When Kathryn first met Sally, the poor puppy was on the brink of death.
In an interview with The Dodo, Kathryn explained that Sally came from a breeder that could no longer care for her. The tiny puppy had a severe case of pneumonia and had likely aspirated milk while nursing her mom.
While many pups in the same situation would be euthanized or left to die, Kathryn is a veterinary technician who goes out of her way to help high-risk animals in need – animals that would otherwise not make it.
She was more than happy to take little Sally into her home. She told The Dodo that when she first got the puppy, she was blue and gasping for air. Thankfully, Kathryn had just the thing: an oxygen chamber.
The oxygen chamber allowed Sally to get enough air to breathe, but she had to be confined to the little bubble until she was strong enough to breathe regular air.
While Kathryn thought that Sally would probably need the oxygen chamber for two weeks at most, that wasn’t the case. The poor puppy continued to struggle to breathe and it got to the point where Kathryn had to build an entirely new oxygen chamber as Sally outgrew the smaller one she was in!
The little puppy lived in the oxygen chamber all by herself, unable to interact with the outside world. That is, until one day when Sally began pawing at the glass and attempting to get out. Kathryn decided to let her out and see what would happen.
It only took around 15 seconds before Sally was gasping for air and had to go back into the chamber, but she’d had her first taste of life outside her little bubble.
From there, Kathryn began letting Sally outside of the chamber for small amounts of time. 15 seconds, 30 seconds, and eventually they worked up to two minutes.
As more time passed, Sally’s lungs grew stronger and she became more and more capable of exploring life outside her little bubble. She was robbed of a normal puppyhood, but she was gifted her life and that’s what matters most.
Eventually, Sally was able to spend a whole 5 minutes without excess oxygen and that was a huge milestone for her!
Now that she’s all grown up, Sally can live her life outside the oxygen chamber like a “normal” dog. She found a loving home with Kathryn’s friend and fellow vet tech, Bonnie. Bonnie understands Sally’s special needs and the unique start she had in life.
She patiently lets Sally take on the outside world at her own pace, and that is just too precious.
