NOTICE: No new content has been added since Animal Rescue Korea closed in 2014. Phone numbers, email addresses, shelter policies, and other details may be out of date. Information is kept for historical purposes only.
Richie - after abuse everyone deserves a second chance.
Quick Bio
Age:
Young (1-3 years old)
Gender:
Male
Breed:
Mix
Size:
Small (under 7kg)
Colour:
Black & White
- Up-to-date with vaccinations
- Good with dogs
- House trained
- Crate trained
- Special needs
Adoption Status:
Adopted
Description:
7 JAN 2012 UPDATE: Today Richie (now called Tux) was adopted and taken to his new home in Seoul. Kate promises to give us lots of updates on his progress. Thank you to everyone who has followed his journey & sent good wishes his way. I am so blessed to have had Richie in my life and there were a few tears shed today when I said goodbye to him. However, I know he has a wonderful life ahead of him in a loving and safe environment.
21 Dec 2011 UPDATE: Richie is looking forward to Christmas in a nice, cosy home :)
13 Dec 2011 UPDATE: Richie will get his second dose of heartworm PREVENTION medicine today :) He is doing just fine and is hoping that someone kind will adopt him soon!
8 Dec 2011 UPDATE: Richie is getting stronger and more energetic by the day. Unfortunately I still have to keep him in his pen otherwise he cavorts around with my other dog and I'm worried he will hurt himself. (I am not really suited anymore because of Didi, my blind foster Spaniel, I'm worried she steps on him!) I usually let him out for a little while each day and him and Noodle wrestle each other goodnaturedly - see the new video :) They can get a little rough so I don't really let it continue for very long. He needs somewhere that he can have greater freedom of movement than what I can give him now. He would do well with another small dog and he loves the company. Please consider giving this sweet boy a loving home to call his own!
29 Nov 2011 UPDATE: I would no longer classify Richie as a "special needs" dog because he is no longer paralysed!! (However, I am keeping it on his profile as he needs a little extra attention in terms of gentle treatment, no wrestling (even though he'd LOVE it) and restrictions on his walk lengths.) This sweet boy is still a little wobbly on his feet, but can walk wonderfully thanks to the special treatment he received from his wonderful doctor. We now have a giant kimchi tub which is operating as his rehabilitation centre...he swims/walks through the water to strengthen his hind quarters. He still should not be made to go up and down stairs, but he is only a little guy so carrying him is easy enough. He is an absolute joy...please give this little one a home to call his own.
23 Nov 2011 UPDATE: Richie is heartworm NEGATIVE!!! He also received his first set of vaccinations yesterday, thanks to the wonderful people who donated to help pay for this.
______________________________________________________________
I first noticed Richie at the Asan shelter because of his bark. I can only describe it as a bark with the volume turned down. I asked the other volunteers what his story was as he was in a seperate cage at the front and they told me that Richie's hind legs were paralysed because his former owner had beaten him so badly. He had been rescued 4 weeks prior and brought to the shelter.
I went over to him and he "walked" towards me...his hind legs are not completely paralysed, only partially so. When he walks he looks drunk as his back end often collapses. After his bark, the next thing that struck me about Richie is that despite his paralysis, his little tail still wags ten to the dozen!! :)
I already have a special needs dog at home (she is blind), as well as another (healthy) dog, but Richie played on my mind all week. I took a video of him "walking" to my vet who combines Western and Oriental medicine and has had success using acupuncture with another paralysed dog. The wonderful doctor offered to treat Richie free of charge, provided I could bring him in for treatment very often for a month-long period.
So that brings me to where we are today! Sofia kindly brought Richie to me in Cheonan and I have been fostering him for the last 2 weeks. He takes oral oriental medicine twice a day and has acupuncture 2 or 3 times a week. He is not allowed to bath for a month and cannot exercise at all for a month so I have him in a small pen where he has restricted movement. After MRI's and x-rays the vet confirms that his injury was caused by trauma to the area, most likely severe beating.
Despite his ill-treatment, Richie is FULL of love. He has such a sweet nature and seems to get happier and happier each day. He is as good as gold and only does his muted bark when he can see me making his breakfast/dinner and he can't contain his excitement! He gobbles up his food faster than any other dog I've ever seen! He is actually surprisingly highly mobile and can move very fast! (I discovered when I took him out of his pen to clean it.)
Here is the first video I took of Richie at the shelter.
This is one of him standing nicely after his dinner.
I cannot say for sure but I do feel that I can notice a slight improvement in his hind quarters. Here's hoping!
I must add that despite his disability he is surprisingly low maintenance and really needs no special care, other than lots of love! (Even more so if this treatment has the desired effect.)
House-training is a work in progress...when I let him out of his pen for brief moments while I clean he sometimes goes to pee on the (other) peepad and other times not, however, I think this is mostly influenced by his excitement at being able to "run free"...
Adoption Fee:
₩50,000
Location:
Cheonan - 천안
Living Situation:
In foster care
Comments
Sofia
Nov 01, 2011 08:03
Permalink
Thank you for giving him a chance!
clare_bell
Nov 04, 2011 01:48
Permalink
I took Richie for his treatment last night, as per usual. This time I was able to have a chat to the doctor about him and his progress and prognosis. Here is some more information:
1. His treatment with the acupuncture will be finished on the 17th of November. After that he will need to undergo the rehabilition phase which is of utmost importance and doesn't actually require much effort on the humans part (see below).
2. At the moment, he is strictly NOT allowed any exercise while he is having his treatment so I have to keep him in a very small pen to limit his movement. This means that he has really had no exercise for a few weeks and I can see this in his muscles (or lack thereof). From now on I can start exercising / rehabilitating him. The best and most ideal thing would be for him to swim for 10 mins a day, but unfortunately I don't have a bathtub! So the next best thing is to walk him on level ground for ONLY 10 mins per day. It MUST be warm (and preferably sunny) as the cold will cause further damage to his spine. And it MUST be level - no stairs, uphills or downhills. The vet also recommends placing a heat pad on his back for 10 minutes at a time, twice a day. (Not sure how that'll work as he's a big wriggly!)
3. The vet and I both agree that there is some improvement in his movement since the treatment started. So far, because he needs to get his muscles back, we cannot see whether it has made a drastic difference, yet. However, the vet says he will certainly not deteriorate any further. He will more than likely improve over time or at the very least stay the same.
He is still eating very well and is a very happy little boy. I will take some more pictures and post them soon.
clare_bell
Nov 07, 2011 07:10
Permalink
Here is Richie barking his funny bark :)
clare_bell
Nov 13, 2011 20:33
Permalink
Richie went on his first rehabilitation walk yesterday!
I took him onto the roof of my building and he LOVED being outside although he was a little scared of strange noises and things :) I was alone so couldn't film him but will get a friend to help next time I go so you can see his progress. I was amazed at how well he moves when he has the space to stretch his legs. I can see that the acupuncture treatment has definitely made a visible difference in his hind quarters! Happy days!! :)
He is going to the vet for his treatment again today and the last one is on Friday.
I will update soon with a video.
sonyajin
Nov 13, 2011 21:10
Permalink
Is Richie a puppy? He looks like a mini lab, very cute. :)
Also, is his muted bark a disease of some sort?
clare_bell
Nov 13, 2011 23:14
Permalink
Hi sonyajin
The vet says he is 1-2 years old so I guess he is fully grown now. He does look like a mini lab! People also say daschund... the vet just said mixed. Whatever he is, he's adorable!
Not sure about his bark, I just assumed it was the way he barks, but good question! I will ask the vet tonight and see what he says.
sonyajin
Nov 14, 2011 12:00
Permalink
Yes, VERY adorable.
His bark is adorable too!! I hope he gets adopted soon.
clare_bell
Nov 14, 2011 18:00
Permalink
Aw thanks! I do too!
FYI I asked the vet about his bark last night and he said the only thing he can think of is that he's had debarking surgery! Can you believe it? I didn't even know such a thing existed! Then I looked it up, it sounds terrible :( If so, just another thing this poor little boy has had to go through. The strange thing is, he hardly barks anyway, only when he's really trying to get my attention like when I'm making his food and he's shouting "hurry up!" :)
Anyway, thanks for your good wishes and concern. Let's hope something good happens for this boy and he gets the home he deserves - forever!
clare_bell
Nov 20, 2011 18:48
Permalink
Hi everyone
Here is the latest update on Richie:
I discovered a horrible roundworm infestation last week which has since been sorted out. (Shudder!) Since then, he has been even MORE of a happy chap and has loads more energy! (He is also taking vitamins once a day to get him nice and strong.) He is still in his little pen because when I let him out he races around and I'm worried he hurts himself because my floor is slippery. Also, I'm worried that my blind foster dog steps on him! :) (She's a little heavier than he is...)
So you might wonder how a paralysed dog "races around" as I said above...
Well! His acupuncture treatment ended last week, the 17th of November 2011. The day afterwards I took him out on his second rehab walk - here is the video:
***Before you watch it, please watch the first video I posted of him above, to refresh your memory!***
His little legs just want to RUN but I couldn't let him as I don't want him to injure himself. He would go ahead and then abruptly stop and turn around to check I was still there and to give me a lick :) Can you see the happiness in his eyes?
As you can see, the treatment has been amazing. I think his lack of muscle is now the reason he walks a little odd and we are working to fix that. His rehab is a little tough as it absolutely cannot be cold if I take him on his 10 minute walk, and as we are going into winter that's a bit tricky. The perfect solution would be a longish bathtub that he could swim in but I don't have one.
He is going to have his vaccinations and heartworm test this week. Watch this space!
dorothy and toto
Nov 21, 2011 00:30
Permalink
In the Itaewon/Hannam areas some of the housing there have bathtubs. Perhaps you could post on various forums and ask around to find someone with a bathtub who'd want to offer Richie the use of their tub for free. They might even want to get involved and help in his therapy.
clare_bell
Nov 21, 2011 18:23
Permalink
Hi, thanks for your suggestion! Unfortunately I am in Cheonan, so it's not realistic for me to travel there with Richie, as he needs a 10-minute swim or walk each day...
I found a baby bathtub on Gmarket but it's very expensive. I will post on the FB page and see if anyone has some other suggestions.
Thanks again! :)
dorothy and toto
Nov 22, 2011 11:32
Permalink
Try to get a used baby bathtub then. Check on Craigslist or other expat forums. I can keep an eye out for you. Once I saw a used baby bathtub in Beautiful Store charity shop - think it was just W3000. Looked perfectly usable - they don't sell broken or unusable condition goods at Beautiful Store. I bought used dog booties at one of their stores for my dog to wear when it snows. They do the job, still in very good condition, only W5000.There's also the Salvation Army stores. If you haven't yet bought a tub, I'll check around for you. In that case, I could buy it and you could reimburse me when you pick it up.
clare_bell
Nov 23, 2011 19:26
Permalink
Thank you so much! That'd be great if you could keep an eye out for me. I will try this weekend to have a look at those kimchi tubs which someone recommended. I'll update here if I find something that works. :)
dorothy and toto
Nov 23, 2011 21:34
Permalink
There are also a couple of big flea markets so if I see one I'll buy it for you. Lotta good finds there. Kimchi tubs tend to be wide and round but but not so deep. Another alternative is to get a big rectangular-type outdoor planting trough. I'll take a pic of one a neighbor uses for growing veggies. They are reasonably deep. And can be used later to grow plants!
clare_bell
Nov 24, 2011 23:11
Permalink
Thank you! A friend is going to give me his large kimchi tub...we'll see if it works :) I'll keep you updated.
dorothy and toto
Nov 25, 2011 01:19
Permalink
I forgot to add, if buying a large planting trough you need to plug up the drainage holes - balls of Blu-Tac, the sticky reusable gum that you use to attach posters to walls etc., works well for this and can be reused once it's allowed to dry a bit to remove excess moisture. This is just an FYI, if the kimchi tub doesn't work. Anyway I'll keep an eye out for any old baby tubs or other suitable items.
clare_bell
Nov 27, 2011 20:44
Permalink
Hi!
Good news! A friend gave me a kimchi tub for Richie and it is PERFECT!! He had his first session last night :) Videos and pics to follow...
clare_bell
Nov 28, 2011 20:52
Permalink
Here is Richie in his swimming pool! I am still trying to figure out the best way to get the most movement out of his hindquarters. I will do some research on it today. He doesn't like it if I hold him under his tummy - he won't kick (tread water) that way. So I've been letting him walk towards me and then easing him back and letting him walk to me again etc. but that means it's only a few steps each time. Anyway, I think being in the warm water is therapeutic in itself and I guess the resistance from the water adds to the effort he needs to make too.
The video doesn't show too much because I was trying to film but we did a lot more movement when I had both hands free.
Chrissie
Nov 29, 2011 00:24
Permalink
wow! Clare, you did such an amazing job! I remember when I first saw him and I thought that he is such a friendly dog despite his condition. I am happy to hear that he is much better now!!
clare_bell
Dec 02, 2011 01:14
Permalink
Thank you! He is an absolute pleasure to have :) I hope he can find a permanent home soon!
dorothy and toto
Dec 02, 2011 03:59
Permalink
Oh I see you got one of those oval tubs. Perhaps you could try to rig up some kind of harness which would hold him higher in the water, so Richie will want to kick his legs more rather than attempting to touch bottom and stand and walk.
clare_bell
Dec 07, 2011 21:37
Permalink
Here is a video of Richie playing with his best friend, Noodle.
linhorobin
Dec 08, 2011 06:21
Permalink
What an amazing turn around for this little guy!! It's so wonderful that this special pup found such an incredible foster mom who doesn't think twice about going to the ends of the Earth to help a soul in need! Please Clare, keep up the great work!!
clare_bell
Dec 08, 2011 21:15
Permalink
Thank you so much for those kind words :) Believe me, you take one look into those eyes and your heart belongs to him!
sonyajin
Jan 02, 2012 12:51
Permalink
How is Richie doing? Glad to see he's so happy!
clare_bell
Jan 05, 2012 22:25
Permalink
Richie is doing FABULOUSLY! And guess what...his new mom is coming to fetch him tomorrow!!
annemariew
Jan 06, 2012 03:59
Permalink
Aw, congratulations! What a gift you gave Richie. I'm just blown away that the vet treated him for free, and how well it all turned out.
sonyajin
Jan 07, 2012 20:17
Permalink
that's wonderful!
I'm so happy Richie has a home, thank you!!
nosdoowbk
Jan 09, 2012 23:50
Permalink
Thanks again Clare for everything you've done for this little guy!!!
Sofia
Jan 10, 2012 09:39
Permalink
Thank you for adopting Richie!
More pictures please!
nosdoowbk
Jan 11, 2012 04:53
Permalink
plenty of room for this little cuddle bug to move around while I'm at work :-)
nosdoowbk
Jan 11, 2012 05:02
Permalink
Tux loves lounging and watching Korean dating shows...
nosdoowbk
Jan 11, 2012 05:05
Permalink
He should be a dog model
nosdoowbk
Jan 11, 2012 05:07
Permalink
STYLE
clare_bell
Jan 11, 2012 08:44
Permalink
I can't get over how damn cute that boy is!! Looks like he was MADE to be on a comfy couch :) Thanks for the pics, he looks wonderful! Love the one of you two cuddling on the couch <3 Give him a big kiss for me!
MichelleBrook
Jan 11, 2012 20:09
Permalink
Love it! :) Such a beautiful and happy ending for this super sweet pooch! YAY! Thank you Kate!
clare_bell
Mar 05, 2012 18:32
Permalink
Richie / Tux is back with me just for a few weeks while his mom goes home for a holiday :) He is still such an angel & Noodle and I are very happy to have him stay with us! :)
adoptbullies
Apr 17, 2012 08:57
Permalink
Clare you could share more details about Richie's acupuncture treatments? Did you have to put him to sleep everytime you did a treatment? How long and how many did he have etc? Was there a special table he was strapped to?
clare_bell
Apr 17, 2012 09:14
Permalink
Hi, yes sure! No he was wide awake when he had the treatments and the vet has a special table/contraption that he gets strapped into (you can see it in one of his pics). Initially I think he had 2 or 3 treatments in the first week and then only one per week for the remainder of the month. He also had some oriental medicine every day for the the entire month that he was having acupuncture. I'm not sure exactly what it was, but I know my vet is always very willing to have other vets contact him so I'm sure he'd share his information :) He was also restricted to a small area so he couldn't exercise for the entire time. After the treatment was finished (1 month) then we gradually started the rehab process, which is still happening because the weather was not in our favour. Finally now his mom can take him for short walks to build up more muscle tone because it's getting warmer. Cold weather / wind / water is a BIG no-no. Shout if you have any more questions!
adoptbullies
Apr 22, 2012 00:33
Permalink
Well my acupuncturist trained in Seoul and she has done animals but she said they are always put to sleep. i didnt think Richie was though. And I dont really want to see him use so much anesthesia.
Hmm could I have your vet info?
I am thinking of making a trip to Seoul soon with Peanut. would you be willing to take me to your vet? I think if I can check it out myself, see it done first then maybe we can work on getting acupuncture for pets here in Daegu. The main thing would be to find out where we could get the table contraception you mentioned and how much it cost...any idea?
clare_bell
Apr 22, 2012 01:33
Permalink
Hi!
Richie lives in Seoul now but the vet that did the acupuncture with us was here in Cheonan, where I live. If you came here I'd be more than happy to take you there!
I can also ask him where one can get one of those contraptions and see if I can take a photo of it.
My vet is called Dr Choi and his practice is Any Pet Animal Hospital (business card below). He is always happy to share his knowledge with others so would be happy to speak to your vet, I'm sure.
adoptbullies
May 03, 2012 23:20
Permalink
Thanks Clare :) So, do you know if he is open on Sunday? My next three sat are slammed full but I would like to go soon.
clare_bell
May 04, 2012 01:45
Permalink
Hi, no sorry, they are not open on Sundays :( (Well, the hospital & shop part is and there's a vet nurse there, but the vet himself is not.) He is the only doctor that works there so Sunday is his only day off. I could always help you out though, if you wanted to bring him through on a Friday or Sunday and he could spend the night with me or something...The option is there. :)
clare_bell
Apr 17, 2012 09:10
Permalink
Forgot to say each acupuncture session lasts about 15-20 minutes.
clare_bell
Oct 19, 2012 02:27
Permalink
Little Tux/Richie is visiting me again for a month. I am always so happy to have him over. :)