In early November, a puppy was taken in at the Collins County, Texas Humane Society, unfortunately, her life to that point had involved cruelty.
Even though the puppy, then just ten to twelve weeks of age, was young, she had already spent the majority of her life tethered to a chain.
Life for the pup was soon to change dramatically because her spirited personality captured the heart of a shelter volunteer who had intended only to foster her.
The puppy, now known as "Buttercup," became this volunteer's "foster failure," when the woman decided that she had to make the puppy part of her family forever.
Buttercup was more fortunate than she could possibly know. Her life had started with hardship, and thanks to a rare disorder, life would continue to be difficult.
Buttercup suffers from Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, an inherited connective tissue disorder. There is no cure for this syndrome, only support to make the life of those impacted by the disorder, more comfortable.
Thanks to the Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, Buttercup's skin tears easily and she suffers from constant edema. Due to the physical difficulties that such dogs encounter daily, most puppies with this syndrome are euthanized before they even reach a year of age.
Had Buttercup remained in the care of her prior owner, living the life of an outdoor dog confined to a chain, she would have died a lonely, miserable death.
Fortunately, her current guardian, Patty Turner, is seeing to it that every moment of Buttercup's life is surrounded with love and kindness.
Buttercup wears a t-shirt to help protect her skin, visits the veterinarian on a regular basis, and her family has already been taught how to tape the gaping wounds that mysteriously appear on various parts of her body.
Today, Buttercup has her own Facebook page where friends, family and supportive strangers follow her everyday activities.
Buttercup is not out of the woods, nor will she ever recover from her rare disorder, but until the day that she finally leaves this world, she will know nothing but compassion and love.
Follow Buttercup's journey here.
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I am human, if you see a typo, please let me know. Questions, comments or story ideas can be emailed to Eims1@live.com.
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