September Rescue Beneficiary: Hinsdale Humane Society

RDMOC's rescue partner and proceed beneficiary this month is Hinsdale Humane Society. Learn more about them here and be sure to check out our Shop for new merch. Sept. 18th is Hinsdale's Clear the Shelter event - stop by the garage sale for inexpensive pet products!

Saving Saint Gin

Post Below Written By: Jessica Hiltner
​(Co-Founder of Real Dog Moms and Shelter & Community Programs Director at Hinsdale Humane Society)
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Here’s a controversial statement to start your morning: I am not against responsible dog breeders. I know that will shock most people that work in rescue, but it’s true.

​Does that mean I want people to buy their dog versus adopting from a shelter? NO! But not all breeders are bad. And without GOOD breeders, there’s a risk that we would lose some dog breeds altogether. I would hate for that to happen, especially when I meet dogs like Saint Gin - a 2-3 year old Great Pyrenees that came to Hinsdale from Washington County Animal Control in Nashville, IL.

So it’s clear that I have a type. Maybe you recall in the fall of 2019, I fostered a dog named Paw Paw. He was (and still is) very special to my heart. Paw Paw is a senior Great Pyrenees mix that was a mess when I began to foster him (click here to see Paw Paw's journey with us). Paw Paw had skin issues, his jaw was ripped apart from trying to chew his way out of a kennel, he was riddled with intestinal worms, and he was heartworm positive. For two months, we nursed him back to health, and then he was quickly adopted. He is now living the good life and a total plump pup as he was meant to be. The point is I have a thing for broken dogs.

Enter Saint Gin.

​This sweet boy arrived at my work (Hinsdale Humane Society) in July. He was severely malnourished with skin issues, kennel cough, and a badly injured leg. 
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Each morning, I raced to work hoping that I would arrive first to take him for a walk. I stopped at his door multiple times a day to sneak kisses from him. I waited. I pleaded. I begged to take him home with me. Last week, our foster manager agreed to let me foster him.

My first goal is to get him to put on some weight (after that, he can have his leg repaired so that we can find his forever home). A healthy male Great Pyrenees typically weighs between 100-160 lbs. Even after 7 weeks of proper nutrition, Saint Gin is still only 69 lbs. Earlier this week, I spent over two hours making him homemade supplemental food called Satin Balls (known for helping emaciated dogs gain weight). They are high calorie, full of fat, with extra nutrients to help their skin and coat. I am feeding him these in addition to his normal food, so you can imagine the costs I’m starting to rack up with his regular and now supplemental food.​

This first batch will last me one week. With a lot more weight gain to go, I'm hoping the Real Dog Moms community can help me out. If you are so inclined, please donate a few dollars to help cover the cost of Saint Gin’s Satin Balls food cost. Please help me feed him these next few months? All excess donations after food costs will go directly to Hinsdale Humane Society to offset the cost of care for dogs like him.

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SIDENOTE - Below is a Facebook post that talks about what to look for in a responsible breeder. Please also check out these two organizations below for more information on how to stay away from bad breeders and puppy mills.

Click Logo To Learn More

Click Logo To Learn More

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