There are too many stories of animal neglect. On Saturday June 3, such a case got personal. Gary and I were at Houston's Bill Archer Dog Park which we frequent often with our two fur babies. As we were about to leave, we bumped into a number of dog parents at the entrance conversing with a police officer. A distressed dog had been dumped in the park with no ID. We enquired what would happen to him. If he wasn’t picked up within the hour, the officer would take him to the city's pound. Given how he looked, it was highly likely he would go unclaimed and be destroyed. There was no way we could let that happen. It was an easy decision - he's coming home with us and we're becoming foster parents for the first time. Scooby (that's what we've called him) was clearly traumatized by the day's events, and it took us a lot of gentle coaxing to get him out of there. Our dogs were very gracious giving him all the space he needed in the back of our Jeep. Our wonderful vet Dr. Stephen K. Chmaitelli at River Oaks Veterinary Clinic examined him at short notice. The prognosis wasn't great - a severe case of both heartworm and mange. He also needed a number of other medications, including a rabies shot, antibiotics, cleansing shampoo (he has to get a bath every three days and he's not a big fan!) and tapeworm to name a few. Both the mange and heartworm are very treatable. He's already started on the first of eight weekly doses to clear the mange which covers at least 50% of his body. His treatment plan is expensive, but not as much as it should be thanks to our vet's generosity. We plan to foster him until he is well enough to find his forever family. We have set up this page to help cover the cost of his treatment. Scooby is such a brave wee boy and deserves a second chance. He's so sweet natured and will be a fantastic addition to anyone's family. Please consider donating to Scooby's treatment and giving him that chance in life he so richly deserves. Thank you Nicola & Gary