PORT ANGELES — To look into Shirley’s liquid, deep-brown eyes is to want to pick her up and pull her into your lap.
She’ll need that helping hand. The miniature dachshund’s back legs are paralyzed.
Her front limbs, though, are rarin’ to go –go outside, go running after a ball, go fetch her squeaky toy.
Shirley, 4 to 6 years old, was found dragging her hindquarters along the pavement near the Albertsons Supermarket in Port Angeles on July 27.
A volunteer with the Clallam County Humane Society took her to the animal shelter the society operates at 2105 W. Highway 101.
There, Shirley has established herself as the diminutive queen of the kennels, even having the temerity to bark at Caesar, the shelter’s resident front-office Siamese cat.
A visitor might be tempted to pity her if it weren’t for her dogged determination to reach her destination.
Stole everyone’s heart
“This is the one that stole everyone’s heart,” said Chrissy Curth, shelter director.
“Her injury doesn’t stop her from doing anything.”
Veterinarians diagnosed Shirley’s disability as a slipped disc.
The injury is old, they said, because it has lots of scar tissue.
Shirley obviously needs a home, but Curth and shelter workers and volunteers first want to improve her health.
One volunteer, Irene Downs of Sequim, has offered to treat the dog with therapeutic touch, a holistic massage technique.
“She’s had some good results with dogs like this,” Curth said.
Furthermore, Dr. Dennis Wilcox of the Angeles Clinic for Animals in Port Angeles thinks he can alleviate Shirley’s paralysis with acupuncture.
“He’s had great results with animals getting some mobility back after acupuncture,” Curth said.
Shirley will need twice-weekly treatments at the outset of her therapy.
Each will cost $32.50, and the dog’s financial prognosis runs into hundreds of dollars.
Donations needed
That’s why the Humane Society is seeking contributions to Jerry’s Fund, a special account the shelter uses to treat ill and injured animals.
The fund is named for a springer spaniel who died at the shelter before volunteers could raise money for its care.
Previous recipients of Jerry’s Fund treatments include Emily, a Siberian husky pup that was thrown or fell from a moving vehicle in the summer of 2005, and Lindy, a chocolate Labrador retriever who had hobbled for months on a separated hip before the Humane Society rescued her last February.
The fund now is low, but the needs remain high.
“These days, there’s a lot more to sheltering than just keeping animals,” Curth said. “We see so many that are sick.
“They just all don’t come in happy and healthy. We’re moving into a more caring, nurturing environment, but the only way we’ll do it is by community donations.”
Whoever eventually adopts Shirley will receive some of that largesse.
Shirley comes equipped
Peninsula Friends of Animals has donated a cart in which the dog’s hindquarters would ride while she propelled herself with her forelegs.
There’s also a nylon sack that protects her rear legs from abrasion when she drags them, and a combination sling and leash that allows a person to pull her hind legs off the ground while she walks.
Shirley’s new master or mistress probably also must diaper her, unless the acupuncture cures her paralysis-related incontinence.
And, said Curth, Shirley must be the only pet in the household. The dog demands everyone’s attention.
That makes her story more mysterious:
Who would abandon a partially paralyzed pet?
“Nobody ever claimed her,” Curth said. “Nobody ever called. Somebody loved her at some point because she’s very sweet, very loving.
“We think treatment could really do her some good. She’s amazing.”
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How to help
* To donate money to help ill and injured animals, make checks payable to Jerry’s Fund and send to the Clallam County Humane Society, P.O. Box 3124, Port Angeles, WA 98362.
* To volunteer at the shelter or at the society’s office in Armory Square in downtown Port Angeles, call the shelter, 360-457-8206, or send an e-mail to volunteercoordinator@cchumane.com.