshot scattered in them and determined that she had been shot.”
Rose has required multiple procedures to save her. She has undergone extensive primary wound closure surgery on her face and neck. She also had a chest wound that was so severe a honey bandage was required to promote new skin growth before they could do wound closure surgery.
Hogan says Rose has drainage tubes in her abscessed wounds, but may require additional surgery to reopen the wounds to check for more debris if the drainage doesn’t resolve the abscesses. She is currently on pain medications, antibiotics and fluids and requires 24-hour care due to the multiple bandage changes each day, along with daily check-ins and monitoring from the veterinarians at the emergency hospital.
“Rose is a sweet, shy girl,” says Hogan. “Although she is very scared, nervous, and in shock, she is still being as loving and affectionate as she can be. Everyone at the hospital has fallen in love with her, and cannot believe that after being shot, she is able to trust them to help and take care of her.”
Hogan says Rose is on an upward path and even though she has a long road of recovery ahead of her, the prognosis is good and they are hopeful she will have a full recovery and will be available for adoption.
Donate directly to Rose’s medical fund here