PLEASE HELP US HELP CHICO!  WE CAN'T DO THIS WITHOUT YOU! WE NEED TO RAISE $3100 BY NOVEMBER 6!

THIS IS WHAT WE NEED:

1) The boarding facility in which Chico is located costs $210/week. We need to raise funds for boarding for the next 3 weeks, until he can go to training.

2) The training program costs $2500 for five weeks - we need to raise those funds prior to November 6 when he is scheduled to enter the program.

Chico came into our rescue as an emergency intake on October 7. Now we - and Chico - need you all to come together and help us to make this plan work for him!

We have a foster family in place!  We have a wonderful training facility/rehab willing to take him.

NOW ALL WE NEED IS THE FUNDING, AND FOR THAT WE NEED YOUR HELP!

WITHOUT RAISING THE FUNDS WE CAN DO NOTHING FOR CHICO! WE ARE DEPENDING UPON ALL OF OUR FRIENDS AND FOLLOWERS - AND EVERYONE WHO HAS FOLLOWED CHICO'S JOURNEY ON FACEBOOK - TO HELP US HELP HIM!

PLEASE read his story and give whatever you can:

Chico's life hasn't been easy or happy.  We are determined to change that, and we NEED YOUR HELP!

He officially became an FFFR dog on October  7, but we have known Chico for over 8 months and have been doing all we can to keep him in the home.  Sadly that was not possible, so he is now in our rescue.

At about five years old, Chico was rescued in April by a well meaning person with a huge heart.  He had been living in a basement for several months, after his owner left and his girl friend couldn't handle Chico.

His rescuer couldn't stand seeing him there, so she took him into her home with the intention of rehoming him.  Once there, she quickly realized he was more than she could handle, and reached out for help.

Our rescue trainer, Allen Szykula, met Chico the day after Brenda brought him into her home.  At that point, Chico showed significant fear aggression.  We had no suitable spot in the rescue for him, and after reaching out to no fewer than 15 other rescues, it seemed unlikely that we would find one to step up and help Chico.  We therefore determined that we would do whatever we were able to help keep him in the home.

To that end, Allen Szykula provided training and guidance to his family. 

Chico also needed medical care.  He was emaciated.  No matter how much he ate, he kept losing weight.  He had severe diarrhea and vomited frequently.  Because the family could not afford the kind of care he needed, we agreed to manage his medical care and cover the costs at our vet.  After extensive diagnostics, both at our vet and at Central Hospital of Veterinary Medicine, Chico was diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease.  With the help of three different medications, probiotics, Vitamin B12, and a prescription diet, he is getting better!

In the meantime, however, Brenda and her family faced a series of challenges.  They lost their apartment as a result of an incident caused by Chico's fear of strangers.  Outside one day, his muzzle slipped off and he bit their landlord's relative, landing Chico in a bite quarantine and his family in danger of being on the street. 

They bought a run-down trailer, fixed it up, and parked it on some property they were rehabbing.  Everyone thought that was a great solution - and it was for several months, until they had to move it because of zoning restrictions.

Despite many people offering suggestions and possible solutions, they let us know on October 4 that they could no longer keep Chico and needed him to leave immediately. 

We explained that there was a process we needed to go through, but were told there was no time.  On October 6 the family told us that, if we could not take him immediately, he would be surrendered to a high kill shelter the next day.

We couldn't let that happen to Chico!  We knew that there was no way he would make it out alive from NY Animal Care and Control!

Accordingly, on October 7 we went and re-evaluated Chico. Thankfully he has grown more trusting and less aggressive in the past several months.  Although he is still a scared boy - with his tail tucked firmly between his legs - the aggression has dissipated considerably.  We therefore made the decision to bring him into the rescue.

A friend of our rescue agreed to board him at her kennels while we formulated a plan for Chico.

TODAY THAT PLAN CAME TOGETHER!

We needed two things for Chico - a dedicated foster family and a rehabilitation program for him - because we could not comfortably place him immediately in a foster home.  We believe that all rescues and rescuers have a responsibility to both the dog and the safety of the community - and given Chico's history and current level of fearfulness, he needs to go through training before being placed in a home.

NOTE: This is a rehab that cannot be done by our trainer, since Chico is tentative around other dogs and his program is in a setting where many dogs interact.

WELL!

We did a home visit this evening and gave final approval to a foster home for Chico, once he completes rehab!

AND

We spoke at length today to the founder of a wonderful training/rehabilitation program who agreed to take him into rehab on November 6th.

IF ... and ONLY IF ... we can raise these funds, Chico will have a brand new start in life!  PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE HELP US TO HELP CHICO!

No matter how much or how little you can give, it will help! 

You can donate directly through this fundraiser.

You can also donate using your debit or credit card by clicking on the link below and then the "Donate" button:

https://www.furryfriendsct.org

Or you can mail donations to us at: Furry Friends Foster and Rescue, Inc., 64 Thomaston Rd, Harwinton CT 06791

But PLEASE DON'T DELAY! CHICO NEEDS YOU NOW!

Furry Friends Foster and Rescue, Inc. is approved by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) public charity.  All donations are tax deductible.