Margie Ensures Bright Future for Her Pups…Now She Needs a Home!

Picasso Veterinary Fund in Action! (June 2008)

From the backyard of a church in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn where Margie nursed her four newborn puppies, the world must have looked like a terribly scary place. Ten pounds underweight and struggling to keep her puppies safe and nourished, the two-year-old Lab/Pit Bull mix welcomed her rescuers, who arrived to take her and her litter to safety. Because Margie and her puppies required immediate medical attention to bring them back to health, the Picasso Veterinary Fund of the Mayor's Alliance paid for the young family's treatment at Murray Hill Pet Hospital in Manhattan, a Mayor's Alliance Picasso veterinary partner.

After a few days of care and attention at the hospital, Margie and her brood were ready to be transported by the Mayor's Alliance to Bonnie Bassis' A Place for Us, an Alliance Participating Organization that provides foster care for dogs awaiting adoption. Before heading out, however, Margie and her puppies appeared as special guests on Fox TV's eagerly awaited Morning Show with Mike and Juliet on May 21, where Zootoo Founder Richard Thompson announced the winners of the national Zootoo Shelter Makeover Contest.

Now the young family is growing stronger day by day. Margie's pups — Sally, Stubby, Tige and Pete — already have adopters lined up, and they soon will be leaving their mom to join their new adoptive families. Margie, however, is still awaiting an adopter to take her into the comfort of a permanent home after she's adjusted to the absence of her puppies and been spayed, which will be near the end of July.

Were it not for the Picasso Veterinary Fund, an abandoned dog like Margie might have succumbed with her puppies on the street, or perhaps been euthanized at a city shelter because funds were not available to pay for the medical care she and her puppies needed. But thankfully, Margie and the puppies are safe.

Margie did her part — she cared for her puppies until they were out of harm's way and ready for permanent homes. Of course, she got a helping hand from the Picasso Veterinary Fund and her caretaker, Bonnie. Now she needs another helping hand — someone to take her into a loving home and shower her with the same loyalty and love that she showed her young offspring.

If you're considering adding a new family member, perhaps you can give Margie the loving home she deserves. You can meet Margie and her youngsters on the A Place for Us website, and if you're interested in adopting her, contact Bonnie at (413) 528-9581 or bonnie@aplaceforus.net.

Maybe you're not planning to adopt right now, but you still can help by making a generous donation to the Picasso Veterinary Fund. Your donation will enable the Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals to save more animals like Margie and her puppies — stray and abandoned animals whose medical needs are greater than can typically be met by a NYC shelter's resources. By donating to the fund, you're directly helping to save a life that otherwise would not be saved.

What better investment could you possibly make?