Already in love at the VSPCA

There are so many things going on at the VSPCA here in Vizag, India.  The staff work very hard all day long, and the animals have clean spaces and lots of love and attention.  Yesterday I spent the whole day at the shelter and have many stories and adventures to tell.  It is hard to sit down and attempt to write about everything, so for now, I will start with my favorite little girl dog whose story captures so much of how I feel about the VSPCA.  Her name is Jessie:

Somehow I missed meeting her on the first day, but on the second day she came running up to me as soon as I got out of the van.  Actually she wasn't running.  When she gets really excited, she scoots.

This little girl was paralyzed when she came to the shelter.  Her hind legs are damaged.  But Jessie is one of the luckiest dogs because at the VSPCA she learned to walk!

Here she is playing with her friends:

and resting!:

Her hind legs work very well.  Her back knees seem to be where most of her injury remains so she can't bend her back legs the way a fully healthy dog can. She can sit and lie down, and then to get back up she hoists herself upright with her front legs:

And once standing, her hips work fine and she can move her back legs and run around.  She's off again:

In fact she moves so fast that it is hard to take a picture in focus of her!!:

Jessie is so sweet and loving and has the happiest demeanor I have ever seen in an animal.  Can you see her smiling here?:

Here she is hanging out with her buddies Namam (on the right) and Naveen (on the left). 

Jessie is totally unafraid of falling down, which does happen.  When she gets really excited she goes too fast and her back legs sometimes slip out to one side.  But she doesn't even slow down, she just keeps going as fast as she can with her front legs.  And she is fast even when she is scooting!  When she has a minute, she stops and gets all the way back up again.

Of course she was one of the lucky ones yesterday to get a bath!  Here we are:

Jessie's story is a very happy one.  Were it not for the VSPCA, she would have suffered on the street with her injuries and would not have survived.  But here, she is strong and happy.  She does not even seem to know that she is different.  The vets and staff have worked hard for her and she has worked hard to recover.  The result is a happy happy little dog who shares her love with everyone.