Blind Furgel's Story
HELLO my name is VITA and I'm a French-English Bulldog cross. This is my story of how I was rescued and then became a therapy dog to help many people.
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Hi, I’m Furgel D and my journey to Canada began in Tijuana Mexico around 3 years ago.
I was abandoned in a dirt valley, which was a common place for people to leave their unwanted pets like me and that is where a nice lady named Patricia would feed me along with the other abandoned dogs.
One of my doggy friends was tied up to the bumper of an old car so I would bring him food since he couldn’t go get it himself and then one day when Patricia couldn’t find us she came looking, only to discover that my friend had been killed and I was badly beaten and left for dead. She scooped me up and took me to the doctor to get help.
I had many injuries including a badly broken right hip and unfortunately my right eye couldn’t be saved and had to be removed.
Patricia knew I needed a chance at a better life so she hooked me up with the rescue train coming up from California to Vancouver, BC and so, although I was sad to say goodbye, I was on my way to a new life!
Once I reached the boarder of Canada another nice Lady named Cherry took me in. She had many rescue dogs and would take us to these big events called adoption days and many people who were excited to see us would come and visit.
I was still recovering from my injuries and there were so many dogs with two eyes looking for families I wasn’t sure if anyone would want me with my short leg and missing eye…but one day my people arrived!! And they wanted me!!
I had my own home and people to love. We have a great time going on walks and meeting other dogs in the neighborhood. I have many friends and lots of adventures including hiking in the mountains, bike riding and trips to this wonderful place called the beach!
As my hair grew back and my weight evened out I was told I was quite the looker and was asked to be in a neighborhood calendar so I had a photo-shoot and everything and had my first taste of the limelight.
At 5yrs old I was finally living the life I always dreamed of having!
Then one day about a year after being with my new family, I woke up one morning and couldn’t see anything at all. It was scary and my people Kehli and Mark took me to see many specialists and it was discovered that I had a badly detached retina, glycoma and burst blood vessels. The prognosis was not good. I would never see again and the glycoma was very painful so the decision was made to remove my remaining eye so I would not have pain my whole life.
Don’t feel bad for me though! I’m still riding bikes and going to the beach to run around. No eyes, no limits!!
I even did the BCSPCA Paws for a Cause walk and raised money to help other rescue animals looking for their forever homes.
Becoming blind hasn’t stopped me as I have gone on to pass my Canine Good Neighbor test and have also become a Therapy Dog through the Vancouver Eco Village program!
I love meeting people and spreading my good vibes and I have many followers on my Instagram page (@FurgelD) You should check me out!
Also I just won the BCSPCA Calendar Contest where I raised over $3000.00 for homeless pets!
That’s right! I’m going to be the cover dog for the 2018 BCSPCA Calendar!!
Life has it’s challenges for us all, but I’m living proof to never give up…. even if you bump into a few things along the way. (Blind joke!)
My mum took me for dog-training every week, where I met other dogs and soon became one of the "dogs in the hood". I learned brand-new words like "sit, down, come, heel, turn and high-five." Over the next six months, I learned to do all those things plus a few tricks. I discovered I loved to play soccer and could even throw the ball back!
I am now the happiest dog in the world! However, one thing that makes me sad is that my mum has bad arthritis and rheumatism. So I walk slowly next to her on the stairs when she has difficulty climbing. I wish I were bigger at those times, so she could lean on me. I put my head against her and press against her back when I'm sleeping, hoping that my warmth will somewhat ease her pain. Although I'm only 3 years old now, mum dicovered that I have a bad knee injury called cranial cruciate ligament disease (needing surgery) and a few other problems, like spinal injury, dyspepsia and chronic urinary infection. It hurts when I run too much or pee. Mum says it's not my fault and she makes sure I get all the medications I need. I know it's very expensive, so I try to make it up by giving her lots of love.
Mum said I gave her so much love and comfort that she wanted to share it with others. So, she took me for therapy dog training and 6 months later, I was certified as a therapy dog! I now work in hospitals, nursing homes, schools and I help people with Down Syndrome, Autism, PTSD and OCD including members from posAbilities and Spectrum Society for Community Living.
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We are relying on your generosity and compassion to help Vita get the corrective surgery she needs.
Please give what you can afford so Vita can walk pain free and continue to provide love and emotional support to the hospital patients and others who eagerly wait for her visits each week.
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Your gift means the WORLD to Vita
and the people she helps!
Help us raise money for Vita's Surgery
20
Contributors
Donated
$1225
72
Days left
GOAL $5000
With grateful thanks to donations raised to date:
Jean hobbs, Vera Lagasse, Brent Babcock, Meghan Neathway, Dianne Penn, Diane Jones, Patricia Stevens, Susana Sueldo, Sylvia Thalakada, Shirley Wanigasekera, Ursula Andrade, Xander Hendriks, Tim Kuepfer, John McCone, Loshan Moonesinghe, ShirleyMae Shindler, Mark Bourque, Susan Gilbert, Ingrid Grant, Claire Bletcher
