Finding Family

Katherine H. had never fostered a dog, but after moving into a pet-friendly apartment in New York City’s East Village in late August 2023, she made fostering a priority. She wanted to help animals, even if they were short-term stays. She soon saw an email about Sailor, an eight-year-old male Shih Tzu at the ASPCA who needed a foster caregiver. 

“For me, fostering a senior dog was especially important,” says Katherine, who grew up with dogs. “They’re so sweet and loving and often get overlooked.”

Within 48 hours after fostering Sailor, Katherine decided to adopt him, and on September 27, she did!

A Severe Wound

Sailor’s early years were anything but smooth sailing. On June 23, 2023, he was surrendered to the Animal Care Centers (ACC) of NYC’s Manhattan location. His owner had allegedly left him with a friend, then never returned for him. By the time he got to ACC, Sailor’s hair was severely matted around his face and legs, and he was unable to bear weight on his right hind leg.

The exam revealed a paw wound that exposed deep underlying muscle tissues, tendons and a long metatarsal paw bone. Below the wound was severe soft tissue swelling, hair loss and deep red skin discoloration.

A Lengthy Recovery

Veterinarians at ASPCA were so concerned about Sailor’s leg injury that they scheduled an amputation for June 26.

“It was still horrific, but he was starting to put weight on his toes,” says Dr. Crowley. “Given his short body stature and age, it would have been rough for him to recover from amputation.”

The ARC team decided to give Sailor’s wound time to heal. He underwent daily cleaning and bandage changes.

Fortunately, with time and healing, Sailor got to keep his leg. Now, Sailor is living his best life in his forever home with Katherine and is rarely alone.