INDIANAPOLIS — IndyHumane is one of the only animal shelters in Indiana equipped with a full medical suite to treat injured animals.
That was a critical factor in saving the life of Puddin', a pup who was born without the ability to properly go to the bathroom.
In a smaller facility, without the medical staff, she may not have survived.
"That's one thing — I love our medical team. They take chances on animals," said Gabby Hoyt, IndyHumane's development coordinator. "They don't judge the animals by how many years they have under their collar, how old they are, how scared they might be, how injured they may look. As long as there is the possibility for a quality of life and for a happy forever after, we're going to take a chance."
Rob Johansen is one of about 600 volunteers at the shelter. He was a big part of Puddin's recovery. He helped raise thousands of dollars to get her a special surgery at Purdue.
"By the time she was 6 months old, she had had six surgeries. But the big one was at Purdue, which was about three hours long, took care of all her intestinal tract and got her working the way she was supposed to," Johansen said.
13 to the Rescue: IndyHumane
IndyHumane not only works to save animals like Puddin', but also has several programs to help the community. The shelter provides low-cost adoptions, vaccine clinics, and spay and neuter programs.
They also have an online medical sponsorship program that raises money for animals who need medical treatment.
Johansen is grateful he was able to help nurse Puddin' back to good health. And in the end, he just could not say goodbye.
"I think it was right after Christmas. We were like, 'She's going to spend the holidays with us.' And then right after New Year's, we thought, 'She's gotta stay with us,'" Johansen said.
Thanks to Johansen's generosity, Puddin' hasn't known a night at the shelter since Jan. 3.