This is Dauber. We were contacted between Christmas and New Years because a dog, a really nice dog, a young Yellow Labrador Retriever, had been found injured. It was determined that he was in the city of Petersburg VA limits so he was taken to a vet clinic there.

With x-rays it was determined that Dauber had multiple fractures in the right front leg. It was wrapped and he was put on pain meds and the wait began to see if an owner would come forward. The city kept him in their hospital for six days and then he was to be moved to the cold, wet, concrete floors of the shelter until ten days were up for an owner to appear. So through the help of a nice lady who does some transport volunteering, we got Dauber moved to our vet.

Dauber was heartworm tested, negative and tested for parasites and thankfully that was negative, and he got all of his vaccines and was kept comfortable with pain medication. It was determined that there was a multiple fracture between the ankle and the elbow so the leg needed to be set and casted for 8 weeks.

That Friday Dauber was officially declared unclaimed and became an ADRATI Rescue dog. On Sunday he underwent surgery to repair the leg and apply a cast. With further x-rays it was determined that the pelvis was also fractured but in a non-weight bearing area so this would mend on its own.

Dauber's surgery was quite lengthy. Unfortunately, the surgery wasn't over yet, one of the rods holding the leg in place actually broke so Dauber was headed back to surgery. This time his leg was mended again and Dauber was also neutered.

Dauber is 60 pounds. Part of the reason he is small is he hasn't "filled out" yet. You see, Dauber is just a pup of maybe a year old so he still has some growing to do as he matures.

You won't meet a sweeter dog than Dauber. I named him that because I have a big ol goofy yellow Lab named Sacco, and is it a good Italian name and he loves Italian food. I rescued Sacco from a rescue group at 2 years old when he was to be euthanized due to severe hip dysplasia. I usually don't rename dogs and have never renamed one that I brought into my own canine family so I always thought if we had another big goofy yellow Lab who didn't have a name yet, he would be named Dauber after the character on Coach.

When I was at my vet clinic's meeting with the couple who adopted Fancee, who was also hit by a car and had a fractured Sacrum, they misunderstood that Dauber was in rescue and thought he was going to be euthanized due to his injuries if the owner didn't come forward. So they told another couple who they are friends with about this and well long story short this very special family came forward to foster Dauber for us. Of course Dauber was in the hospital ten days before he could move into a home.

When you are trying to find the right spot for a dog who needs time to heal, lots of things need to be covered. I didn't know these folks but by now we had talked about Dauber on many occasions and they were interested in giving this boy a place to hang out while he healed. They have never had a dog and many times the comment about having a dog that would be a good fit with their son came up. I thought they had a young son who maybe hadn't been around dogs much so they needed a really good and friendly dog who wouldn't be intimidating to their son.

Then we got into the realities of what Dauber was going to need to move into their home. A big topic finally came up, did they have an entrance into their home without a bunch of stairs. This is really the biggy. Then there are other issues, hardwood floors and carpeting and can he maneuver around with this big cast he has on. Also, he is going to need to make trips back and forth to the vet in that big cast, did they have a vehicle that they can haul him in.

Well, this family was always looking for a very special dog and for a very special boy. It turns out that this very special boy also has nuts and bolts and he has been known to have casts. And yes this family can accommodate a dog who can't go up several stairs because they have a wheelchair ramp into their home. Can Dauber go up the flight of stairs to the second floor so he can be with the family at night? Yes, they can hold him on their lap in the chair lift to take him upstairs.

We will have some good pictures of a very special dog with a very special boy as soon as we can. Although I really thought he was a Dauber, I was outvoted and he is now known as Moe by his foster family. And yes most likely this boy will not be moving onto a permanent home because he has probably already found one.

We do need your help with Dauber now Moe. We are trying to raise funds to pay a very large vet bill. The foster family has donated $100 towards Moe's care and they went door to door and raised $100 on the vet bill. We have gotten another $235 in donations for Moe. We still owe about $3,000 on our vet bill for Moe. If you can even send $5.00 towards his care, we really appreciate it. And soon Steve and Moe will grace us with some new pics of a very special dog with a very special boy. MAKE A DONATION!