GRASS VALLEY, Calif. December 30, 2016 – 8th grader Delaney Amarel spent her holiday baking toffee to raise money for Boxers in need, specifically to remove at least one Boxer from a shelter in Kern County. Today, Delaney and her family met “Murphy” at For the Love Of Pets Veterinary Hospital in Grass Valley. This is their story.
Delaney is determined to become a vet and she wanted to get started right away with helping animals. Due to her age, liability issues prevent her from volunteering at a shelter – much to her dismay.
For the second year in a row, she baked and sold toffees to help NorCal Boxer Rescue (NCBR) remove Boxers from animal shelters. Last year, she donated over $1,000 to help with vet bills. Since its inception in 1998, NCBR specializes in Boxers, many of whom are sick or older. “We rescue the ones nobody else can care for. ” said Karen Heald, NCBR’s volunteer Executive Director.
This year, Delaney wanted to help one dog specifically. She and her family made the trip from Yuba City to Grass Valley with “some necessities” for a fawn-colored Boxer now named Murphy. “Boxers need a soft bed, they can have all these hip issues,” Delaney said while presenting Murphy with an orthopedic bed, a collar, a leash and plenty of toys. The two then spent time posing for the cameras while becoming fast friends. Delaney plans on continuing her support for NCBR next year, she is also active in 4H and participates (and wins) in the Yuba County Fair.
“Murphy was thought to have urinary bleeding issues, but I’m happy to say that cleared up since we got him on Wednesday,” explained Rob Avery, owner and one of the veterinarians at For the Love Of Pets Veterinary Hospital (FTLOP) in Grass Valley.
“Murphy comes from the shelter in Bakersfield, Kern County. He was a stray they collected and NCBR brought him up here for evaluation and care. Then this wonderful young woman from Yuba City, Delaney, raised money to support one animal and NCBR selected Murphy to be the recipient of her generosity. So today she brought a check in to cover all of Murphy’s veterinary bills – which included a number of tests to rule out the various bad problems that might cause urination issues. Turns out, he is fairly healthy! It was a transient problem not likely to be an issue for his future. He is going to need an additional surgery for his neutering, he has a condition called cryptorchidism – only one testicle descended. It should be fairly routine and we expect him to do really well. It’s been super nice to see Delaney here today, she is a very special girl. I certainly wasn’t doing fundraisers for Boxers when I was thirteen years old. She’s very impressive!” Avery concluded while watching Murphy and Delaney with a big smile.
The whole Amarel family, Shanann and John with their kids Delaney and Brady, also got to meet Willie, a white Boxer rescued from the same shelter. Willie has some irritation and huge callouses on his joints and hips, likely from sleeping on gravel or concrete. He is expected to make a full recovery. Both Boxers are very skinny, which often can be indicative of medical problems. Apparently these two were “only” starving and will be putting on weight while in the care of FTLOP.
Kim Furtado, FTLOP’s MC for the meet and greet, and Deb Wood of NCBR have been working together a lot this year. Furtado manages the FTLOP office and coordinates with Wood the transport and evaluation of the rescues. In 2016, 52 out of the 128 Boxers rescued by NCBR received medical care and behavioral evaluations at FTLOP – and plenty of attention and pets.
NCBR is a 100% volunteer organization, working with several veterinary clinics throughout Northern California to provide care for the Boxers. They always welcome volunteers, be that to transport dogs from various shelters to vets or to serve as foster parents while the Boxers await their fur-ever home. Find out more about them and the dogs available for adoption now on their website.
