Tennessee Williams' character Blanche declares wistfully
that she's "always depended upon the kindness of strangers"
in his classic A Streetcar Named Desire. The same holds
true for our Blanche and Stella, sibling Pit Bull puppies that arrived
at the Animal Care & Control (AC&C) shelter in uptown Manhattan
after having been found in a dumpster.
Both sisters suffered from a prolapsed rectum, a
potentially life-threatening medical condition and the likely result
of having experienced severe diarrhea much of their young lives.
AC&C staff recognized the problem right away, and contacted
the Mayor's Alliance for help in getting the girls the emergency
medical treatment they needed.
When Stella isn't charming
everyone in the shelter office or romping with her sister
Blanche in one of their play dates, she usually can
be found in her foster home getting comfortable with
Bo, her foster mom's companion Great Dane. Who said
tough guys can't babysit?
Blanche and Stella were moved to Fifth Avenue Veterinary
Specialists, where each underwent medical procedures to correct
the problem. The surgery was performed by Dr. Philip Pacchiana and
paid for by the Picasso Veterinary Fund,
which is administered by the Mayor's Alliance.
After several weeks of recovery in the hospital,
Blanche was ready to go on to find a permanent home. Gillian Wood-Pultz,
director of the North
Fork Animal Welfare League, an Alliance
Participating Organization and Maddie's Pet Partner on Long
Island, took Blanche in and immediately placed her with a couple
that had been looking for a buddy for Peridot, their middle-aged
Doberman/Shepherd mix. Gillian reports that it was a perfect match.
Stella's recovery, however, wasn't quite as swift
as Blanche's, and so she remained in the hospital for several weeks
longer. When the time came for Stella to leave, Gillian once again
stepped forward, and drove into the city to take Stella home with
her. While Stella continues to heal in foster care with Gillian
until her new adoptive family can take her home, she and sister
Blanche (now named Ruby), can be found frollicking throughout routine
play-dates at the shelter.
Stella enjoys the attention
of members of a local Brownie troop who participated
in the shelter's humane education program.
Were it not for the kindness of some very special
strangers: the concerned AC&C personnel who alerted the Mayor's
Alliance to the puppies' condition, the talented Dr. Pacchiana,
the dedicated Ms. Wood-Pultz, the grateful adopters, and the Picasso
Veterinary Fund, Blanche and Stella would probably not have survived
their ordeal. Yet today they both are thriving, and receiving the
care and love that every pup deserves.
