He could barely walk due to his contorted rear legs and flattened front paws that were unable to function properly. Under his matted coat, he was skin and bones, and his paws were raw and bleeding.

Arnold is just over a year old, and there is no doubt that not only has he been starved, but he was denied freedom of movement -- walking, running, playing -- since he was very young. More than that, he was kept in some kind of crate or kennel that was too small for him to stand up in.

As a result, the muscles of his back legs are severely shortened and quite weak. The tendons and ligaments of his ankles and wrists are completely elongated and also very weak, resulting in joint malformation. His back is humped from constant sitting and the pads of his paws are completely undeveloped since he had never been allowed to walk. When he was rescued, his whole body, inside and out, was dangerously infested with parasites.

He was found by a Good Samaritan in Greenville, MS who travels to various parts of town to help take care of the community cats there. She saw him teetering down the street, scooped him up, and brought him to a rescuer who immediately contacted Wright-Way Rescue. We saw a 11 second video of him trying to walk, and it just broke our hearts. We knew we had to help.

Once his stray hold was over and it became legal to take him in, we brought Arnold to our Admissions and Medical Services Campus to see our orthopedic veterinarian.

Even though he can’t stand up for much more than a minute, his walking and other movements are progressing, and he is getting stronger every day. Even though he may never streak across the grass like other dogs, we believe that he deserves a chance at a better life.

Please help Arnold get that chance by supporting his treatment and care.

Emily was found wandering alone in Harrisburg, IL. Most of her fur was gone, and her skin was red from severe inflammation. In some places it was gray, hard, and cracked -- more suitable to an elephant than an Australian Shepherd. Her tail was naked except for the very tip, and her ribs and spine were jutting out.

When local animal control saw her terrible condition, they immediately contacted Wright-Way Rescue to ask for help. Most rural animal control facilities have few, if any, resources to address medical concerns in the animals they manage. We often partner with such underfunded facilities to help animals with veterinary needs, and Emily’s case was no exception.

Emily is suffering from a severe case of sarcoptic mange. There are two different kinds of mange that affect dogs. Sarcoptic mange, also known as scabies, is a dangerous and maddening condition that is caused by microscopic mites that burrow into the skin. It causes tremendous itching and discomfort, and it is highly contagious to other dogs and even to humans. If left untreated, it can lead to death.

For Emily’s condition to have reached the severity it has, she would have been left to suffer for months. Please support this sweet, gentle dog as she begins her healing journey. It will take months for her to recover, and she needs all the love and care we can give.

Please donate to help make her treatment possible.

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All donations made to a specific animal will go toward that pet's medical expenses. Any remaining monies will go back into Wright-Way Rescue's Medical Fund to help other injured pets in need of rescue.

We are writing to you from the road as we head back to our Admissions and Medical Services Campus. We are returning from a rescue mission in Central Illinois. It was a major hoarding case with about 100 animals in deplorable conditions. 

This emergency rescue work doesn’t slow down the ongoing lifesaving do with our regular partners. It just means there are more animals who need us — and we’re not going to turn away. But we can only save these lives with your help. 

Please donate. 

Thank you. 

Twenty-six dogs are traveling to Chicago to escape the deadly winter storms that are devastating an utterly unprepared Texas.

Each one has his or her own story of how they were left behind, or ran away, or saved from a chain or a pen. We don’t meet rescue dogs at the beginning of their story but rather a few pages in. What we don’t know about them — how it all started or what exactly they have lived through — is balanced, in a way, by what we know about ourselves. We know that we can offer them love. That we can care for them and keep them safe and warm. We know that we can meet them where they’re at and patiently go from there. If we look a little deeper, we may also see something about ourselves that is both very personal and completely universal: animals make us better people.

The winter storms that are raging across Texas have created a major crisis in animal welfare -- as well as an opportunity to rise to the occasion. Please join us in bringing life-saving relief to communities devastated by the current expansion of the polar vortex.

Temperatures have dropped below zero in a region where winter weather typically stays in the mid-fifties. In some places, over a foot of snow has fallen, and there is no means of snow removal. For the animals in rural areas, an already precarious situation has become life-threatening.

This is the same dog pictured above. Our rescue partner is still trying to convince the owner to either surrender the dog or to bring it inside.

Rural rescuers throughout the state have been working frantically to either get these animals into shelters that have indoor housing or to convince their owners to let them come inside. Unfortunately, most rural shelters only have outdoor housing for their dogs. Normally, this is not a problem as winter temperatures are more mild, but the intensity and extent of this cold front is completely beyond their means to handle.

City shelters have been taking in animals from the surrounding rural areas, but they are over capacity and the current crisis is producing even more demand. This is an emergency on par with what one sees from a major hurricane, and relief efforts are just starting.

Wright-Way Rescue was the first out-of-state shelter to offer assistance to the network of Texas rescuers scrambling to prepare for the crippling cold they knew was coming. While transporting these animals out of Texas brings ease to the congested housing at Dallas Animal Service, we are told that it has also brought a feeling of hope and relief to everyone who is working nonstop to save these lives. And this is just the first transport -- we are already working on others.

Our rescue partners are dealing with no electricity, roads that are unplowed and dangerous, empty grocery stores, and a lack of animal supplies. On top of that, they are the ones receiving the reports of animals who have already died from exposure. Yet, they continue to work together, doing their best to help the animals and their communities survive this disaster. We are doing the same. Working together, we create a lifesaving network of donors, fosters, adopters, volunteers, and supporters of all kinds. That is the gift we can give to these animals. Their gift to us is the opportunity to become a better version of ourselves.

Please support this work today.

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He is adjusting quite well to life as a three-legged dog. Our staff adore him, and he has officially become a spoiled office dog.

Skipper came to us late in the day on February 3rd having been shot at close range with buckshot. He was shot in his left shoulder and was unable to use his leg, which was damaged beyond repair. Despite heavy pain medication, he was still hurting a great deal.

He went into surgery first thing the next morning, and our orthopedic vet skillfully removed the damaged leg. Though an amputation is still a traumatic thing for a body to go through, it was clear within just a couple days that Skipper felt better. A lot better.

In the last ten days, he has learned how to move around without difficulty. He easily rolls over for belly rubs, and he loves getting attention and treats. He even jumps up when he gets excited. His recovery is going beautifully, and, as of today, he no longer has to wear any surgical wraps.

Skipper’s only real “challenge” is that he thinks leashes might be kryptonite. He lays down as soon as he sees one, and staff have to coax him to get up and go outside. Once he’s going, though, he’s good! We can’t wait for him to find the perfect forever home that will help him learn that leashes are FUN!

There is an open police investigation into the shooting of Skipper. We have heard conflicting accounts of the incident, and all we can say at this time is that dedicated officers are still looking into it. We will keep you posted as we learn more.
Thank you to everyone who has donated to help Skipper! His surgery would not have been possible without your support.