Kooper's story

　　Meet Kooper!

　　Kooper is the sweetest little girl youll ever meet! She loves to bounce and jump so much that she has earned the nickname of "pogo" with some of the volunteers. She's got a little bit of everything in her, including GSD. Kooper is the perfect size for someone not wanting a large dog but a little of the GSD look. She does well with all the dogs she's been introduced to so far and LOVES to play. She's a playful and energetic pup, but she didn't start out that way. Looking at her now, you would never guess that she was on the euthanasia list for a medical condition that was causing her to lose weight at an alarming rate. She was originally picked up as a stray and weighed a healthy 37 pounds. As we would expect, she was quickly adopted out, but within a couple of weeks she was picked up again as a stray and the new owners never came to get her. Fortunately, she was adopted out again about two weeks later, but she had lost weight, but this was not something noticed in the county shelter system. Her new adoptive parents realized something was wrong and after medical testing, she was diagnosed with Megaesophagus, a condition that requires dogs to have a specific diet and feeding methods to live healthy lives. The new owners felt they were in over their heads and returned her to the shelter with the new medical information. Kooper was sadly down to 21 pounds and her health was now in jeopardy. She came to Saving Paws weighing only 18 pounds. SPR had the experience to take care of her, so she was brought in so volunteers could care for her. Volunteers have been working for weeks to find the right combination of foods, medications and feeding positioning. We are happy to report it's working and her feeding has become easier and easier! After two months, Kooper now weighs 35 pounds, rarely vomits her food and plays like the young 1-year-old she is.

　　Kooper is active and happy, but her feeding needs make her a special needs dog. She needs to be fed in her Bailey chair twice a day. She has learned that her Bailey Chair means dinner time, so shes raring to go! She can be a little shy at first around strangers but quickly warms up once she gets to know you. We are not surprised as her x-rays show where she was shot with a BB gun! Although we havent had her around kids, we think she will get used to kids over time. SPR is dedicated to making sure that Kooper continues to thrive so she will be a foster-to-adopt dog. SPR will provide the new family with her Bailey Chair, initial supply of food with directions and all the support to ensure that she does well in her new home. If you'd like to bring this pocket shepherd mix into your home, please click the link to start the adoption process. We promise you won't be sorry. /adoption-form/