A feature writing assignment I completed within the frame of my Digital Media Content Creation studies at UCSD Extension in 2018.

He came into the animal shelter with a pig. Even in a rural city like Weatherford, Texas, that wasn’t an everyday occurrence. Dobbs, later renamed Doc, knew how to make an entrance and a lasting impression. He just didn’t know how to make an exit. While his travel companion was adopted, the one-year-old pit bull mix remained at the shelter—and found himself on borrowed time.

Doc and his pig, Wilbur; photo courtesy of Cindy Malik

His new, temporary home was running out of space due to the high intake of dogs, and Doc had several conditions that made him less adoptable: He was being treated for Demodex and a secondary skin infection, his ears needed medical attention and he had heartworms as well as entropion eyelids that would need corrective surgery.

Doc’s ailments were diagnosed when the nonprofit organization Parker County Pets Alive (PCPA), dedicated to sponsoring extended medical care for the dogs at the Weatherford Parker County Animal Shelter, had taken him to a local veterinary hospital after suspecting that something was wrong with his skin and eyes.

That he was heartworm positive and needed eyelid surgery instead of just eye drops or other medicine came as a surprise. “We knew for him to be saved, he would need a sponsor for all his needs. So, we took a leap of faith and our supporters came through for him,” says PCPA member Cindy Malik.

On its Facebook page, PCPA shared Doc’s conditions with its followers and drew attention to his situation, writing “Heartworm-positive dogs don’t have much time at the shelter, especially this time of year when the shelter stays full.” To save him, the nonprofit asked for donations and raised the funds needed for Doc’s surgery and heartworm treatment, hoping that sponsoring his medical care would increase his chance at adoption.

The days went by. More dogs came in. More kennels filled up. Doc waited—and was classified as urgent. He needed someone willing to take in a sick dog, someone willing to repeatedly take him to the veterinarian for treatment. He needed his very own miracle.

And he got it. Deirdra Maraist and her husband stepped up for Doc. Maraist had seen a post about Doc and his pig on one of the animal rescue pages on Facebook. “My heart just sank when I read his story,” she says, looking back. On July 18, 2018, she and her husband arranged for a meet and greet between two of their four rescue dogs and Doc. It went well, so they decided to foster him. Later that afternoon, Doc went on his freedom ride.

After a few days at his foster home, Doc began heartworm treatment at Riverstone Veterinary Hospital, Maraist reported on her Facebook page Sweet Doc’s Diary, adding he’d now have to “take it easy for several weeks.”

In her posts, written from Doc’s perspective, she updates followers on his progress: Seven days after leaving the shelter, Doc noticeably felt better and had even regrown some hair. His energy had returned, and he had started learning simple commands. Two weeks after leaving the shelter, he had gained weight, grown even more hair and mastered the commands sit, stay and come while still working on lie down. A month after leaving the shelter, he received his last heartworm treatment, and once he recovers, he will be able to have eyelid surgery.

Reflecting on her experience with fostering Doc, Maraist says what is most rewarding “is just knowing we saved this great big, lovable dog” and adds, “He has a great personality and a quiet, calm nature about him.”

Although getting Doc well hasn’t been an easy task, Maraist thinks it comes down to commitment and wants others to know that taking in a dog with medical conditions “shouldn’t be an issue at all when some or all of the medical costs are donated.”

He is safe now. He is recovering. He is getting a second chance at life. It took many people, helping in big and small ways, to make it happen: Deirdra Maraist and her husband, PCPA, PCPA’s supporters who donated toward Doc’s treatment, employees and volunteers at the animal shelter, Facebook users who shared Doc’s post to draw attention to his situation. Saving Doc was teamwork.

Recently, Doc’s team has expanded. PCPA member and shelter volunteer Cindy Malik put Maraist in touch with the nonprofit organization iRescue, through which Doc is now available and looking for his new home.

With PCPA sponsoring treatment and iRescue helping rehome Doc, the workload is shared. “It is imperative that rescues work together,” says Michelle Kays-Witkowski, president of iRescue. “I have seen many times where a dog’s only hope was for rescues to come together.”

Reflecting on the decision to help Maraist find a permanent home for Doc, Kays-Witkowski thinks back to her days as an independent rescuer before starting iRescue: “It’s hard! You have no resources that make it possible to get the dog out there where people can see them.”

As Maraist partners with iRescue while she continues to foster, Doc now has such resources available to him. The nonprofit networks him, has included him in its Petfinder account and allows him to attend its adoption events. iRescue will also help screen potential adopters but will leave the final decision to Maraist.

Doc’s tale may have had a rough start, but thanks to compassion, commitment and community teamwork, the dog who came into the animal shelter with a pig will soon be ready for new adventures at his furever home. Happy tails, Doc!