In June 2021, the kennel at Living Free rescued a mama dog and her tiny puppy from Coachella Valley. Both dogs were very dehydrated, skinny, and covered in fleas and ticks. The mama dog was alert, friendly and curious. However, her puppy was severely malnourished and weak.

After being assessed by our veterinarian, our staff began monitoring him and feeding him formula every 2 hours. He was too weak to feed on his own and his mama, Pearl, wasn’t able to care for him herself. Instead, he had to be carefully fed through a small syringe. There were a few days when it seemed uncertain if he was going to pull through. 

Against the odds, he started to improve. This little puppy was a fighter. His energy started to increase and he became stronger. Within a few weeks, he was eating on his own and showing off a very silly personality. He was named L.T. – short for “Little Tyke.”

Our kennel staff member, Michelle Reitmayer, fell in love with him while caring for him. Michelle shares, “I had lost my Corgi of 13 years due to cancer in October of 2020 in the middle of COVID so my home was very quiet and lonely. I looked at this tiny guy fighting to survive and my heart just melted.” While Michelle initially fostered L.T., she quickly realized it would be impossible to say goodbye to him. She officially adopted him in August 2021.

With all the care and love he received, L.T. has made a complete transformation to a healthy, happy, and rambunctious young pup. Michelle shares, “He is a delight! One would think with such a rough start he might be timid but not this guy.” 

Due to his young age, our kennel supervisor, Edgar Santiago, has allowed Michelle to bring him to work with me. “Edgar says he is the kennel mascot and I better not come to work without him,” says Michelle. This means, if you’re lucky to come visit on a day when Michelle is working, you’ll most likely get a chance to meet and play with L.T. 

“L.T. loves everyone and enjoys other dogs. He loves to hug and give kisses. He is always excited for a walk and enjoys playing fetch. He knows “sit” and “down” and we are working on learning other commands. He had his first puppuccino on 10/1/21 he thinks they are yummy. Many thanks to everyone who assisted my new best buddy recover and thrive.”

Rescuing and reviving animals is one of the most rewarding parts of doing what we do here at Living Free. Our dedicated staff and volunteers go above and beyond to care for every dog, cat, and horse that comes to our sanctuary.