Francis is named for Saint Francis of Assisi, patron saint of animals. He was found wandering in the central park of Antigua on October 7th, on this saint’s day. Visiting veterinarian Dr. Judith Samson-French and companion Coleen Gittins helped catch this emaciated, hungry little pup with bits of chicken and a brand new tipica belt just purchased in the market.

Francis was about 8 months old when we found him, and was very malnourished. His coat was dead and dry and brittle, his nails terribly overgrown, and he had no muscle mass. He was filled with worms, covered in fleas and clearly had been scavenging for a while. His tail appears to have been cut off, but he wags the remaining half pretty happily.

Francis had a strange gait on intake, and x-rays showed a slight narrowing of some lumbar vertebra. He also had some difficulty retracting his penis into it’s sheath. Our vets felt that this was potentially caused by nerve damage due to trauma, and we put him on a course of gabapentin. The issue has almost completely resolved, although the tip of his penis does still occasionally peep out, it does not bother Francis and is not a health concern. His gait has normalized and he runs and plays with gusto.

Francis has filled in and grown a lovely, lush and soft coat. He is now a  healthy and happy pup. He has been vaccinated, wormed, and neutered. He is doing super well in his training and has mastered all his basic obedience behaviors. He loves people once he’s been introduced, adores kids, and plays well with his preferred dogs but takes a while to warm up to new dogs. He would do just fine as an only dog or with a small group of regular playmates. He is  ready for a home of his own.