Intro or The Ugliest Damn Dog I've Ever Seen

Wakefield chilling on the porch, wondering why the MLB off-season is so long

Disclaimer

This is a true and ongoing story about 'Wakefield'. This particular story may very well have an ending that isn't happy, so read at your own risk. This poor guy is getting medical care and all the food and love he can handle, but his prognosis isn't great. This story could be over tomorrow, or could go on for a while. Cross your fingers for us...

Intro or The Ugliest Damn Dog I've Ever Seen

Meet Wakefield. He's a 6 month old male and by the vet's best estimation, a pit bull mix. He has the 'red mange' which has caused about 70% of his hair to fall out and is likely responsible for some of the sores you can see on his back, sides, and face. When I found him on the side of the road, he was riddled with ticks and covered with open wounds of various types that were largely mange related (but some appear to have been caused by a bad scrape with another animal or some barbed wire). He'd been on his own in the woods for most of his short life, and was literally as malnourished as any living, breathing thing could be.

That last paragraph was a downer, I know. Here's some good news though: He’s heartworm free, and the vet thinks he's got a chance (albeit slim) of pulling out if we can get the mange healed up. He has averaged 8-9 cups of food a day since day one (we're on day four now), and all the cuts on his face and back are closed and healing. He's gone from unable to move more than a couple feet on his own to following me around the living room and back porch with a full up wagging tail.

If anyone is interested in keeping up with Wakefield and I as we try to get him on the mend, please let me know and I'll keep writing. The intent of this story is really to raise awareness of the issues of animal neglect and cruelty in this country. That being the case, I'm opening the 'notes' section of my facebook page to everyone. So, please feel free to spread the word to any dog/animal fans, people you know who might like to listen to a sad but hopeful story, or anyone else who wants to laugh at what will certainly be an amateur attempt at a blog if it has the support to continue. If no one is interested, well, that's okay too. Wakefield is getting (a little) better, baseball season starts in a few days, and the Sox have a strong starting lineup. Things are looking up.

-David

Next week on 'A Second Chance for Wakefield':
-How we came to share the same roof (hint: trespassing...oooh exciting!)
-Tick removal for dummies (gross...seriously the grossest thing you can imagine)
-The definition of 'Quality' (just joking...I'm reading 'Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance' right now and decided to throw that in just to see if anyone was still actually reading this)