Christophe Valton
Animals arrive at the Humane Society of Southern Arizona (HSSAZ) point-of-intake for myriad reasons, and those are always sad, devastating, and heartbreaking. Staff and volunteers follow well-established protocols and practices to help ensure that needs are addressed and everybody is processed in a timely and humane manner. Even when a happy outcome is uncertain, every effort is made to beat the odds and give the animal a fighting chance. Blynken, a very special dog, beat those odds and this is his story.
Blynken arrived at HSSAZ in a sad and neglected state. Blind in one eye and with almost no sight in the other, Blynken also suffered from tick fever. Tick fever is a serious disease, which can cause severe anemia and/or brain damage. Despite his precarious medical condition, Blynken remained consistently friendly and affectionate with everybody he met. A shelter favorite, everybody was relieved when Blynken responded well to treatment. In no time, he even found a family who loved him and offered him a forever home. And then there was more devastating news: Blynken got cancer. To save his life, an aggressive course of chemotherapy was required. Instead of going home, Blynken had to remain confined in his kennel in the Medical Care unit at HSSAZ for several months. He could only enjoy walks three times a week. But Blynken never gave up and neither did his human team. Throughout his treatment, Blynken never lost his sunny personality and happy disposition. And then finally, after almost three months, Blynken was in remission and reunited with his anxious family. The medical team and his volunteer friends at HSSAZ cheered him on as Blynken went home to a bright future.