Before & After

Cronin

WONDERFUL NEWS... TAF sponsored Cronin has found his forever home!!!

I think that it is fitting that Cronin's final rescue came from a Chicago Firefighter. Our forgotten boy couldn't have landed in safer hands!

A big thank you to Project Rescue Chicago for working with TAF to save this pup when his time was up.

Sticks

Sticks has found his FOREVER HOME!!!

TAF first saw Sticks at a TAF sponsored volunteer day this past June at an open access shelter. The poor little guy was so scared, underweight and suffering from kennel cough that we knew we had to get him out ASAP! With the help of Project Rescue Chicago, we were able to get Sticks to the vet and get him the medical attention that he needed. Within weeks, he was strong enough to be neutered, vaccinated and up for adoption. Not long after, a couple fell in love with Stick’s adorable little face and adopted him. His mom is so in love with him that she brings him to work with her every day… what a lucky boy! 

All the best to Sticks and his forever family!
 

Rio

FANTASTIC NEWS! TAF sponsored Rio has found her forever home!

TAF first came across this scared baby girl a few months ago at an open access shelter. With the help of Project Rescue Chicago, TAF was able to have Rio pulled so that she could get the medical attention that she needed.

Once healthy, PRC took it from there and made sure that Rio found a home that will love her forever.

Best of luck to Rio and her new mom... may you find all the happiness in the world!

Filly

As many may remember, the Trio Animal Foundation was contacted on May 1st about an emaciated female dog that was in dire need of medical attention.

The dog was initially spotted on the side of the road by a police officer and by the time her rescuers arrived, she had sought shelter in a discarded car tire. Consumed by fear, she made one last ditch effort to escape and ultimately found herself under the car of her rescuers.

Since TAF only pays for the medical bills of homeless animals and does not adopt them out, we contacted Project Rescue Chicago to see if they could take our battered girl into their program. Once they agreed, we picked Filly up and brought her in for emergency treatment.

Upon meeting this pup, we couldn’t help but notice on how much she looked like a newborn foal. Her long lanky legs could barely support her weight as she wobbled when she attempted to move. Because of this, and the upcoming Kentucky Derby, we have decided to name her Filly.

Once at the vet, the gravity of Filly’s medical condition fully began to sink in. It was far too uncomfortable for Filly to lie down so I had her rest her head on my shoulder and she stood as the doctor examined her. At times, Filly would pull her head back, look into my eyes and then gently lean her forehead against mine. It felt like the pain that resonated through her body went right to my heart. 

As the exam progressed, blood started coming out of Filly’s back end and her body started to shut down. It was at that point that she was immediately rushed to the critical unit and put on supportive care.

Well, after almost 2 ½ months of rehabilitation, our sweet Filly has been placed in a wonderful home with a mom that adores her! The best news is that Filly’s mom is a school teacher and this means that she has another month off before she has to go back to work! 
TAF would like to thank Filly's rescuers and all of the generous donors that stepped up to assist in covering Filly’s medical expenses. Also, thank you to PRC who answered our call for help when we needed them most! 

Filly… the intolerable cruelty that you have endured from those in your past life would have broken the strongest of men. However, your will to survive and ability to trust those that love you has opened up the door to a new and wonderful life. May the happiness that fills your heart bring you peace and serenity for the rest of your life.

Handzus

TAF first came across this senior while we were taking photos of the animals at a local open access shelter. Handzus’s owners had given him up and the sadness that consumed him was more than evident. We knew that this big boy would not have much time, at the rate that he was shutting down.

TAF asked Project Rescue Chicago if they would consider pulling Handzus into their adoption program and they agreed. 

After all of the results came back from the lab, Handzus was neutered, vaccinated and good to go.

Soon thereafter, Handzus’s new mom and dad saw his photo on facebook and fell in love with him.

We are happy to say that Handzus now has 4 dog siblings and lives on hundreds of acres of land with barns, horses… the whole nine yards. Handzus is no longer sleeping on the cold hard floor of a shelter cage but on a big comfy sofa receiving constant attention and companionship.

TAF is so happy that we were able to be a part of changing this senior’s life.

A big thank you to all of the people that donated towards the Handzus's medical bills. Because of you, he was able to receive the best medical care possible!

This is a video of when we met him at the shelter:

Eleanor

WONDERFUL NEWS… TAF sponsored Eleanor has found her forever home!!!

Here is Eleanor’s amazing story of survival:

The Trio Animal Foundation was contacted about a female dog that was just found in a CLOSED garbage can, in Chicago, by a man throwing out his trash. Somebody had to have dropped her in there because there is no way that she could have made it into such a high and sturdy trash bin on her own.

To make things worse, this underweight and dehydrated girl must have delivered puppies not too long ago because her milk ducts are still engorged with milk and they are infected. It is anybody’s guess what happened to her babies.

While at the vet, Eleanor took a turn for the worse and had to go in for emergency surgery. An earlier ultrasound confirmed that Eleanor had severe mastitis, which is the infection and clogging of her milk ducts.

An engorged breast is a mild form of mastitis. However, if left untreated, can lead to gangrene mastitis. The skin turns black and dies; leaving a huge hole that will drain pus-blood. Even though we started Eleanor on antibiotics and applied warm compresses to her chest as soon as she came into our care, her weakened immune system could not fight off the infection and it has progressed.

As a result, Eleanor had to have one of her breasts removed as the infection had taken over. The infected tissue was already becoming necrotic and the tissue was dying. Because of this, Eleanor’s mammary gland had ulcerated, she was bleeding, had a high fever and in so much pain.

After Surgery, Eleanor stayed at the hospital where she received IV pain medications, fluids and antibiotics. 

TAF is so happy that our little girl found the perfect forever home and will now know what it feels like to be in a loving mom that will cherish her. 

A big thank you to Project Rescue Chicago for working with TAF and taking Eleanor into their program. Also, TAF would like to thank the generous donors who assisted TAF in paying Eleanor’s enormous medical bills. Together, we all saved this precious baby’s life.

Bravo

About two months ago, we discovered Bravo at a local open access shelter in Chicago. Bravo was quietly lying down in his cage and just peered up at us as we walked by. He was in pain and had given up on life. For that matter, life had given up on him, as it was the final hours before he was to be euthanized.

When we took Bravo out of his cage we were stunned to see that his testicles were the size of a grapefruit. They were so sensitive that he could barely handle sitting down on the hard floor. Upon further investigation, it was discovered that Bravo had terrible infections in both ears and many of his teeth were cracked and or missing altogether. Even though we knew it was a long shot, we wanted to give Bravo every chance possible to make it. In any case, if he was too far-gone, we wanted him to leave this world in our arms and not on a cold shelter floor.

Once arriving at the vet, Bravo went into surgery to have his testicles removed and sent off to be tested. While under, Bravo received dental surgery and had his ears thoroughly cleaned and treated for infection. The vet thought that his chances of survival were slim but we prayed for the best.

As the days turned into weeks, Bravo slowly came around and before you knew it his ears started to perk up and he had a ravenous appetite. Our miracle senior had made a full recovery and had beaten the odds.

Well, as fate would have it, my mom happened to be in town and we had some time to spare before she had to catch her train. I asked my mom is she wanted to run over to Unleashed to see the “Trio” rescue rooms and the dogs that we were sponsoring …she agreed. 

Bravo was still recovering and my mom asked if she could go into his suite and sit down with him. When it was time for my mom to catch her train, she gave Bravo a quick kiss on the head and off we went. 

Every few days my mom would text me to see how he was doing, as she could not stop thinking about him and the connection that they had made. I guess our chance visit to Unleashed, so long ago, paid off because my mom came back to town this weekend and adopted Bravo. When he saw her, he walked right over and buried his head into her open arms. I think that he knew that his friend had come back for him and that he was going home.

I did not see this one coming at all and I am absolutely thrilled. If you had told me weeks ago that Bravo would now be part of my family, I would never have believed it. I guess that there are Powers greater than us in this world and they guide us in the direction that we are meant to go.

A huge thank you to Bridgid, of Project Rescue Chicago, for taking a chance and bringing Bravo into PRC’s program. Without Bridgid’s compassion for the underdogs, Bravo would never have made it out of the shelter and my mom wouldn’t have her new best friend.

Mistletoe

This abused puppy came into our care after she was brought into an open access shelter suffering from severe eye trauma and infection. Poor Mistletoe had puss dripping from her eye socket when her twisted necrotic eye would pop in and out of place.

Once out of surgery, Mistletoe went into a wonderful foster home that cared for her until she was ready to be spayed, vaccinated, microchipped and have her face staples removed. While recovering from this second surgery, a friend of Mistletoe’s foster family fell in love with her and it was decided, by all that cared for her, that this was a wonderful match and would be the perfect forever home.

Project Rescue Chicago told us that there were so many amazing applications for Mistletoe but knowing that the family that cared for her during her recovery could still have an active role in her life sealed the deal on this adoption. Now Mistletoe has two families that will love her unconditionally. Better yet, this frees up a foster home for another needy dog at an open access shelter. 

Thank you to all of the generous TAF donors that helped to cover Mistletoe’s medical expenses! You all played a part in Mistletoe receiving the best medical care possible.

Rosie

We have some great news to announce tonight… our senior Rosie has found her forever home! It was late November when TAF ran into this sickly senior at an open access shelter. As I walked past the dog-filled cages, I was brought to my knees when I spotted Rosie’s sweet grey muzzle and droopy eyes… they may as well have been playing that Sarah McLachlan song in the background. (The photo on the left is from the day that we took Rosie into our program.) We knew that the odds of Rosie making it out of the shelter would not be good since she was not only a senior but heartworm positive, too. Knowing that we had to find a rescue that we could count on for taking Rosie to doctor visits, etc., TAF asked Project Rescue Chicago if they could take Rosie into their program. PRC agreed and placed Rosie into an amazing foster home with a woman that, without a doubt, ultimately saved her life. You see… not soon after going into her foster home, Rosie became very ill with pneumonia and had to be hospitalized for 8 days. At times, we did not know if Rosie was going to make it and all we could do, at that point, was pray for the best. The pneumonia, coupled with Rosie’s age and advanced heartworm diagnosis, made her fate seem grim. Luckily, TAF was able to ensure that Rosie received the best medical care possible and after months of rehabilitation and heartworm treatments, Rosie has made a full recovery. Now to the good part… Rosie’s new family! TAF is never involved in the adoption process but sometimes, when an adoption application is really sweet, rescues will share them with us. Rosie’s adoption application just happened to be one of those applications. Rosie’s new dad had this to say about his best friend that had recently passed, “Katy lived with us for the best four years of my life. She was an eight-year-old female Basset Hound who succumbed to cancer last October. We were together 24/7 with exception of a six hour stint one week night were my wife stayed home with her.” To think that Rosie will be spending the rest of her days with a family that has this much love to give is simply remarkable. I am sure that Rosie will never take the place of her family’s departed Katy but I think that she would sure like to try. The smile on Rosie’s face, when she meets her new parents, truly says it all… pure joy. A big thank you to PRC and Rosie’s foster mom, Liz, for allowing her to be a part of your family for the last 5 months. We couldn’t have done it without you!

Stanley

We have great news tonight… STANLEY HAS FOUND HIS FOREVER HOME!!!

TAF first met Stanley and his siblings last June at one of our volunteer days at an open access facility. Stanley and his two siblings were terribly frightened and quickly became ill. Within a week, Stanley was hospitalized in the isolation ward and his brother and sister were fighting for their life. 

In the end, Stanley prevailed but his siblings were too weak and lost their fight to the parvovirus. 

Now all alone, Project Rescue Chicago took Stanley into their program and placed him into one of their wonderful foster homes. It was there, with the help of two very special foster home dogs, that Stanley learned to trust again. This trust opened up a world of opportunity for Stanley, as he was finally able to open his heart and bond with his new forever family. 

Stanley’s family adores him and his new brother absolutely loves him! If a picture is worth a thousand words, I think that the grin on Stanley’s face says it all… our puppy feels loved and is happy.

Thank you to all of the donors that allowed TAF to provide Stanley with the best medical care possible. Because of you, we can all celebrate this happy ending!