Ted & Sandy Gray dedicated themselves to the rescue and cleanup of the dogs rescued from the horrendous conditions at the Garritson residence.   They worked long, heartbreaking  hours for days on end, taking dogs all the way through the grooming process so that they would have an opportunity to get to know a single person.  These dogs did not have an idea of what humans were all about; they were terrified of hands and would hide in corners.

This story of Sammy & Gracie's rescue and recovery was submitted to me by their rescuers, who have dedicated so much of their lives to these dogs that we will never know.  The entire summer brought a halt to their personal plans and their own business was put on hold.  Their selfless dedication as well as that of many others are what enabled these dogs to have a chance of a peaceful life, free of pain and fear.

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Following  is a picture of Sammy showing a scar around his neck.  It is under the brown hair on his neck.  A thin white line.  

I picked up Sammy at Animal Control on Aug. 4, 2002 and the hair on his chest and underside still has not started to grow.  I think it may have either been burned off by laying in urine or pulled out by the roots from the thick matting.  His skin color is black but no hair.  The hair on his shoulders and the sides of his neck is now growing long enough to cover the bare area.  His pads are also very rough or scarred from standing in urine.  He sometimes hides his dog biscuit in his crate and sits on it so the other dogs can't get it.  Only in the past month has he made eye contact with us when we talk to him.  The biggest obstacle to overcome was your hands coming at them.  

Gracie had a sore on her left hip which had not healed in the 6 weeks she was at animal control.  The intake report at Animal Control stated 1x2 inch raised scab.  It is now gone.  She had muscle atrophy in her rear legs from no exercise and walked almost dragging them.  We swam her in our bathtub to build up the muscle tone.  She still walks like a bowl of Jell-O.  Since her nails had not been cut, she caught one on our wooden gate and pulled the nail from the pad 5 days after we took her home.  Blood everywhere, surgery by a vet, and a wrapped paw for weeks.  Her right eye bulges and she is very protective of it.  She has a small scar on her head above her left eye.  Food means everything to her and she would eat herself sick if we let her.  She has put on weight but we have to watch it because of her eating habit.  I guess they didn't know when their next meal was coming.

Sandy