On Wednesday, September 24, Alabama Boston Terrier Rescue (ABTR) received two young male Boston Terrier from the Tuscaloosa Metro Shelter in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. They were brought to the shelter by the owner. Both are in serious condition from what we were told was fight,. The older one, DeDe, 3-4 years, has a broken jaw, split tongue, loose teeth, and was bleeding profusely from the mouth. His jaw had to be wired. Dr. Shamblin (the attending vet) said his front leg was like mince meat, as if another animal had just been chewing on him while he was unconscious. Dr. Shamblin said in his thirty-one years of veterinary practice, he has never seen a leg as bad as Prince's. Dr. Shamblin said the puncture wounds are so deep that you can see both the tendons and the bone. Prince is dehydrated and anemic. The younger one, Prince, has corneal ulcers and infections in both his eyes and skin. Dede was covered with over 750 fleas, leaving numerous open sores, and was full of hookworms before being medicated to treat the latter. DeDe is also heartworm positive, although he is just 2-3 years old. They are both on antibiotics, vitamins, and wound care, etc., and Prince still requires follow-up veterinary care for the heart worm treatment. We brought them to Decatur, Alabama, from the vet on October 1, and will keep them until they are ready to be fostered. Although the owner said they were fighting each other, the vet does not think so. Dr. Shamblin says the dogs are big buddies, very gentle, and show no aggression to one another or to people. I have asked the shelter to investigate and press abuse and neglect charges if indicated. We do not have a total on the vet bill yet, but it will be big even after the 15% discount; and they still have to be neutered and one treated for heartworms—a few more hundred dollars. If anyone is willing to help, we would greatly appreciate it any and all assistance. Specifics for sending contributions are given below.

These were taken October 1, 2003, one week after they were rescued.