This precious dog has a story to tell. A story that encompasses the human spectrum of love and evil. In the end, love prevailed. ”Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.” ~ Anatole France
Meet Rilind Reborn. Rilind’s ((pronouced Ri (long “i”) lend)) name means rebirth and because of what I believe to be Divine intervention he has been given the chance to have a new life, a better life. The kind of life every dog should have.
If you are only looking at Rilind’s face you may think he’s just thin but he’s not just thin…he’s emaciated.
Rilind was discovered one week ago as he was literally tossed over the fence at a shelter in Clay County. Shelter staff & volunteers had never seen such an extreme case of neglect. Rilind was covered in urine, feces and fleas. His temperature was so low that it wouldn’t even register, his gums completely white and pale and his red blood cell count was dangerously low. He underwent an immediate blood transfusion. Thankfully, a donor was available at the Pit Sisters rescue group that, in the end, would be the ones to foster Rilind. The blood transfusion appeared to be successful although Rilind’s red blood count is still half of what it should be.
The veterinarian Riliand sees daily believes his hair loss may be attributed to malnutrition. It was also discovered that Rilind has a pretty severe case of heartworms. One thing I noticed about this guy is even though his body is fragile, he has a very strong spirit. He is a fighter. No doubt the love and attention he has received from strangers has helped. Of course we had to bring along some cute costumes for him to try on. I personally think he liked the frog suit the best. You will noticed his eyes are closed in the photo below. There were several times throughout the couple hours we spent together that he just sat and faced the sun, closed his eyes and took in the sunlight.
Brian, owner of Caring Palms Massage & Reiki, was there during the photo shoot to provide reiki for Rilind. He seemed very calm and content during his reiki session.
In this shot Rilind had walked up the steps to the slide at the park. He wanted to go to the very top…but we wouldn’t let him. This shot was a view from the stairs I was sitting on to block him from walking any higher!
This is Rilind getting some love from one of his foster parents.
At one point Rilind attacked a gingerbread treat that he received from Sybil from Pit Sisters, an organization dedicated to bully breeds. You can view their Facebook page where you can read more about their mission.
Rilind is believed to be a Mastiff. Perhaps even a Cane Corso (Italian Mastiff) when he finally gets to the size he should be.
Riland is such a sweet, wonderful dog. Please join his Facebook page herewhere he has more fans than the Jags. (Okay, that was a joke guys. I heart the Jags) Also, if you feel so led please visit the Pit Sisters page where you can donate to the organization to help the lovely sisters take care of not only Rilind but other loving, discarded dogs. If you are able to donate directly to Rilind’s health care, you can do so directly to Lakewood San Jose Animal Hospital (904) 737-2011.
“We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals.” ~ Immanual Kant
~ Carmen
P.S – Even though Rilind is being taken care of by a team of loving people, he is still very ill and needs your love and prayers daily. Thanks for reading!
