Update - 12/05/00

Savannah was rescued on November 18 and remains in the hospital recovering.  The vet tells us that her kidneys seem to be functioning now, but her digestive tract continues to have some problems.  We were all very excited when she gained 5 pounds, but she quickly lost three of these again, so we are trying to identify the reason for this.  She is on a soft diet supplemented with enzymes to aid her digestion.  She is going for short walks every day to build up her strength, but she tires very easily.  The person that rescued her visits her every day, and saw her wag her tail once.  Here is a photo of Savannah enjoying a bone.

We are hoping to get Savannah into a foster home as early as next week.  The vet tells us that she can not be released until she can hold her weight at 40 pounds or more.  We are anxious to get her into a home environment where she can receive the nurturing that she needs because her spirit is as deprived as her body has been.  She seems to be rather "numb" emotionally, probably because she has never had affection.  She is gentle and not the least bit mean, but she doesn't seem to "connect" with people yet.  Ironically, the best way to describe her demeanor is "empty", just like her little body.

As soon as she puts on some of the weight that she desperately needs, she can undergo several more tests, possibly including an ultrasound to try to see the extent of the damage to her internal organs.  We suspect that she will have some chronic health problems throughout her life, but we are hoping otherwise.  We originally estimated Savannah to be between 2 and 4 years old, but now we are told that she is probably closer to 5.  Her front teeth are all quite badly chipped, so we don't want to imagine what that is from.

Many people have written to ask what is being done to find the monster that did this.  We have had several rather frustrating conversations with the animal control personnel.  They told us that somehow their standard policy for receiving "turn in" dogs did not occur in this instance, and they tried to blame this on the volunteer who saved Savannah.  We were also told that they "don't have the manpower" to investigate all the alleged cases of animal abuse that come through this facility!  One Lieutenant claimed that "socio-economic and cultural differences" within their service areas were impossible to combat, and that they see horrible things at this shelter several times every day!  Another official claimed that they reviewed the video tape from the parking lot cameras and were unable to make out a license plate distinctly, implying that there was no way to track this criminal down.  Several police departments have told us that this is considered FELONY animal abuse and that a conviction should earn jail time for the abuser.  We are getting the impression that this is just going to be swept under the rug and Savannah will become just another statistic...

Supervisor Don Knabe
Los Angeles County, Fourth District
822 Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration
500 West Temple Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Fax: 213-626-6941
Email: don@bos.co.la.ca.us

Please tell him what you think of the monster that did this to Savannah and insist that better systems for identifying and investigating cruelty be implemented at this shelter immediately!  Tell him that the "cultural differences" alibi just doesn't fly, and that those charged with the responsibility of protecting our beloved animal companions MUST take their jobs seriously!  Every voice will help those like Savannah who can not speak for themselves.

We are also trying to mobilize to set up a reward fund for information leading to the arrest and conviction of this person.  Because we are a small group, this is taking us a while to do, but we hope to have something in place very soon.

We plan to post regular updates about Savannah's progress on our web site, so please check back with us often. Your warm thoughts and prayers have gone a long way toward keeping our spirits up, and we are certain that they are helping Savannah to keep fighting.  THANK YOU FOR CARING ABOUT THIS BEAUTIFUL LITTLE GIRL!

Update - 12/10/00

Savannah is still in the hospital, but she is gaining strength and showing some spunk!  The person who saved her took her for a brief visit to her own home and we quickly learned that Savannah has a very high prey drive toward cats and a pet cockatiel.  She showed the most energy that she has shown to date by struggling to get at these other critters-and certainly not to play with them.  Our vet said that it is highly possible that she caught mice, rats and/or birds to stay alive and that she will never outgrow this instinctive behavior.  This means that her forever home will have to be one without small pets.

While she remains distant from most people, Savannah is now wagging her tail when she sees Shawn, the volunteer who saved her, and Shawn's daughter.  She knows that they are there to take her for a walk and to shower her with affection.  She still stands rather stiffly when she is being petted, but we think that as she learns to trust people, she'll understand that not everyone is as horrible as her former "caretaker" was.  Here is a picture of Savannah and Shawn taken in front of the German Shepherd Rescue.

As long as she continues to gain strength, we think that we can get Savannah into a foster home for the holidays.  Obviously, we are all really anxious for this to occur!

Update - 12/15/00

We are currently planning a "Meet Savannah" event at the Dog Park in Huntington Beach on December 23rd from 11:00 to 2:00.  The Huntington Beach Dog Park is an acre and a half of land located next to Central Park on Edwards Street.  If you would like to come by to give Savannah your good wishes, or if you are interested in fostering or adopting Savannah, please call (714) 920-1122.

Today was Savannah's big day.  We held the "Meet Savannah" event at Dog Park in Huntington Beach.  What a fantastic turnout!!!  People came to meet her, to bring her presents, and to donate funds to the German Shepherd Rescue to help with Savannah's care.  One lady drove all the way from Tarzana just to give Savannah a hug and a kiss.  Another woman and her daughter brought Savannah a beautiful, brand new dog bed and toys.  Another brought more toys and treats.  One wonderful supporter made beautiful Christmas tree decorations and donated the proceeds to help with Savannah's on-going care.  The love that people have for this very special dog is so touching.  Thank you to everyone who participated in this event.

On the medical front, further tests have revealed that Savannah has a pancreatic disorder probably induced by her starvation state.  This disorder is easily controlled by adding a powdered enzyme to her food which helps her pancreas to properly digest and process her food.  We are very hopeful that this discovery will help Savannah to start putting on some much needed weight.  Although she will probably need this medication for the rest of her life, it is easily added to her food and seems to be making a difference already.

Savannah is still looking for her perfect home.  Most of the people who have enquired about adopting her already have cats and/or birds or other small pets in their home.  Because of Savannah's high prey-drive, this would not be a good situation for her.  So we continue to look for just the right home for this sweet girl.  In the meantime, we are finding that she is a very gentle and loving dog who is really looking for someone special to bond to.  She is becoming very attached to the volunteers.  She is starting to come out of her shell, and is a friendly and good natured girl.

Savannah's perfect situation would be a quiet home without a lot of commotion.  Of course, no cats, birds, or other small pets in the home (for their safety).  Although Savannah gets along with other dogs, we would like her to be in a home with no more than one other dog so that she will receive ample love and attention.  As is our policy with all of the dogs adopted through our rescue, only applications from homes in the Southern California area will be accepted.  We will do a home visit prior to approving the adoption.  If you are interested in adopting Savannah, please contact us via email at gsrescue@gsrescue.org.

"Happy New Year" from Savannah and her friends at German Shepherd Rescue!

Update - 1/22/01

Savannah is finally home!  We are happy to announce that Savannah has been adopted by a wonderful family, and is happily settling into her new home.  

First, there were some farewells!  Here is Savannah with Dr. Naito and the staff at Huntington Pet Vet in Huntington Beach where Savannah has been lovingly cared for ever since her rescue just before Thanksgiving.  Everyone at the vet office is going to miss her, but they are happy that Savannah got a great home.  We want to thank Dr. Naito and all of the staff there!

Then, it was on to meet her new family!  Here is Savannah with her newly adopted family.

Looking at the gorgeous, bright-eyed dog in this picture, it is hard to believe that she is the same little girl that was turned in to be killed at the shelter back in November because she "wouldn't die".  This little girl is a fighter, and we're glad to say that Savannah has won the hearts of many of us over the past few months.

Here is a message from our volunteer who saved Savannah:

It took the efforts of many kind-hearted people to save Savannah - a volunteer who rushed her to safety and has been a "guardian angel" throughout this ordeal, a kind veterinarian and staff who nursed her back to health, rescue volunteers who stepped up to help, animal lovers who sent their donations and well wishes for her recovery, people all over the world who raised their voices against the cruelty of animal abuse, and a loving family who took Savannah into their hearts and home.  To everyone who made a difference in Savannah's life, we wish to send a heart-felt "Thank You"!  Together, we were able to make Savannah's story have a happy ending.