Hope is a medium-big size dog that was rescued by ASPCA's animal welfare inspector Paul McCormack on the Ballinasloe road. Paul was shocked when he found her in such an appalling condition, she was covered in mats and congealed mud, scared and hungry.

When she arrived at the ASPCA's kennels, the volunteers gave her a good meal, a bath and a good grooming. When we weighed her she was a shocking 15.9kg - a dog her size should be a good 25 - 28kg. On the canine body condition scoring chart, Hope was a shocking 1, which indicates emaciation. Hope will need to be put on a special diet to re-build her physical condition. We have given her basic care here at the ASPCA. What Hope really needs in order to have any chance of survival is foster care which will provide one-to-one care and attention. Considering what she has been through, she is very quiet and calm. We are asking the public to help Hope get through this difficult time. We continue to receive offers of donations to Hope's Appeal.If you would like to send a donation our address details are below or you can lodge it in the ASPCA account at Permanent TSB, Athlone, account no 71013077 Sort Code 990718.

Monday 08/01/2007:

Hope and her helpers would like to Thank You for your fantastic response. To date we have received over €1,000 for the Hope Appeal. Some donations are being made by people who are aiming to achieve personal goals during the next few months. We would like to wish them success in achieving their goals. She is eating very well and her coat is beginning to grow back.She started on a diet of baby rice and is now able to digest dog food without any problems. Paul weighed her 9/12/2006 at 19.5kg which means she did put on 3.6kg over 14 days. As of Saturday 06/01/2007 she now weighs 35kg which is normal for her age and size. It is without doubt the 24hr care she accepted and her positive response has enabled her to recover so well. It is now expected that she could be fit for rehoming by early February 2007. We will continue to keep you up-to-date on Hope's progress.

Thank You!

Friday 09/02/2007

Hope has achieved excellent weight gain. Her good condition is apparent in her coat and she has just come into her first heat. Precautions have been taken...she has separated her from the other dogs. When she is ready we will arrange to have her spayed in March. We are hoping someone will provide a new home for her in April. She has had a very tough start and will benefit greatly from a home where there is no other dog. Would you like to adopt Hope? Contact Paul on 087 6178871.

July 2007

Hope has now had six pups, four of them survived. All the pups have been re-homed. She was spayed this month.