The Aiken County Animal Shelter witnessed a true delight Tuesday when a Georgia woman adopted a dog - a dog that, at one point, wasn't expected to live.
The shelter took in the female 5-year-old boxer-pit bull mix April 30, and it had a fever of 104.7 degrees from an infected uterus. When the shelter's veterinarian, Dr. Lisa Levy, noticed the fever, she put the dog on an antibiotic to help lower the dog's temperature.
Levy says the dog's fever had lowered when she came in the next day, but she said the dog looked sicker than when she was taken in.
Levy didn't really have a choice but to perform surgery over the weekend, she said, because the dog wouldn't have made it another day.
"I decided that if I didn't do it, she was going to die," Levy said.
During the hour-long surgery, Levy found that the dog's infection led the uterus to rupture in three places. The infection had even found its way into the dog's belly, she said.
But it was the dog's energy that led Levy to believe that the animal was a fighter and was not ready to let go.
Unlike most animals who have similar medical problems, Levy said this dog was alert and barked at any question asked.
"She kept talking, and that told us that she wanted to live," Levy said. "If you talked to her, she'd talk back to you."
But the dog's fight still wasn't over.
The surgery's success only lasted five days, before the dog's belly again began filling up with fluid, Levy said. But after draining her belly and putting her on another antibiotic, she completely recovered after almost a week, Levy said.
Levy said she would have given the dog less than a 50 percent chance of living, even if the dog were taken to a top-notch facility. Overcoming the low-survival odds and the dog's spirit led the shelter to name the dog Lourdes, after a French city known for miracle healing.
"That's why we call her Lourdes, because she's a miracle," Levy said.
Lourdes appeared on WRDW News Channel 12 last Monday morning as the featured animal of the week. The news station has a weekly segment showcasing some of the animals people can adopt from the shelter.
It was then that 86-year-old Peggy Glover saw Lourdes on television and wanted her. Glover, a Lincolnton, Georgia resident, drove more than an hour to adopt Lourdes.
She said she had to have Lourdes because her 15-year-old Dalmatian was getting older.
Glover said the new addition fits right into her family, and she is glad she has another dog to keep watch of anyone coming.
"I like to have an animal around so I can know if anyone is around," Glover said of Lourdes. "I just can't believe how well-behaved she is."
The Aiken County Animal Shelter takes in more than 5,000 abandoned dogs and cats annually from both Aiken and Edgefield counties. The shelter's standard adoption rates are $70 for dogs and $35 for cats.
The price covers an identification chip for the animal, any spay or neuter surgery and rabies and vaccination shots for a year.
The shelter is located at 333 Wire Road.
For more information about the shelter, call 803-642-1537, or visit fotasaiken.org.