One post that landed on Paulette Goodreau’s page just couldn’t be ignored. She saw a picture of a dog named Pinky and felt an immediate swelling in her heart. The first thing Goodreau noticed was that there was something peculiar about her face. Goodreau’s partner, Christie Cornelius, is a veterinarian and she agreed.
Pinky was white but her fur was so thin she had a pink hue. Her eyes were small and squinty, and not focused in the same direction. Her nose looked squished, and her tongue hung out of her mouth ever so slightly. She had an obvious skull deformity. The shelter said she had a broken leg. She looked something like a pit bull, but it was hard to tell. Goodreau readily shared the post and also hoped “someone” would stand up and take Pinky.
Pinky was stuck at the Galveston County Shelter in Texas, which was sharing the post in hopes that a rescue would step up to pull her to safety. Cornelius gazed at Pinky’s photo while she was at work and was drawn to the dog’s silly face and pink hue.
She knew that Pinky’s broken leg was the least complicated of her issues and, more than likely, a temporary one. She also recognized the signs of neurological issues in Pinky’s face. Knowing that posts of dogs who have severe health problems tend to circulate widely, and can result in people unequipped to deal with their issues taking them in, Cornelius decided she and Goodreau were the “someone” Pinky needed.
Cornelius had the resources to take on such a special needs dog and was prepared to tap into them. Goodreau didn’t have to think when she received a text from Cornelius suggesting they adopt Pinky. Her immediate response was “yes.” The shelter was grateful to have the interest of a veterinarian for Pinky and adopted her out to Goodreau and Cornelius.
Goodreau and Cornelius had never met Pinky before adopting her. They knew Pinky was dropped off by a family who said they found her. They knew she needed a lot of medical help. And once they met her at the shelter, they knew they had made the right decision.
Once home, Pinky immediately went for a consult at Gulf Coast Veterinary Specialists. A CAT scan of her head revealed that part of her brain was in her nasal cavity, she had no frontal sinus cavities and her eye sockets and eyes were under-formed. She also had ingrown eyelashes, also known as reversed eyelashes, meaning her eyelashes were actually inverted and rubbing on her corneas. She also was suffering from developmental delays, epilepsy and diminished sight and hearing. Veterinarians confirmed that Pinky was born like this, likely due to inbreeding.
Pinky underwent surgery to correct her broken leg shortly after she came home, when she just under a year old, and again at 18 months of age to correct her reversed eyelashes.
It’s not known if she was a product of backyard breeding, but the shelter suspected the family who brought her in may have known more about her than someone would know about a stray dog they just found. Regardless, her genetic condition is due to inbreeding, which leads to genetic problems and deformities.
“None of this made a difference to us, as we both only have special needs animals,” Goodreau said. “We just had to figure out a way to teach Pinky within her special world. She cannot read humans or animals, so if she were to be attacked, she would not know to run or fight back.” She added that they will always protect her.
Dogs learn behavior from older, more experienced dogs and it is likely Pinky was left to fend for herself or rejected. She is terrified of crates and confined places, and potty training has proven nearly impossible.
Goodreau and Cornelius have their hands full with Pinky, in addition to their two other dogs, but they have no regrets. Pinky suffers from seizures and has acid reflux, but she’s happy. She is learning how to play, thanks to her canine siblings, Bob and Mylie. She brings joy to everyone she meets and she loves her humans. Despite all she’s been through, she’s not suffering.
Goodreau began a Facebook page for Pinky to keep her early supporters updated on her progress. She and Cornelius also advocate for animals who have special needs and are hard to place in homes. They stand against backyard breeding.
“Though Pinky is super cute, and we are lucky to have her in our family, the truth is, she has a guarded, unknown future because of someone’s carelessness and greed,” Goodreau said.
Pinky was very lucky. Thanks to the social media postings of Galveston County Shelter and her new moms’ compassion, Pinky was not at the shelter very long. City shelters are crowded, and special needs animals don’t do as well as cute, healthy puppies and kittens.
Goodreau and Cornelius had the resources to take care of Pinky. Goodreau urges people to consider the needs of the animal and try to compare your resources to their needs. Your heart is always in the right place when you want to help an animal, but your mind is your most useful tool when you decide to adopt.
There are plenty of animals from all types of backgrounds waiting to be adopted. If you are ready give a pet a forever home, check out Adopt-a-pet.com to get started.
