Name/Age: Kaleb - 2 y/o
Family Members: Becca & Chris Fur babies: Zeus-11, Mya-3 & Wishbone-2
How long has Kaleb been in the family? Since December 2017
Profession: Becca is a Dental Assistant & Chris is a painter and runs their coating business
Location: Savannah, GA
Nicknames: Binky Boy, Bink the Stink, Kay-Wub, Boo Bear, Pear Boy, Smushface
5 words/phrases that best describe Kaleb?
Extremely Goofy
Loves every human he meets
No sense of personal space
Professional Drooler
Insists on bringing his "binky" (a monkey that used to be stuffed) everywhere he goes
What makes Kaleb unique? He's a tripod! He is missing one of his back legs, so watching him run is hilarious. He tries to scratch himself with his stub, and his stub vibrates uncontrollably when you rub his belly. He also loves to roll around on his back on any given bed or couch and make the loudest noises that sound like 2 bears fighting! He also doesn't bark. Instead, he makes this odd whining noise that sounds like a mix between squeaky brakes and a balloon losing air. He's so weird.
Goofy boy with his “binky” by his side!
Rescue Story: Kaleb came into our local animal control as a stray. He stayed there for 7 months, much longer than the usual bully. The associate director was very fond of him and kept pulling him from death row. She finally convinced the local rescue that I was associated with to pull him on December 22, 2017, the last pull of the year. The foster coordinator was VERY concerned about him, as she had been following him during his time at animal control and was witnessing him shutting down. My house was open for another foster, so I took him in. We had him for about two months when an unforeseen tragedy occurred. Kaleb had an affinity for jumping the fence, and one night did not clear it and found himself hanging. We rushed him to our vet. He had shattered his left fibula, joint, and wrist. There was no other option than to amputate the leg. Post surgery, there were multiple complications including serious infections, and I was terrified of losing him. After months of nursing him back to health, rehabing his walking, and almost losing him to sepsis, we had formed a bond. I knew that I would be incapable of adopting him out and he officially became part of our family.
Before it was made official!
What is your favorite pastime as a family? My favorite thing to see him do is interact with the neighbor kids that we share a fence with. They used to be very weary of bullies and used to back away when they saw him. Now, they will stand in the yard and call for him, awaiting with treats, sticks, balls and pears. They will entertain each other as long as I will allow! Watching how much he loves kids while also witnessing the transformation of how they see the bully breeds never gets old for me.
What is life like since you rescued Kaleb? Kaleb has filled my heart with more love than I ever thought it could contain. He is my reason to get up in the morning, he is my relief when I have a bad day, and he's my pillow when I am sick. He is my shadow and the love of my life. It would now be inconceivable to picture life without him, he is everything. Boy, is he spoiled. That boy has claimed the guest room as "his room", he has sweaters, football jerseys, cowboy hats, bandanas, and I made him a pirate outfit with his own custom peg leg. His life has certainly turned around from living on death row to living the dream.
Photographers Note: Kaleb was my last volunteer in the beautiful Bonaventure Cemetery and the clouds had started to come in, so I was really hoping we would get this in before the rain came. I completely forgot about the weather when this energetic boy with a huge smile came bounding out of the car. Kaleb was just hilarious and had me laughing through out the shoot. Goofy is the perfect word for him…..I did get to witness the rolling around on his back complete with sound effects, which he displayed when I had said we were done! Guess he was celebrating?? We even had a brief case of the zoomies that we had to deal with. Honestly he did great and was an excellent poser when properly rewarded, I think even his Mom was surprised how good he did! Now Kaleb’s story is a heart breaking one for sure but to see this sweet happy boy living his best life with his forever family who adore him; you know there is no looking back for him. Oh and it started to rain, just as Kaleb got into his car to head home and he looked out at me through the window with that big beautiful smile.