Puppy Gets Super Excited Over New Squeaky Toy

River is a puppy with a lot of enthusiasm for everything. She was literally moments from death two days before Christmas and she now seems to live as if she is somehow aware that every day is a precious gift. Perhaps it is just her adorable personality, but each new experience is met with joy and happiness. She has always loved chew toys and stuffed animals to play with, especially if they make noise when she squeezes them. Here, she can be seen with a new stuffed squeaky toy. First, she picked it up and carried it happily, but when she discovered that it squeaked, she became ecstatic.Show more

River seems very proud of the fact that she can make the toy squeak and she proudly carried it around the room, squeaking it loudly. Her tail wagged so hard that her back end swayed as she ran around. She carried to everybody in the room to show them what she had discovered and watched to see their reaction. Then she carried it over to her favorite mat on the floor and rolled on her back with great joy.

River is enjoying a second chance at life. She is a true rescue who had a near brush with death. She belonged to a loving family who brought her to the veterinarian in December. River was was declining fast and the diagnosis was grim. She was struggling with health problems that were costly and very challenging to manage. It simply wasn’t possible for her family to treat her successfully. River was seconds from being euthanized when the veterinary assistant at the emergency clinic came up with an idea. Serena had some expertise with animal health, as well as access to testing and treatment. Her mother was a veterinarian at another clinic as well. Serena’s family had also had another rescued dog with a similar disease and they had experience with the issues and complications that River would face. Between the two of them, it might be possible to manage River’s health. Serena told the family she was willing to try and asked them to consider giving River up. Happy to see her getting a second chance, they readily agreed to hand her over to Serena. Treatment began immediately and River responded well. Unfortunately, she was also diagnosed with a rare and complex heart problem soon after this, but with proper care and some luck, River may be a candidate for corrective surgery in the coming months.

This loving and beautiful little soul is enjoying her new home and making the most of each day.