Big Little Life Animal Rescue

If you’ve ever wondered what a shelter dog dreams about, an 11-year-old member of our little team just mapped it out for us. ❤️

He’s been helping us out behind the scenes—doing photo edits, clipping videos, and learn what goes on behind all those posts you see here.. But recently, he sketched an idea on paper and turned it into this digital comic.

This is what the dream of every shelter dog looks like through the eyes of an 11-year-old.
Happiness is pretty straightforward: family, love, fun outings, and hot dogs. As it turns out, a shelter dog's wish really isn't so different.
Even the best shelter in the world was never meant to replace a home.
Thank you for helping us make that happen, one dog at a time. ❤️

His message couldn't be clearer:
Please adopt! 🐶❤️

We managed to send one more shelter dog home. ❤️

Yukki was born at the shelter last November. His pregnant mom had been brought in by animal control, and the shelter was the only home he had ever known.
Locally, he had almost no chance of finding a family. And it is so unfair because Yukki—his shelter name was Clown—is such a wonderful dog. He loves children. Maybe because he is still a kid himself. :)

Now Yukki has a home in Europe. He has a family and his own little human brother. And this is how he now sleeps. 🥹
It took Yukki four long days to get there. This trip was not easy. There was a lot of planning, worry, stress, and expenses.
And then we received thеse photos of Yukki at home. He is loved. This is what we wanted for him, and it was all worth it.

Thank you so much to the European volunteers who helped us find this wonderful family. Connections mean everything in rescue. Sometimes one person knows another—and that is how a shelter dog finds a home.

If you would like to help us do this for more dogs, please consider becoming a monthly donor. Even $5 a month helps us give dogs in need a better life and gives us something we can count on when the next one needs us. ❤️

https://biglittleliferescue.org/donate/

C**T UPDATE ❤️

We used to bring C**t outside and let him spend time lying on a mat in the fresh air, but we've stopped doing that for now.
The flies bother him terribly, and C**t doesn't seem to understand that he can shake them off.
There are also people passing by who want to pet him. C**t doesn't like that anymore, especially when someone reaches for his head. He protects his head from touch, and lately he has started growling and snapping at strangers who try to pet him. Touching his head makes him uncomfortable.

But C**t still gets to go places and have a little life outside his room. Sometimes he walks a little himself, and sometimes he gets a ride on the cart to the park. ❤️

There is some good news with eating. When C**t sees his bowl now, he understands: Oh, food. I should eat.
But his sense of smell still seems to be very limited. He shows interest in wet food, which has a stronger smell. Dry food is different. We have to bring it close to his face and show him that it's food. Once he takes a bite and starts chewing, something clicks. He understands what it is and eats.
And then he even guards his bowl, holding it between his paws. ❤️

We weigh C**t once a week so we can make sure he isn't losing weight and, hopefully, starts gaining some.

Drinking is still the biggest problem. He still doesn't understand that he needs to drink on his own.
We don't know if or when that ability will come back. The brain is a complicated thing, and with an injury like C**t's, there really is no way to predict what will return. Maybe one day drinking will suddenly make sense to him again. We can only hope.

So this is C**t now. Our very special boy with no real prognosis and no timeline.
What we do know is that he needs daily care. Someone has to make sure he eats, gets enough water, receives his treatment, and stays safe.
C**t will remain at the shelter for the rest of his life.

If anyone would like to become C**t's monthly sponsor and help us provide that daily care for him, we would be incredibly grateful.

Monthly sponsorship: https://biglittleliferescue.org/donate/

Thank you for continuing to stay by his side. ❤️

You probably remember Aspen. She’s the girl we found lying in the middle of the road after being hit by a car, with another dog standing beside her and refusing to leave.

A lot has happened since then. Aspen survived a badly broken pelvis, a four-hour surgery, another surgery later, and months of recovery. She learned to walk normally again, got her life back, and we were finally preparing her to travel for adoption.

And then, during a routine checkup, the doctor found a mammary gland tumor.
Aspen recently had surgery to remove it, so her travel plans are on hold for now. Thankfully, she is feeling well and has already resumed her walks. If you saw her outside, you probably wouldn’t know anything had happened.

Now we wait for the histology results. Hopefully, they bring good news and this is just one more unexpected detour before Aspen can finally go looking for her family. ❤️

A special thank you to our monthly supporters. Your ongoing support made it possible for us to take care of this unexpected surgery without hesitation. ❤️

C**T UPDATE ❤️

Drinking is still a big problem for C**t. He doesn't drink on his own at all. Water has to be slowly given to him with a syringe.

To keep him from becoming dehydrated again, we continue give him 400 ml of Ringer-Locke solution under the skin every morning. It takes hours, usually until around lunchtime.

C**t gets too hot inside, so we take him outside for his fluids. He really doesn't like them, especially when the needle has to be repositioned. He moves around, sometimes the needle comes out, and we have to put it back in. He knows it hurts and tries to resist, so someone has to hold him.

We feel terrible doing this to him. He doesn't understand why we keep poking him and holding him when he just wants us to leave him alone. But without the fluids, he will become dehydrated again. So despite all his protests, we have to do it.

C**t is still very weak and underweight. He weighs only 16 kg (35 lbs), when a dog his size should be around 22–25 kg (48–55 lbs).

Eating isn't normal yet either.

He won't go to his bowl and eat on his own. Someone has to bring the food right to his nose and stay with him until he finally notices it. If you walk away before that happens, he simply won't eat. Once he realizes the food is there, he does eat.
So every meal still means someone sitting beside C**t and making sure he gets enough.

The part C**t does enjoy comes after his fluids. He gets to walk around the yard and stretch his legs. He is still unsteady but he is walking short distances on his own. Right now, keeping him moving is very important so he doesn't lose even more muscle while he recovers. We found a way to encourage him. We make sure he notices a little piece of food, put it a short distance away, and C**t walks over to get it. Then we do it again.
For now, that's how we're getting our poor boy to exercise: one piece of food at a time.

Thank you for staying by C**t's side. His treatment is far from over, and we still need your help to keep going. ❤️

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