Dying stray puppy is desperate to find a loving home where he can live out his final days
A months-old puppy born with only one failing kidney is in a desperate race against time to find his first - and likely final - home, where he can spend his remaining days surrounded by a family.
Fletcher, a 10-month-old fluffy black stray dog, traveled more than 2,000 miles from Arizona to a South Carolina humane society in hopes of receiving treatment for multiple birth defects, The State reported.
However, upon arrival, the shelter discovered Fletcher's condition was far more serious - they found he had only one kidney, and it was actively failing.
After determining that surgery would be too risky, the shelter made a heartbreaking but compassionate choice: rather than let Fletcher spend his remaining days confined to a cage, they vowed to do everything they could to find him a loving home.
'We'd give anything to do more for you. To promise you forever,' the Greenville Humane Society wrote in a Facebook post shared last week.
'But what we can promise you is today,' it added. 'And we won't let you sit in a kennel any longer.'
'Fletcher, you deserve to live your life in a loving home, where you can run carefree and know a loving embrace outside the confinements of a kennel.'
The 10-month-old pup began his life in a shelter in Arizona, but thanks to the dedication of the South Carolina-based rescue team, he made the 2,043-mile journey by car to meet the people determined to give him a second chance.
Fletcher (pictured) traveled more than 2,000 miles from Arizona to a South Carolina humane society in hopes of receiving treatment for the multiple birth defects affecting his fragile young life
After determining that surgery would be too risky, the shelter made a heartbreaking but compassionate choice: rather than let Fletcher spend his remaining days confined to a cage, they vowed to do everything they could to find him a loving home
'You waited patiently through sickness,' the shelter wrote. 'And when that day finally came and you visited the specialist, we held onto that hope.'
Fletcher's human advocates were hopeful that the care team could treat his hypospadias and ectopic ureter, but the prognosis quickly took a devastating turn.
It was soon discovered that Fletcher's single kidney was not only failing - but deteriorating far faster than anyone had anticipated.
'The specialists told us surgery is likely fatal due to the health of your remaining kidney,' the post continued. 'How could we make that decision? Just to let you go? After we tried this hard.'
'After you waited - patiently. But we couldn't risk your life. So, the decision was made to forgo surgery. To allow you to enjoy your life, just the way you are - which is perfect.'
Now, the shelter is urgently searching for someone to open their heart and home to Fletcher, despite the painful uncertainty of how long his remaining kidney will hold on.
Aside from likely requiring lifelong medications, frequent vet visits and a specialized diet, the humane society admitted they still don't know exactly what the adorable pup's future holds.
But one thing they know for certain is this - they refuse to let Fletcher spend even one more day confined inside the shelter.
'He was in an Arizona shelter since he was just a baby, so he's never truly known what it feels like to live in a home,' Katie Wofford, marketing assistant for the shelter, told McClatchy News via email.
'Despite this and his congenital defects, he's a very happy boy,' Wofford added.
'He loves to trot around with a stuffy in his mouth, always wagging and smiling to anyone who will greet him.'
Wofford described Fletcher as overflowing with love - so much so that he'd make the perfect companion for anyone willing to give him the best final chapter he deserves.
'Even if his life may not be long, he's ready to give all the love he has to his family,' she said.
'He will need a very special home who is willing to put in the extra love and work he needs, but there's no dog in the world that deserves it more than Fletcher.'
As of June 18, Fletcher is still waiting for a permanent home. Anyone interested in meeting him or giving the sweet pup the love and comfort he deserves is encouraged to reach out via email at adoptions@greenvillehumane.com.
'Today, we're hoping to let you go. But in the best way possible,' the Facebook post read.
'We want you to find your forever: a family willing to give you a loving, comfortable place to live out your life just the way you are, for however long you're able to,' it added. 'Because more than anything, you deserve that.'
'You deserve the world, and even though this isn't the outcome we were hoping for, we're committed to giving you absolutely everything we can.'
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