Well, we've all heard the saying that one person's trash is another person's treasure and this can also truly apply to some of our furry canine friends as well. Let me tell you how this saying had literal meaning for a pup here in Roseburg, Oregon.
     It was a day or two after Christmas 2008. Christmas lists and presents were now a reality, especially for someone who received an adorable 4-week old miniature Pomeranian puppy weighing under 2 pounds as a gift. Well, if you thought that stating he was 4-weeks-old was a typo, it wasn't and that should be the first clue that this poor pup didn't have the best start in life. The age factor might have been overcome except for the next tragic event that occurred.
     Apparently, in cleaning up all the wrapping paper, empty boxes and other festive signs of gifts, poor pup was gathered up in them and all were thrown outside in the trash!!!!! As with many young puppies given at Christmas, there was probably just way too much activity going on to give proper care to a new family member or, as in this case, to even keep track of the poor little one. While we can never be 100% certain, we're pretty sure that this infant pup spent somewhere between 12-48 hours outside in a trash can in the rain with temperatures dipping below freezing at night and with no food or water!!!
     On December 27, two young women heard his extremely weak cries and brought him into the thrift store run by New Beginnings SPCA. The staff wrapped him in blankets and were trying to get some warm milk in him with no success. Luckily, a dedicated foster home mom, Penny, who had been a vet tech, happened to come in just at that point. She recognized that the pup was in a truly life-threatening state and rushed him off to the vet. The vet checked his temperature and it was so low it wouldn't even register on the thermometer. The vet was heartbroken to tell the SPCA that he did not think that the puppy would live through another couple of hours but since New Beginnings SPCA agreed to pay for initial emergency medical treatment, the vet said he would try.
     Well, little pup, with great vet care and lots of prayers (and financial support) from the SPCA volunteer staff, managed to rally and stabilize within 2-3 days. However, his prognosis was still poor as his lungs were filled with congestion and he had a collapsed trachea. Again the vet said maybe a week or two was all he had. Another fantastic SPCA foster mom, Pat, agreed to take the pup home to give him warmth, love and comfort for what we all thought were the final days of his so young life. Pat named him Yoda because he did indeed have a very wizened look on his tiny face.
     The lung congestion and collapsed trachea made breathing very difficult and at times impossible. Yoda would have coughing spasms at least once an hour, day and night, that left him absolutely exhausted. Needless to say, foster mom Pat was awake for each of these spells and never got more than 45 minutes sleep at a time. While Yoda did seem peaceful and content when not coughing, it was obvious that such a tiny thing could not endure such an assault for long. Remember, he didn't even weigh 2 pounds at this point.. After about 2 weeks and a number of vet visits, Yoda had a particularly virulent coughing spasm late in the afternoon and foster mom Pat did not think that it was right to ask him to endure such pain anymore. She called the SPCA to advise them that she would be taking Yoda to the vet the following morning to let him cross to the Rainbow Bridge. One of the SPCA volunteers was going to accompany her.
     On that supposedly fateful morning, Pat called the SPCA to state that for the first time since she had him, Yoda had slept through the night and had not coughed once! Needless to say, she did not go through with the vet visit and decided that this was Yoda's way of asking for more of the good loving and care that he was receiving.
     So, now let's fast forward to October 2009. Yoda is now a 10-month-old healthy, happy well-adjusted pup that has been adopted by his foster mom!!!! His collapsed trachea issue, common to the Pomeranian breed, is very manageable. He is the darling of the neighborhood and loves everybody and all other dogs, big and small. He has two Shih-Tzu companions in his household and a Yorkie neighbor named Sparky who is his favorite playmate. It took the efforts and financial resources of New Beginnings SPCA and a very special foster mom to bring him to this point, but he now is ensured the care and happiness that we all wish were possible for all canine cuties. While a rescue's work is never done, the success story of Yoda is the fuel that keeps us going. So, Yoda, once a piece of trash, is now the treasure of Pat and hubby Larry's household!!!!

* Third Place Award Recipient