Adopt/Foster | Ally
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Smiling Ally
Photo credit: José Pico
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Ryan in wheelchair with
Ally in cart
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Ally profile
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Ally: Oops!
Is not a beloved cartoon character but
a character none the less! An “s” was added to Oop
as she has a habit of falling now and then. She doesn’t mind
because at least she can now walk by herself, which she could not
do before. When she falls she just spins like a top until she rises
back on all fours and it’s off to the races again!
Having her back broken when she was just a week old changed her
destiny for sure. Being unable to walk, even though her legs moved
a mile a minute, was frustrating for her as a puppy. To have such
energy and no way to run it off created the whirling dervish we’ve
come to know and love. Upon Ally's return to HHS at approximately
8 months old we knew immediately that the best therapy for her
was going to be cart
therapy. Her body had never been in an upright position for
any length of time and her spine was curved to the right to compensate
for that. She also had sores on her legs from moving very fast
in a laying down position. She could barely be contained long enough
to strap her into her first cart and (WHOOSH!) she took off for
the first time on all fours!
Carts gave her a sense of freedom and movement she’d only dreamed of as well as giving her body the time to straighten out and strengthen in a proper body position. Yes, it’s carts (plural) as with her cart acrobatics Ally has broken all but the latest cart, which was an Eddie’s Wheels one.
Ally was adopted within 4 months to the most wonderful family who had a 10-year-old boy who was also in a wheelchair. He had wanted a dog that “looked like him” and they had another dog that needed a playmate. Ally was the perfect fit. She was wildly happy and lived with them for a year and a half before tragedy struck. Out of the blue Ally apparently attacked one of their geese. The circumstances are still unclear as to what happened or who started it (was she just reacting to an attack); but that didn’t
change the outcome, one of the geese had died. Being that the family
is a licensed foster home for children with severe medical issues
as well as was in the process of adopting another little boy in
a wheelchair, sadly, for all, Ally could not stay or they would
lose their license.
Upon her return Executive
Director Laura Bradshaw was amazed at her progress in walking,
running, and spinning all on her own! She did not have to be
in her cart at all! She could stand and balance even while
in a moving vehicle. It was fantastic!!! As fate would have
it, carts gave Ally her mobility in two very different ways.
First by using them to help her body get in the proper position
to gain strength; and secondly, when her carts were both broken
and there was no cart to put her into for a period of time,
to get her to realize that she could do it now all on her own.
Luckily she’s not as energetic as she was as a young pup,
at least not 24 hours a day. Ally has matured greatly; and now
seems to take on the energy of her surroundings, instead of creating
her own. If you’re low-key, she’s low-key. If you’re
amped up…well, you get the picture. She’s a little
shy of new things but always has a soft mouth and if you show
her that whatever or whoever is not threatening then she is all
for getting petted and giving love licks. She is very sweet natured
but we wouldn’t try putting her with geese. She’s
always been great at the sanctuary with the cats, other dogs,
and farm animals.
If you think you can handle the love that you would bring in to your lives by adopting Ally, contact us so we can discuss further and schedule a home visit.
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