This is Pietro! Pietro came to APA! in May of 2015, a little bit of a rebel without any manners. He became a Canine Good Citizen trainee and thrived with one-on-one attention from his volunteer trainer, quickly learning sit, down, to come when called and to stay seated politely when other dogs were around. Pietro has been adopted a few times but none were quite the right fit.
When he came back to APA! last last year, it was noted he was starting to limp. The clinic ran some tests and he was diagnosed with bone cancer in his shoulder. Often the treatment for bone cancer in a leg is amputation (to keep it from spreading) but because it was in his shoulder, this was not an option.
Fewer than two weeks after his diagnosis, Emily appeared in Pietro’s life. Emily said, “I can give this dog a quality foster for as long as his quality of life is good.” And off Pietro went to live in Emily’s guest bedroom where he’s been showered with toys, friends and even a great party!
It’s been six weeks since Pietro was welcomed into the comforts of his home and Emily even adopted him this week! Check out his adventure https://www.facebook.com/Pietrosperfectmonth/
His zest for life and love for humans is unparalleled. While you can sometimes see the pain in his eyes, he’s well managed on pain medication and often is high on love! Emily spends hours a day seeing to his comfort and happiness. In exchange, Pietro offers full body snuggles.
For Pietro and other very sick animals in our community, Austin Pets Alive! is a lifeline and soft pillow for their last days, weeks or months. Our volunteers, fosters and staff know WE can come together to care for sick homeless animals that could easily be euthanized for convenience sake or because their treatment is too expensive. And this blog post was originally planned to celebrate that.
But, bone cancer makes bones very brittle and a small slip can cause a fracture. And fractures don’t heal easily. Unfortunately, Pietro suffered a fracture earlier this week, and due to this negatively affecting his quality of life, he was humanely euthanized surrounded by the love of Emily and the compassionate clinic staff.
Pietro’s time with Emily was brief, but filled with love. It was worth every minute.