Rafael's Story - From Skin and Bones to Happy Dog

I may be a selfish diva coonhound but I have a soft spot in my heart for a dog named Rafael. You see, last October Rafael was rescued by the same people that rescued me in Santa Fe.

But Rafael almost didn't make it. He was shivering, all skin and bones, in the village of Pojoaque just north of Santa Fe. A kind man spotted him, wrapped him up in a blanket and called Animal Control. They took him to the Vet's at the Animal Shelter in Santa Fe. And lucky for Rafael, they have the funds, the expertise and time to go the extra mile for animals like Rafael.

When Raphael first arrived, he weighed just 45 pounds. Now he's up to 64 pounds. Once he reaches 75 pounds, he will either be placed in a foster home or if he's well enough, he’ll be adopted. When he first got there, they had to be very careful not to feed him too much at once. They fed him every two hours by hand. They did all the tests to determine what might be wrong with him.

This is Rafael when they first found him

Once they put his photo and story up on the Santa Fe Animal Shelter Facebook page, I was hooked. I looked for photos of him every day. I wanted to know that he was gaining weight. You know, I was skinny when I was picked up off the streets of Santa Fe BUT NOT THAT SKINNY!

I also was scared to tell my readers about Rafael. So I waited until I knew he was gonna do well. I loved it when they posted videos of him wagging his tale, walking outside and wearing his wardrobe of sweaters.

Here's Rafael now. He's looking for things to hunt.
He's beginning to get his muscles back.

I love it when I hear that he is gaining weight and is happy. GO RAFAEL GO! Andale Amigo! We are rooting for you!

If you would like to donate to the Santa Fe Humane Society Animal Shelter, you can do that on their website. I know they'd appreciate it.