From the streets of Playa del Carmen, Mexico to a loving home here in Hamilton. Lexi has had a tough journey, but she is a survivor and is loving her new life … Lexi’s story is sad, but wonderful in how it turned out and continues to be. So many people showed her love and compassion, took care of her and nursed her back to complete health. Lexi had been hit by a car and was put in a tightly tied trash bag with more bags of garbage piled on top of her and had been left to die.
Thankfully, Lexi had some earth angels; some local citizens who were walking by heard her cries for help and pulled her to safety. A local rescue, The Snoopi Project, was called and they took Lexi in. From there she was rushed to the veterinarian’s office. She had x-rays which confirmed that she sustained two broken hips and a broken femur. She also sustained a serious injury to her eye, was severely anemic, and tested positive for Anaplasmosis and Ehrlichia (both tick-borne bacterial diseases). Lexi would have to endure not one, but two long, delicate and painful surgeries to put her badly broken little body back together. While she was being treated it was discovered she had a transmissible venereal tumor that required chemotherapy to be cured. She bravely endured four treatments that led to the tumor disappearing.
Now, Lexi is completely healthy and with the exception of a little limp, you would never know she was in such a bad way, or so close to dying. Lexi is the sweetest little pup, who after all she had endured still wagged her tail non-stop and gave the softest little kisses to everyone who cared for her.
Whoever discarded her may have broken her body, but not her spirit or will to live! Lexi arrived in her new home in Canada in March of 2018.
Since then Lexi became a pet therapy dog with Zachary’s Paws for Healing and now serves the clients and staff here at St. Joseph’s Hospital, bringing her special brand of love and happiness to all she encounters – and she loves every minute of it.
This is how Lexi became a therapy dog in this hospital.
A little story as to how this came about: The hospital we volunteer at is a hospital for mental health and addictions and one of the psychiatrists knew Lexi’s story and was amazed at her will to live and her resilience. She decided she wanted to use Lexi’s story for her newsletter that gets sent to other psychiatric doctors and residents. I was so happy that she chose to illustrate the qualities of resilience in an animal, not just in humans. I’m so proud of Lexi. Everyone at the hospital from staff to patients love her. She gives a lot of love to them all too. Lexi loves her job (and all the attention!) and we can’t wait to go back.
Recent Comments