Introducing Gabriel the dog

An email flashed in our inbox which was hard to ignore: "Gabriel the hound suffers severely broken leg then violently attacked!!!!"

The email explained that Gabriel is a sweet, tri-colored hound boy ... and “EVERYTHING BAD seems to happen to him”!

First, this hound dog came into a county shelter in North Carolina with a severely broken hind leg (see photo). A group down there and a wonderful woman named Sylvia were nice enough to spend thousands of dollars on the vet bills to piece poor Gabriel’s leg back together. After Cup of Joe, we at Joa's Arc know this isn’t an easy task – the fundraising, the time, the trips to the vet for check-ups, the special care that extends for weeks even after surgery to ensure the leg heals properly, etc. This is not an easy journey for a rescue or a dog.

Gabriel was boarded at a kennel for his recovery. Well, as if poor Gabriel wasn’t going through enough just with a broken leg healing, another dog escaped its kennel and went after poor Gabriel! Obviously, Gabriel was in no position to get away, let alone defend himself and he suffered horribly! During the attack, the other dog practically scalped Gabriel and nearly ripped one of his ears off too.

“No dog should ever experience the pain or suffering that this pathetic creature has endured in his short life time. It is so unfair.” The quote from the initial email about Gabriel could not be more true.

The emails we get are always heartbreaking, but obviously this one struck a chord ... a shelter dog already set back from being adopted due to a broken leg and then to be so violently attacked in a kennel... Ugh! Poor baby!

Like we do as often as we can, Joa's Arc volunteers wrote to check in on Gabriel and see how we could help – even if that just meant networking around. We got some more information from our friend and found out that although there had been talk, no solid offers of rescue for this poor guy had come through. The organization that had been helping Gabriel had pretty much exhausted their funds and Gabriel still needed a rescue/foster/adopter ... obviously recovering in a kennel had not gone successfully and a quiet home would be best.

Our hearts broke for Gabriel. So much so, that Jen S wrote the woman in NC that had Gabriel:

Hi, I left you a voice mail about Gabriel.

If he does not have a foster and is available for transport, I would love to foster him through my South Jersey Rescue, Joa's Arc. Our mission is to assist with Special Needs animals for local NJ and PA rescues/shelters.

Gabriel is tugging at my heart strings, I would love to open my home to him so he can know love and kindness. I know Gabriel is outside our Mission but we the Board of Joa's Arc unanimously voted to reach out a helping hand (paw) to Gabriel. Plus, we had a Special Needs kitten named Gabriel who has since crossed the Rainbow Bridge. He was attacked by a dog and became paralyzed in the rear. He lived a happy life for a little over a year. No more fear of being attacked for Gabriel.

I have 2 friends that own hounds and I will make sure he has regular plays dates with all 3 of them. All my hound friend's want to do is play!

Please let me know the current status and availability of Gabriel.

Thank you!!

Jen S, Board Member
Joa's Arc

Well, guess what? As of today, Gabriel is on his way to Joa's Arc!! Coincidentally, a small transport of dogs were already scheduled to head up from the same shelter Gabriel came into in NC to a town near by in South Jersey. Joa's Arc! is also making a donation to the rescue who put so much hard work, time and love into Gabriel already. We're all excited for Gabriel's arrival sometime between tomorrow and we're looking forward to a quiet, happy and safe recovery for Gabriel in Jen S's home while she fosters him.

Thank you for all your support, friends. Without you, none of this would be possible. Check back for an update soon! Tweet This