Remember to vaccinate; it's important

The following note is from the kind staff of our friends, the Navy racing wieners Skipper, Cricket and Pretzel. They wanted us to pass it along to all our readers, human and canine. The photo is of the wieners friends' foster brother Nicholas, who died this week because his former staffers didn't care enough to have him vaccinated against basic illnesses.

To Whoever Dumped the Red Dachshund with the NY Giants Collar:

This is to whoever dumped a sweet 1-2 year old red male miniature dachshund with the New York Giants collar along I-264. You might want to know he passed away this morning at 9 AM. No, he wasn't hit by a car although he came close several times before someone stopped and rescued him. No, he didn't die of starvation because he went without proper food and water for some time. What killed him was the fact that you sent him out into the world alone without being vaccinated and he contracted Parvo. When Dachshund Rescue of North America got him in he was already sick and we took him to the Vet. He has spent the last 3 days in ICU at a Norfolk Vet fighting to survive but slowly dying from the virus. No expense was spared in the medical effort to save him, but you not spending the money ($18 at the SPCA) to get him vaccinated sentenced him to death. And what is truly sad is that every time someone walked into his room at the Vet he would perk up and look to see who it was. He was looking for you, his family and would sadly put his head back down when it wasn't you. He showed such loyalty to you who didn't care enough to protect and care for him. We with Dachshund Rescue gave him love, medical care and were with him at the end, even though we didn’t know his name and had only known him a few days. Where were you? The people that had raised him from a puppy for the past 1-2 years and who he was so loyal to.

For those of you reading this sad story PLEASE vaccinate your pets. If you can't afford to take you pet to the Vet and keep them current, then don't get a pet until you can. Yes, it is wonderful that you have lots of love to give, but love will not protect an animal from disease. Parvo is a real problem in this area, highly contagious and unvaccinated pets are sitting ducks. We have seen it in our local dog parks and shelters, but it can be picked up anywhere a Parvo infected dog defecates. It can survive up to 9 months on any surface (grass included) even if the feces is no longer there unless sanitized with bleach. All this poor little boy had to do was walked through an area were a Parvo animal had defecated and somehow transfer it to his mouth and he was infected. So unless you keep you pets in a plastic bubble and never take them out, they are at risk for Parvo unless vaccinated.

For those of you re-homing animals: Please make sure the new owner is willing/able to provide Vet care. We at Dachshund Rescue of North America have seen many dachshunds that were re-homed on Craig's List and never taken proper care of. When these dogs got sick these new owners figure it is cheaper to find another puppy/dog than to pay the vet. So make sure your pet goes to a home that will truly care for him/her. And if you can't find a good new home for your pet take them to a shelter, SPCA or call a rescue group, don't just dump them somewhere like with this poor guy.

If you are looking for a dachshund to adopt or need to surrender one please check out DRNA.org.