By Janet McAfee
Valentine’s Day is Friday, February 14. A special Coachella Valley rescue dog named Skipper celebrates every day with love, happiness, and gratitude. Skipper has lessons to teach us humans including how to live happily in the moment, how to overcome adversity, and how to love unconditionally. He is currently in a wonderful Loving All Animals foster home and seeking a great home where he gets lots of attention.
Life didn’t start out so well for Skipper. He was found injured and unable to walk by the side of a road in Desert Hot Springs. Was he hit by a car? Was he abused and then discarded? Did someone drop him off there because they could not afford vet care? We will never know his past, but his luck changed after a Good Samaritan contacted the City of Desert Hot Springs Animal Care Center shelter. Skipper tells us his story……
“It was May 2024, and I was just a small puppy shivering in the darkness trying to drag my body from the path of oncoming cars. One of my rear legs would not move and the searing pain spread from my neck to my paw which was covered in pus. Finally, a pair of headlights stopped. A woman walked towards me and started making phone calls about me. An officer in uniform arrived in a truck and gently placed me inside.
I was eventually taken to a white building where people wearing white coats met me. They gave me medication for the pain, and I was so relaxed I didn’t resist when they took x-rays. Everyone looked worried and I heard them say “amputation”. The shelter manager contacted Loving All Animals, a local animal rescue organization because I needed a foster home for bed rest afterwards.
I was so happy when I went to Tony’s foster home. I wagged my tail in gratitude to let everyone know there would be good things after my hardship. I enjoyed going for short walks with Tony. Soon I walked so well I forgot about my missing leg until someone called me a “Tripod”! They said I was a “Special Needs Dog”…I just knew I was special and seeking love like every pup.
I started to run around Tony’s home. I could run fast, play, use stairs, and even swim in the pool. Now it was time for me to go to the Loving All Animals shelter in Coachella. I was happy to see other dogs there and was soon playing games and running around with them in the large backyard. Some people there think I look like a Mountain Cur breed of dog with a brindle coat. I greeted visitors who came to the shelter and they would pet me but talk about how they wanted to adopt a small fluffy dog.
My life took a wonderful turn for the better when Briana who works at Loving All Animals decided to foster me! We arrived at her house and I met her dogs and her cats. I had never before seen cats and I approached them with curiosity, but when I suggested we play they ran up on top of high furniture. It’s so much fun to play tug of war with a rope toy with Briana’s family.
I heard Briana say, “Skipper is a ladies man! He prefers to hang out with women and tries to vocalize to join their conversations. He tries to run as fast as my dogs when they race around. When he starts to slow down from the other dogs, he runs over to me for play time. He will make a great guard dog because he usually barks when strangers arrive.. Skipper is a fabulous dog!”
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Skipper is now 10-months old, a healthy command-trained pup weighing approximately 44 pounds. Briana brings him with her on the days she works at Loving All Animals. He loves going car rides but is happiest during the road trips home with his foster Mom. He has an optimism and a zest for life that comes from surviving tough times. He lives his life with enthusiasm not realizing he has any limitations.
The heart of a rescue dog is something special. Be the lucky family who adopts Skipper and gives him the love and attention he deserves. Animals adopted through Loving All Animals receive the assistance of dog trainer Valerie Masi as needed. Call Loving All Animals at (760) 834-7000 to arrange a meet and greet with Skipper. February is the season for love, and you will surely fall in love when you meet special pup Skipper. www.lovingallanimals.org
Loving All Animals | Adopt a Shelter Cat or Shelter Dog
Loving All Animals helps connect pets with people. We provide temporary care and shelter for dogs and cats, so that they can be matched with loving and caring foster homes. We accept animals that need
