ADOPTED FUR BABIES
Southview heroes meet pups they saved
It was a heartwarming scene at Southview Community School Wednesday as students from the Grade 6 “Southview Animal Crew” finally got the chance to meet the puppies they have been raising money to help for much of the past month.
The puppies have been in the care of the Medicine Hat SPCA since being discovered by the side of the road earlier this year near the Saskatchewan border with injuries consistent with being thrown from a moving vehicle. Southview Animal Crew founder Tyren Melnik said he and his classmates were incredibly excited to pet and hold the five puppies, and to see how well they are doing.
“We have never seen the puppies in person,” he said. “We knew these puppies were hurt but we were never able to go and see them ... We are extremely excited, and basically we are all shaking because we are finally going to meet the puppies.
“Our hearts were all touched when we heard the news about what happened; so we knew we had to take a stand.”
The class has raised more than $1,750 to help pay for the additional medical costs the puppies incurred from their ordeal. One of the puppies died as a result of the incident, and two more nearly didn’t survive. The two severely injured puppies, dubbed Tribble and Chowder by their SPCA foster mom Diane Schneider, are still facing some health challenges going forward.
“Tribble, the smallest, is still pretty shaky, and to this day has some delayed motor-skill problems with her back legs and hip muscles,” explained Schneider on Wednesday after releasing the puppies to play with the Southview kids. “Chowder, the big husky-looking fellow, had seizures for a couple of days. He has some issues with his eyesight. They may get stronger or they may not. He runs into things.”
Schneider said she has trouble describing what these Southview students have done to raise awareness of animal abuse and help with the puppies additional treatment costs.
“I have no big words (for what they did),” she stated. “It’s only little words: Wow.”
The puppies are doing fine, confirmed Schneider, and are now considered adoptable by the Medicine Hat SPCA.