Alliance Magazine_Winter 2016

SHYLOH'S STORY
By Beau Archer
Director of Strategic Operations
Surgery Allows Stray Pup to Truly Savor Life
ll the animals that pass through
A
our doors are important to us and
special in their own way. But some
just tug a little harder at the heart
strings. Take Shyloh, for example.
Humane Rescue Alliance intake coordinator,
Maureen Sosa, was making a regular
visit to one of our local partner shelters
when a staff member asked if she could
show Maureen a special case. What Maureen
saw was a young, petite female pit bull
terrier mix. At first glance, the dog—who
had been named Shyloh—looked perfect:
healthy, happy, and wiggly. So what made
her “special”?
Apparently, this darling girl, who had been
picked up as a stray, couldn’t open her
mouth—at all. The only way she could eat
or drink was through a small gap between
her upper and lower teeth on one side of
her jaw. How she came to be in this situation,
we’ll never truly know, but it was obvious
she needed help.
The shelter she was in didn’t have the necessary
resources so staff there were hoping
that we could give her a second chance.
They were thrilled when we said yes. “I
knew there was a reason you came today,”
the rescue coordinator told Maureen. “It
was to save Shyloh.”
As soon as we received Shyloh, we sent her
x-rays to the Veterinary Orthopedic Sports
Medicine (VOSM) team for review. They
advised us to consult a veterinary dental
surgeon who told us that he could perform
surgery that would improve her situation
and gave us an idea of what we could expect
as far as aftercare and her healing process.
After examining Shyloh and considering
our options, one of our veterinarians, Dr.
Baker, recommended that we proceed with
the surgery because the result would defi-
8 ALLIANCE