3rd Annual Basket Pawty May 19, 2024 @ Bedford American Legion
Who Is Abby? Her Legacy Carries On Through AAAH
Nicole Wertz • Jul 28, 2022
Who Is Abby? Her Legacy Carries On
Abby was rescued from a local shelter in September, 2008 at 2 years old. She was beaten, used as a puppy maker and abandoned, tied to a shelter fence on a cold Pennsylvania night. She went on to live with her adoptive mom for the next 9 years and 8 months, bringing joy and leaving happiness where ever her four paws took her.
Abby gained a four legged brother, Bentley, in 2012 and loved him more than anyone else. 2014 brought a four legged sister, Prada, who was rescued from New York after being poisoned and developing pyometra. Early in 2015, a hospice foster
entered our home and began our passion for hospice fostering. Frenchie, a 2 year old Staffordshire Terrier, had a balloon valvuloplasty surgery to help heal his malfunctioning heart. Frenchie had tricuspid dysplasia, pulmonary stenosis and congestive heart failure. The valvuloplasty afforded him 14 months with us and Abby, before he passed on February 28, 2016.
In 2015, Abby was diagnosed with Mast Cell Cancer. She underwent surgery to remove four masses. After a successful surgery and recovery, she beat cancer. Her “I beat cancer” photo was shared on Facebook
and went viral. We were contacted by the Dodo for an interview and she was featured as an article on their website.
In 2017, Quinn, another hospice addition, came to live with us. Quinn had a severely malignant diagnosis of Mast Cell Cancer. She had surgery on her back leg in February to remove a huge tumor and was given a grim diagnosis of maybe 3 months. She arrived in March and in June had emergency surgery for pyometra. During her surgery, a mass was found in her spleen. It was biopsied and was not cancerous as had been thought, and her prognosis was thought to be better than anticipated. We had aspirations done of a few bumps on her head and body in July, and unfortunately the cancer had become even more vicious. We planned for surgery to remove the sites, but they just kept spreading rapidly. We lost Quinn on August 6.
Throughout all of the fosters, temporary stays and new additions, Abby loved and accepted every single being who stepped over our threshold. She viewed life as a playground filled with love and happiness and did her best to brighten the lives of all she met.
In April, 2018, Abby had a devastating seizure that lasted over 20 minutes. She lost her ability to see and hear for over 4 hours. She was in a panic and nothing we could do could help her. We rushed her to our vet who gave her medicine to help her. We were afraid that after such a long seizure, her brain would be affected. She came home the next day and was more or less back to herself for a few days. A week later, she had another seizure. We started her on phenobarbital in hopes that we could get ahead of the attacks and improve her quality of life. She improved for a few weeks and then again we lost ground. She lost the ability to control her movements, her appetite was sporadic and she lost her sense of self. She could never get comfortable and whined constantly, not knowing if she had to go outside, was hungry, wanted to sleep or wanted to be held. We did all we could to comfort her and help her, but felt helpless.
In late May, we woke up in the morning to her having extreme vomiting and diarrhea. She could not even lift her head. We cleaned her up, made her comfortable and gave her pain meds. I left for an hour to get work situated so I could come home and spend the day with her. When I arrived back home, she was laying in her own vomit and diarrhea and could not move. I cleaned her up and laid down beside her. I stroked her head and told her if it was time for us to let her go, it was ok. We would be ok. She would be ok. And that we loved her more than life. She got up, licked my face and went to wait for her leash. We spent the day together doing all the things she loved, seeing the people she loved and making her last day, the best day.
That afternoon, I said goodbye to the best soul I had ever met. That afternoon, I lost most of my heart and most of my own soul. That afternoon, I vowed to live the rest of my life honoring her in the best way I knew how.
This is how I can do that. Saving lives, wanting to make this world a better place for animals, giving them a chance....that is my purpose. That purpose was inspired back in 2008, when I laid eyes on a scrawny, almost hairless, long tongued Boston Terrier-Pit Bull Mix who stole my heart and showed me my life’s passion and my reason for being.
Abby’s Angels Animal Haven
is now her legacy. We specialize in hospice care and terrier & bully breeds, although we will love and accept any breed. We thank you for reading our backstory, and for all the support. Without people believing in our purpose and donating time and energy as well as monetary and physical donations, we couldn’t fulfill our mission. So thank you. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for helping us remember our girl the best way we can. Thank you for choosing to help us save as many lives like hers as possible.
Imagine the wagging tails and bright eyes as your pets discover the delightful Easter treats at Clover's Closet. The shop is brimming with Easter chicks, soft treat cups, peep bunnies, and mini eggs, perfectly sized for your pets to enjoy. And for those who cherish the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day, there’s an assortment of treats that will have your pups dancing a jig in delight.
We're wagging our tails in excitement and hope you'll join us for Abby's Angels Animal Haven's 3rd Annual Basket Pawty! Mark your calendars for a paw-some day of fun, as this year's event will be held on Sunday, May 19, 2024, at the Bedford American Legion.
This year, we are thrilled to announce a delightful and sweet collaboration with Sarris Candy, a renowned confectioner, to support our canine friends. This unique fundraising initiative not only aims to raise essential funds for our dogs but also offers an opportunity for you and your family to indulge in some of the finest candies available.
Abby's Angels Animal Haven has rescued 17 dogs from an animal hoarding case in Bedford County, PA. The organization is now providing care and rehabilitation for these animals. Find out how you can help.
Nick is a young boy around 6 months old, possibly has some shep and a bunch of other things floating around in that DNA. He has Demodex mange. He is emaciated and has lots of weight to gain. His back legs have a habit of crossing when he walks. That may improve with the right nutrition as he heals.
Join us for the grand opening of Clover's Closet in Bedford, PA on December 9 & 10, 2023. We are located at 114 W. Pitt Street, Bedford, PA 15522. We hope to see you there!
A Dog Facing Certain Death Due to Starvation if Someone Didn’t Step Up
Santa is joining us once again this year, along with the fabulously talented Dianna Nicole to offer TWO days of photos with Santa for your pets! More details and appointment links will be created closer to the event, but mark your calendars!
Two Sessions of Puppy Yoga - Saturday, September 9th 2023
Aysa joined us on Sept 16 2022 through the combined efforts of CAnine REscue - CARE Inc., Joey's PAW , Code3 Animal Rescue Aviation Team, and Pilots N Paws . Aysa was found in April of that year, in the state of Indiana, with a catastrophic spinal injury. She was found with her deceased mother, both suspected hit by cars. Aysa was taken to a vet clinic…. And there she lived in one of their kennels. At the end of august, Joeys Paw had been contacted by CARE , to see if they knew anyone who could help. Aysa is completely paralyzed from the bottom of her ribcage down, and If no one could be found, Aysa would be euthanized, as living in a kennel at a vet clinic is not a life she should be experiencing. Joeys Paw asked us, we said yes. Mark took up the task of planning her freedom flight and his team at Code 3 worked together with Pilots and Paws to get Aysa from Indiana to PA. Every pilot fell in love with her and we can’t thank them enough for getting her to us. When Aysa arrived that Friday evening, she went home with the director to be assessed, evaluated and to await her foster being ready for her. Upon arrival we noticed she had a very infected sore on her hip. It was cleaned, treated. But it was concerning. Over the weekend, we learned she loved baths. She needed her bladder expressed, but she could defecate on her own. She Wasn’t fond of other dogs, wasn’t real happy with new people in her space she didn’t know….. but her resilience and strength shone through every moment. The next week, she met her new foster mom, and she really didn’t care for her at first, but I told her that Aysa would be fine, have faith. And she was. She went to the vet where we learned how catastrophic her injuries were. And that they could not be fixed with surgery, with any treatment. At that point in time, her leg was ravaged with infection. We honestly didn’t know if her prognosis was good at all. And then Aysa said, hold my ball. Her leg healed, other cuts and infections creeped in, but those healed too. She got a scooter that she hated, a drag bag she’s not fond of, a set of wheels she only tolerates for short burst of time (the way her back is broken, she can not sit straight in a chair), a stroller she loved taking rides in, and an insane amount of toys, treats, and love. She bonded with her foster mom, they settled into a routine, they became two halves of a whole. Aysa got stronger. She learned she likes to walk on her front legs. And while a lot of people are horrified at that—we don’t make her do it. We have given her EVERY tool for assistance getting around and she gives us a middle toe. She wants to do it on her own. She’s determined. She’s full of fire. She’s courageous and she’s a survivor. We’ve been posting her for ten months—not one inquiry. So we sat down and had a very long and very serious talk about Aysa’s future. And here is what has been decided. Aysa will be staying with her foster mom… no longer a foster, but as a forever. She’s been home since the week after she arrived. They have their routine down. She is safe, loved, cherished, extremely well taken care of, and she is most importantly….. happy. We do not know what Aysa’s future holds in regard to how long she’ll continue being the firecracker she is, but we do know she won’t know even one second without love and kindness. Aysa will remain under Abby’s Angels for her vetting for life because we do not know what time will bring. So we may still ask for things for her from time to time. We hope you’ll help if needed. And in the meantime—thank you to her foster, now forever mom. For loving her, for saying yes, for caring for her, for being the savior she needed and always will. We appreciate you and are so grateful and extremely happy for you both. To Joeys Paw, Code 3 Animal Rescue …. Thank you for your continued assistance with everything this girl has needed. We couldn’t have been what she needed otherwise. The first three photos are her now with her forever mom. The rest are the first we ever got of her, and her journey the first week until she went home… we just didn’t know it yet.
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