Eight-year-old Reah and her four-month-old Pup, Zeus, sadly found themselves at a Southern Arizona pound after they were discovered roaming the streets of Nogales. Reah’s sagging belly nearly touched the floor. Her kind eyes and sweet spirit masked all that she must have endured at the hands of the backyard breeder who rejected the pair after receiving word they had been found safe and were at the pound. Overbred, Reah had provided a steady stream of income to her family via the countless puppies she whelped. Aging Reah was no longer of value to the family’s puppy mill.

DLRR volunteers found this mama and her son at the pound sharing an outdoor dirt pen, a harsh environment in which to recover from the spaying and the mammary tumor surgeries she underwent. An exhausted Reah lovingly tolerated her playful baby, Zeus who had no other place than his mama to expend his puppy energy. Oblivious to the Elizabethan collar that Reah wore, he climbed all over her, begging her to play. Sweet Reah responded to him with motherly love and patience.

Reah’s foster family happily welcomed her into their home. They had just begun to get to know her when she required an emergency room visit for uncontrollable bleeding from the incision site. Another surgery was recommended, and Reah underwent an in-line mastectomy shortly thereafter. Thankfully, the pathology showed no cancer!
 
Miss Reah’s medical journey will continue in the days and weeks ahead. As she moves through the phases of what is to come medically, she will be well-loved and cared for by her foster family as they nurse her back to good health in preparation for life with an adoptive family. Her boy, Zeus, is currently in foster, awaiting his neuter surgery and forever family.

This is likely the first time in Reah’s life that she has known unconditional love. She is truly safe now and she will never again be forced to financially provide for the self-serving humans that took such advantage of her.

UPDATE: Sweet Reah was adopted on 12/8/2019.

Medical Cost to Date: $4,108