Cole and his buddy Scrappy were surrendered to the Vernal Shelter in July of 2015. Cole was morbidly obese and Scrappy’s foot was horribly inflamed. Both were being considered for euthanasia so CAWS stepped up and pulled them.

But this is Cole’s story, so let’s begin. This Springer Spaniel came to CAWS weighing 103 pounds (43 pounds heavier than what is healthy). Due to years of neglect and carrying around that extra weight, Cole’s knees were a mess. He would crawl, using his front legs to pull himself along, as that was less painful than trying to stand. Once in CAWS, Cole was enrolled in underwater therapy at the Animal Care Center twice a week and also put on a raw diet to aid in weight loss. It was critical to get his weight down so that he could eventually undergo knee repair surgery. A year later at 75 pounds, Cole underwent double extra capsular ACL surgery! Can you imagine? Now 3 months post-surgery Cole’s knees still aren’t perfect, but they are much improved and add such quality to his life! Cole now enjoys casual walks and even runs short distances. He loves the fetch game, although his version is a little different.  Cole barks until his human just gives him his ball! And did we mention that our boys, Cole and Scrappy, were both adopted by that very same wonderful foster family who rescued them from the Vernal Shelter over a year ago? Thanks to our donors for allowing CAWS to make miracles happen!