success stories!
Zach was only 7 weeks old when came to The S. Ford Foundation. He came into the Emergency Hospital because he was vomiting. 
The Veterinarian examined him and discovered that the vomiting was caused by a birth defect called a Vascular Ring Anomaly. This defect
occurs when blood vessels don’t develop properly before birth. These blood vessels wind around the puppy’s esophagus and create a “bottle
neck” that is too small for food to pass through. Luckily Dr. Mullen, our fabulous surgeon, was able to perform surgery and remove
the vessel that was constricting Zach’s esophagus. Dr. Mullen was concerned that the esophagus might not ever be able to work properly
and that Zach would always vomit. 
He recovered from the surgery well,
but we couldn’t do anything but wait and hope that he would
recover and be able to live a normal life. We all held out breath for a week waiting to see if Zach would be ok – he spent
three days in oxygen recovering from the open chest surgery necessary to repair him. Within the first week, he was eating food normally
for the first time in his life! Now, six weeks past surgery, Zach has been able to go to his own family and is doing great! 
His
new mom says he loves hanging with them on the porch and sleeping on the sofa! Zach is one lucky puppy!!!
The S. Ford Foundation would like to thank Dr. Mitzi Howard, Dr. Holly Mullen, Dr. Therese Craychee, and the entire Surgical
and Emergency teams at the VCA Emergency Animal Hospital and Referral Center for all of their incredible and dedicated care of Zach while he was in
the hospital, and all of the donors who made our rescue of this dear little pup possible.
When Gris came to the Foundation, she was originally an indoor only kitty who was put outside after the owners had a new baby. She was brought into the shelter by the neighbors of the owners because she was drinking a lot of water and appeared to be ill.She was due to be euthanized by the shelter because she was thought to have a untreatable medical condition. Dr. Ford took her in and diagnosed her with diabetes mellitus. She responded VERY well to the insulin therapy and was doing GREAT, but the hard part was finding a loving home willing
an able to give her injections twice daily to continue her life.
We posted her bio on the site and gave her a special 'Personals Ad' in
our newsletter earlier this year reading, "Experienced, sophisticated, and relentlessly loving, this lady is looking for a
person to share the rest of her life with..." and we waited for a miracle for Gris. Excerpt of a Letter From Gris:
"... I now have a sister (Samantha) and a brother (Melvin) who utterly adore
me (well, as far as Melvin goes, when he gets over his hissy fits I know he will
adore me). I have more toys than I know what to do with, a Princess bed of my
own, filtered running water fountains that I just love (I always drank a lot
of water, but since discovering the fountains, standing water bowls seem positively
passé) My parents rave about my angelic behavior during my twice daily
blood tests, insulin injections, and pills administration. I must say the treats
I receive immediately afterwards aren't bad either! I want to thank everyone
at the Foundation for saving my life, and finding me a wonderful home. Not to
mention how grateful my parents and siblings are that they hit the jackpot by
finding me just before the holiday season!!!!
Respectfully, Miss Gris FKA: Gris, AKA: Griselda, Griselda Jean"
Falcor was a 3 month old male puppy who was born with only part of a right front leg. He did fine with the "stump", until he escaped from
his yard and was attacked by two dogs. The attack left him clinging to life with punctured and bruised lungs and a fracture to his "stump."Due
to the severity of the fracture & the fact that he was unable to use his leg anyway, he had an amputation performed and now has 3 legs. Despite all of these terrible injuries, he is still a sweetheart
and is recovering well!
Heed was just a weeks' old kitten when he
was found separated from his mother and he was brought to SFF by
Animal Control. He was fostered back to health by friends of the
S Ford Foundation (Chanin and Chris Scheil), then thankfully adopted
by the great animal lovers Dave and Jane Ezratty when he was 2 months
old. He now shares a house with 5 other cats and their dog Chewie,
who thinks she's a cat. Heed is an active and mischievous boy who
spends his days bouncing off the walls and chasing imaginary butterflies.
When he finally settles down for a nap, he can be found curled up
with his best friends Cedric and Chewie.
Tin Man was rescued in April of 2001. He had been found with a tin can over his head that had been there for some time. He was
flea ridden & malnourished. Tin Man later lost his sight and was found to have FIV. The S. Ford Foundation
gave him medical care, personal attention and tenderness. In June of 2001 a wonderful home was found for Tin Man with Kristin Kwiatkowski
and Jean Doherty. He now lives there with his best friend Eli and his mentor Oscar (both cats with FIV). He and Eli spend their days playing,
torturing dogs, eating, grooming each other, laying in the sun and more torturing of the dogs. They especially think that smacking a dog
on the nose is amusing. Tin Man is partial to "kitten caviar", feather toys and anything shaped like a mouse. He enjoys listening to Jazz ; in particular Stan Getz's samba.
Oscar came to the foundation as a small, sick and malnourished tom cat. He was also FIV positive. After a little love and antibiotics and lots of food. Oscar recovered
and was placed in a great home. He is now the leader of a 3 dog, 3 cat, and many frog household. Oscar loves people and his kitty
friends (even though he swats them to keep them in line once in awhile), however, Oscar does not appreciate dogs and their lumbering ways.
Oscar likes to swat a dog when he can get his paws on one, they have learned to avoid Oscar when possible! Oscar loves to be brushed and will tell you when he needs a brush or a pet. If you do not respond to meows he may try a little bite to get you going. Oscar
likes to patrol his territory and lay in the sun, tummy up, when his work is done. Oscar mostly listens to oldies on his stereo but can be caught listening
to his favorite rap band on some mornings.
ABEL was a 1 year old male black and white kitty who presented here after being hit by a car and left on the side of the road for dead. He had
severe facial injuries and was slated to be euthanized by animal control. Due to the diligent efforts of Dr. Mullen, Dr. Serdy and Dr. Ford- he was rescued and doing great!
TADDEO is a one year male castrated orange tabby kitty. He was found dragging his
left front leg which was so severely infected that it was life-threatening.He had to have a surgical amputation of that limb to save his life. He now is living happily with 3 legs!
Andre At only 10 months old, this hansom fella was rescued. He is more than a bit of a ham, very loving and very intelligent.He
required surgery on his leg but has fully recovered and found a new loving home
Maytag was rescued in December of 2002. He went to a very loving home who was ready to give him all of the love and attention that he deserves. He
is healthy and having a blast with his new family. MayTag enjoys chew toys, fluffy toys and once in a great while he'll indulge
his owner's with a game of ball (although personally, he sees no point to the whole "fetch" concept).
LILAC was rescued by the Foundation in 2001. She received medical treatment and found an awesome home with one of the VCA's own nurses, Melissa Taylor.
Pepina aka: Miss Mittens, is an incredibly sweet kitten that was abandoned at 3 weeks old. She is a calico with six toes on each front paw!Pepina
is in good health & was adopted by Dr Michael Serdy & his family. She enjoys playing with anything that rolls or flashes. Pepina
likes many kinds of music as she is so young and open minded.
Spotty was adopted on July 26, 2002!! It was a long wait for Spotty to find her new home and we are thrilled for her! She has a great new family that was obviously looking just as much for Spotty as she was for them.
Rushmore was a homeless cat that was brought in to the Hospital with some pretty severe injuries.
Eli was a 9 month old kitten when he was rescued by the S. Ford Foundation when Eli was abandoned by his owner as a young kitten.
Eli had several health problems and was then diagnosed with HIV. He was treated medically and then placed in the foster home of Susan Jones
before he was permanently placed in the home of Jean Doherty and Kristin Kwiatkowski. Eli is a precocious little boy and gets into everything
in the household. He loves to play almost any game with cat, dog or human. His best friend is Tin Man, a blind cat with FIV also rescued
by the Foundation. They like to wrestle until they are exhausted and then curl up together and nap. Eli's big brothers Oscar and Tin Man like
to groom Eli each day. Eli only likes the dogs when they are sleeping, he thinks they are pesky and a little slow when awake. His favorite music
(they have a CD player) is new alternative when he is at work and hard rock when he is partying.
Hannibal was rescued by
the Foundation in June of 2001. He had been through a rough time but
was able to recover after medical treatment. A great home was found
for him with Judy Kessler. Hannibal enjoys most toys, laying on just
about anything and prefers hard rock music (which Judy is opposed too).
Hannibal wanted to live in the midwest so they recently moved there,
it was either that or Judy had a career move that carried them there,
Hannibal thinks it was his choice.
Belle & Coal were rescued by the Foundation in 2001. They were lucky enough to be brought back to health and adopted together. They were both found a wonderful home with Linda Brawley. They enjoy playing with soft, fluffy toys, organic catnip (in moderation, of course), staging running and jumping races on the furniture and most forms of disco music. Linda hasn't the heart to tell them disco is out.