Caring for an animal with special needs is no easy task, but one woman has discovered that it is her calling. Paula Peek has made it her life’s work to rescue special needs dogs. Thanks to her, these pups can enjoy a full life and a loving home.
It all started ten years ago, when Paula headed to an animal shelter in Georgia. She and her friend were both foster parents for puppies, and she was picking up a litter to bring to her friend. When she arrived at the shelter, however, Paula’s plans changed instantly.
She wandered into the back to grab the puppies, but instead she saw something horrifying. A dog sat in the middle of an exam table, and the staff was preparing to euthanize him.
Paula knew she couldn’t allow this to happen. “They had the injection [needle] out, and I was like, ‘Stop! You can’t do that in front of me,’” she shared with The Dodo. “And I was like, ‘What’s wrong with him?’ And they said, ‘He’s been here for 10 days. All of his other siblings got adopted. And he can’t walk.’”
The dog, whose name was Weeble, had spina bifida, a condition that impairs spinal chord development. Poor Weeble wouldn’t be able to run or play like his brothers and sisters, so potential parents had overlooked him.
The moment she heard the news, Paula knew what she had to do. This little guy was coming home with her; the woman left the shelter workers with no other option.
“I said, ‘I will not have these puppies if I can’t have that dog,’” Peek said. “So they gave me Weeble … and after about a month of playing and healthy food and a little bit of therapy, Weeble can now walk and run. Weeble can now jump on and off the bed. He is just a wonderful, happy and healthy dog.”
Paula was so thrilled that her pup was thriving, she decided to take in even more special needs dogs. If a little love could change Weeble’s life this much, imagine what she could do for countless other canines.
The woman now lives with 20 special needs dogs. They are mostly Chihuahuas and terriers, and they are all SO grateful to have found a home with Paula. This sweet foster parent falls in love with each dog she takes in. Some require an extraordinary amount of care, but the work is always rewarding.
One dog Paula adores is Anna Banana. ““[She] came with some pretty severe liver issues,” Paula explained. “We got her on a special food and we got her on some medication that regulates her blood pressure and which helps with her liver problems … and Anna Banana has now turned into queen of the house.”
Another dog, Gertie, was being sold for breeding purposes – even though she is too small to carry a litter. Paula’s friend rescued her and gave her to Paula, and now little Gertie has a dream life.
“The size of this animal is mind-boggling,” Paula mentioned. “When she came to me, she was timid. Now she comes to you, and she knows how to sit. She is the beauty of the house.”
Paula helps dogs with all sorts of needs, from brain tumors to cancer and kidney diseases. She learned to love animals from her great-grandmother, who is her source of inspiration.
“My great-grandmother loved animals … and I was very sick when I was young, and I stayed with her more than I went to school,” Paula recalled. “And I remember how she took care of me, and she spent eight years in a nursing home, vegetative with Alzheimer’s.”
“We need to take care of our elderly, whether they’re human or whether they’re animals. We can’t just abandon them.”
For Paula, abandonment is completely out of the question. Even when it is clear that a dog’s life is coming to a close, Paula stays with her pets until the very end. When the dog has passed away, the woman fills the space with a new pup in need of help. The love she receives from her pups is a reward in itself.
“All these old, little crotchety things doing their best, which for some is just lifting their head up, just to say, ‘Oh my God, you’re here,’” Paula shared. “And just the licks and the kisses and knowing that without me, these little heartbeats wouldn’t be happening.”
When asked how long she will continue to help dogs with special needs, Paula replied, “forever.”
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