Francine

🐾 Affectionate, playful, adventurous
💥Energy level: medium

🐈 Not good with cats

🐕 Good with other dogs

👶 Can be tested with children

👽 Good with new people

❄ What makes Francine special: her lust for life despite everything she has been through

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Francine is a Golden Retriever who was probably purchased as a puppy and then abandoned as she started getting older. She was found on the streets with her collar still on, wandering around, desperately trying to find a safe place to call home. She ended up finding a road-side cafe that took pity on her and started feeding her. She had been there for weeks, living on the pavement, eating leftovers, and never straying from her spot behind the cafe, when an animal lover spotted her. When she stopped to give Francine some attention, she realised something was wrong. Francine was experiencing severe vaginal bleeding and her bottom was caked in dried up and flesh blood. Francine was also unable to urinate, and kept trying to pee, but was unable to. The animal lover called me for help.

I took Francine straight to the vets, where it took over an hour of physical examinations, blood tests and ultrasounds to figure out what was wrong with her. It turned out that she had a vaginal rupture, which was causing the excessive bleeding and was making it extremely painful for her to urinate. Unfortunately, it is possible that she was raped, as this does happen in Turkey , but we will never know for sure.. We don't know how long she had gone without urinating, but her bladder was so full that her whole belly was swollen. The vet had to insert a catheter and we estimate that about a litre of urine came out.

Francine stayed at the vets until the tear in her vaginal wall started to heal and she started being able to urinate by herself. She had recovered well and appeared to be very healthy when we got even more bad news: 

During her spaying surgery, it was discovered that she had Pyometra and her uterus was terribly infected and swollen. This wasn't causing her any discomfort yet, but would have become a life-threatening condition within a matter of days to weeks according to the vet. Luckily it was caught on time and the vet was able to successfully remove the whole uterus.

They also discovered a lump in one of her breasts during the operation. The lump was removed and sent off to the pathology lab for examination, where it was discovered that this was a malignant tumor. The tumor has been removed and X-Rays show that the cancer hasn't spread to the rest of her body, but it is possible that it will come back in the future.

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Despite everything, Francine is a happy, energetic girl who loves life! She is a very confident dog who feels at home just about anywhere. She can be a bit bossy, and will bark to demand cuddles or food!

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Francine loves people and is very affectionate. She enjoys meeting new people, and will also bark at them to demand instand cuddles. She gets along very well with other dogs, and enjoys playing with them, but she is protective of her sleeping space, her food and her toys.

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Francine's absolute favourite thing is going out for walks. As soon as she sees a lead, she gets excited. She loves going out to explore new places and smell new smells.

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This girl has such a lust for life, and it is heartbreaking to think that her medical history may prevent her from ever finding the home she deserves.. After all she has been through, she really deserves to spend the rest of her days in comfort, and with a family who loves her..

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The dogs arrive in their homes microchipped, up to date on their Rabies and Mixed vaccinations, spayed/neutered, dewormed and deflead and tested for Heartworm, Ehrlichia, Leishmania and Anaplasma. The dogs visit the vets for a final health check before they travel. If needed, their teeth are cleaned and X-Rays are taken of any potential areas of concern. Any concerns or potential health issues we are aware of will be communicated with you beforehand.

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