German Shepherd Rescue of Los Angeles

Sometimes circumstances lead us to believe there are angels watching over our dogs, making sure they have safe passage into our care. Such was the case with Cleo, a very pretty 4 year old female who was found running loose in a busy intersection. As fate would have it, Cleo ran right across the path of one of our volunteers. As everyone else sped past in their cars, our volunteer made sure the dog would be safe. She called the dog to "come" and without hesitation, a happy, energetic but rather dirty dog came bounding up to her wanting to make friends. Unfortunately, the dog was not wearing a collar or tags, and her appearance leads us to believe she had been away from her home for some time. Our volunteer loaded the sweet dog into her car and headed straight for our vet.

While we expected our vet to tell us that Cleo had some problems with her skin and badly fly-bitten ears, we were not prepared for the other news that she shared with us: Cleo has a significant heart murmur, rated as a "4" on a total scale of "6". We took Cleo to a leading cardiologist where she was diagnosed with sub-aortic stenosis, a heart disease she was born with. Stenosis means narrowing. Subaortic stenosis is narrowing of the area below the aortic valve. The left ventricle works harder to pump blood past the narrow region into the aorta. With time, the extra work stresses the left ventricle, causing it to enlarge. Children, as well as pets, can have this condition. Vets and doctors used to do surgery for this condition, but discovered their patients don't live any longer than just being on meds for the rest of their lives. Therefore, Cleo is on a prescription medicine called Atenolol, at a dose of 1/2 pill twice a day. We need to see how she does with this dosage and regulate the meds accordingly.

The good news is that our little Cleo will not have to undergo heart surgery, and should live a normal life as long as she is on meds. The bad news is that she needs to be on medication the rest of her life, and that she will be restricted in her exercise. Hopefully she will find a home where someone is willing to make sure she gets her medication and will reciprocate all the love she has to give! Please consider welcoming this devoted dog into your home so that she can know all the joys and comforts that a family can bring. If you are touched by Cleo's story but cannot adopt her at this time, please consider making a donation in any amount to her medical fund to help us get this darling girl her medication and to help us offset the expensive testing she required. No donation is too small and every gift is genuinely appreciated. To make a donation to Cleo's fund, please click here and indicate that your gift is for Cleo.

Cleo does not let her condition slow her down! She is playful and eager to please. She has not had a great deal of training, but she is housebroken and responds very well to praise and leadership. We will introduce her to some of the other shepherd orphans to see what she thinks of having canine company in her life.

Cleo is in boarding. To arrange to meet her, please contact Chowski681@yahoo.com and complete the online application to expedite the process.

Well, yes, I am rather attractive. Thank you!