When we received the email from a rescue in Oklahoma, asking us to help with Wally, we immediately said yes. It didn’t matter that he was a special needs dog that was missing one of his front legs. One look into those soulful eyes and we knew we couldn’t turn our back on him. He deserved to find a home of his own.

The rescue said Wally was found running loose; they had no idea how he came to lose his front leg. Maybe he was hit by a car or suffered some other sort of trauma. We will never know - but we do know is that Wally is a sweet dog with an amazing personality. He is so outgoing and friendly. Wally loves everyone he meets!

After Wally arrived we took him to our vet to have an overall check up. What they found was not good news. Wally’s remaining front leg is loaded with arthritis and it is very painful for him to walk. Because he tries to compensate for the pain, Wally has also done damage to his spine. Who knows how long the poor guy has been suffering? To make matters worse, Wally tested positive for a tick borne disease.

The vet immediately put Wally on anti-inflammatories, pain medication, supplements and antibiotics. The antibiotics are short term and will take care of the tick borne disease. The pain medication and supplements are for life. Wally will also have to be fitted for a cart which he will need to use when he goes outside for playtime and walks. This will alleviate the stress and pain on his front leg and his back. He will also benefit from regular chiropractic and acupuncture. As you can imagine, all of this will be very expensive and will really take a toll on our medical fund, which is already stretched thin.

Through everything, Wally remains a happy, loving, boy with a tail that never stops wagging. Even though he is in pain, he never gives up and we will never give up on him. He is a gentle soul that deserves a chance at a happy life. Can you help us give Wally a happy ending?

At West Suburban Humane Society we never turn our back on an animal in need. Wally will get whatever he needs to make him comfortable and give him a good quality of life. But we can’t do it without your help. Your generous donation enables us to pay for treatment for dogs like Wally and many more just like him. Here are a few others we've recently helped:

Jack is a 6 year old Labrador Retriever who came to us in search of a new family. When he arrived, we discovered he had tears in the ACLs of both legs, hookworm, lungworm, a mast cell tumor, and a broken canine tooth with pulp exposure. Thankfully Jack has received most surgeries and has recovered nicely.

Domino was hit by a car and needed surgery to repair a broken leg. Unfortunately her owner could not afford the surgery and decided to relinquish custody of her to us. We immediately rushed her into successful surgery and once she was healed, Domino was adopted into her forever home!

Samson was surrendered to us by his owner who could no longer take care of him. We noticed quickly that Samson needed his hips replaced, and one surgery is already in the books. His other hip will be replaced once he has healed from the first surgery and when completely healed, he will be made available for adoption!

Natalie was brought to us as a stray and when she arrived, we found out that she also needed hip surgery. Thankfully her hip has completely healed and she is waiting to find her forever home. Stop by and meet her today!

We were able to afford these wonderful animals' expensive surgeries thanks to donors like you. Unfortunately, some still need more treatments, as do hundreds of animals in Chicagoland. Our mission here at West Suburban is to help animals other organizations won’t, giving cats and dogs like Wally hope for a healthy life and a chance to find a forever home. Each one of these animals is special, and each deserves our help. Without continued funding, we won’t be able to fulfill our mission, and animals like Wally will not get the treatments they desperately need. 

Please consider giving a gift today, and help us to continue our important work - rescuing and rehabilitating Chicagoland’s most needy animals!