Nymeria and the Best Friends Internship

Oh beloved blog, I've been neglecting you! It's been for a good cause though. The week of Father's Day I was out in Utah, volunteering at Best Friend's Animal Sanctuary. It was a great experience and I got a lot of good advice and suggestions from staff members there which encouraged me to apply for a five week internship with them. Well, I got it! I'll be interning at the Sanctuary from late October through November, getting hands on experience caring for the animals. I'm required to spend two weeks on dogs and cats but for the last three weeks I've requested horses, rabbits, and a special request for wildlife. I'm not sure yet what my schedule will be but hope to find out soon.

Besides Best Friends, I've been throwing myself completely in rescue back here at home. God knows Las Vegas needs all the help it can get when it comes to neglected and abandoned animals. Photography has also been keeping me busy, between paid shoots and animal rescue shoots. Not to mention preparing for my London trip which is 2 months away! This year is really turning out fantastic.

In the last few days however, one thing in particular has kept me very busy.

One of the rescues I volunteer with, Animal Network, was notified of a border collie in distress a few days after it was dumped by it's owner at a Nevada Power substation. This poor girl was left at a power plant for five days and severely deteriorated in this short time due to hot weather, summer storms, no shelter, and lack of food and water. Kind workers managed to get her into a building and rescue was called, fearing she wouldn't make it through the night. I personally went to rescue this little girl, she was matted and very very scared. This is what she looked like when I got her.

Once safely in my car, we instantly high tailed it to the vet. She was in bad shape, she had to be put under to be shaved and then assessed. Once the matted fur was removed, a large wound on her side was found that wasn't healing correctly. Her paws were torn up and burnt from walking on hot sand and asphalt. She also had an ear infection in both ears. Two days in the hospital and now she is resting and recovering in my home. Her paws are bandaged for a few days to help with her paws, she has a drain in her wound, she's also recovering from spay sutures. Besides her physical recovery, I'll be working hard to restore her faith in humans and rebuild her confidence. 

We named her Nymeria, she's calm and sweet and has the heart of a dire wolf after everything she's been through. I've had her a couple days and last night she started to come out of her shell a little, trying to roll in the grass and eating actual meals instead of just the treats wrapped around her pills. She is very wary and unsure about men which will be an obstacle she might never get over but we will certainly attempt to face it. 

Nymeria's bills aren't cheap so we would really appreciate any donations that could help us out with her healing process. Please donate here:http://www.animalnetwork-lv.com/index.php/donate (please note it's for Nymeria) or you can directly contact the vet at Ann Road Hospital (702) 579-9111 and make sure to put it under Nymeria's name. You can also donate via Paypal to animalnetwork.lv@gmail.com and note in comment section that it's for Nymeria.

Last you can donate directly though her YouCaring.com page. 

Please share Nymeria's story with your family and friends, you can use the flyer above as well. Every little penny helps us heal the animals already under our care and to help out others in distress.