It all started with an urgent call.
The night before the Rainier Animal Fund’s In-Service clinic on October 24, 2020, our team received an urgent call from our friends at the Homeward Pet Adoption Center. They were quite concerned about a former rescue who had been adopted earlier in the year. The family had just left the veterinary ER where their beloved new dog Jack had been assessed for lethargy, vomiting and disinterest in food. Unfortunately, due to the COVID crisis, Jack’s family could not afford the next steps in diagnosing Jack’s condition. The only thing the ER was able to do was send Jack home with supportive care for his symptoms. As Jack’s condition grew worse, Homeward Pet was hoping there was something the Rainier Animal Fund could do. 
Truly, it was perfect timing as the next day we had assembled a volunteer team of veterinarians, licensed technicians and assistants from around the Sound to provide care at our clinic. This included a highly-qualified team from Animal Surgical and Orthopedic Center, seasoned veterinarians and assistants from Beach Veterinary Hospital and Rainier Veterinary Hospital as well as recent DVM graduates stationed at Joint Base Lewis McChord. It was all hands on deck to provide care to patients in need of essential veterinary services. We were more than happy to be there for Homeward Pet Adoption Center and add Jack to our day.
It is a good thing Jack joined us at the clinic! Come to find out Jack had swallowed an oversize cat toy that was obstructing his intestines. Jack needed emergency surgery immediately.
With that new information in hand, our team rushed Jack into surgery where two veterinary surgeons worked to save Jack’s life. Luckily, our team was able to remove the obstruction and repair the damage the blockage had done to Jack. Now it was up to Jack and his family as they started down the long road to recovery.
After a couple of re-checks, suture removal and diligent care by his family, Jack is now doing well and thriving. We couldn’t be happier with this outcome and are so glad that our volunteer team could be there for Jack and the family who so very much loves him. All of this, of course, was made possible by our amazing volunteers and donors. All are lifesavers to us, Jack and other pets in need.
Jack’s Story – By Zach and Evelina Schumpert
Jack, named by the shelter, is our blue Doberman with alopecia we rescued from Homeward Pet Adoption Center in mid-February 2020. (We are uncertain of Jack’s actual age, as estimates very between five and eight years.)
We have never had our own dog before but knew we wanted to give one a home, and knew that adoption was always going to be the right choice for us. Finally, when the day arrived and we met Jack, we knew it was the right fit. His big brown eyes captivated us and his story, well, it broke our hearts. He was found wandering the streets in the Yakima Valley area; clearly very emaciated and run down. After all that, he still had the ability to connect with us, so we were determined to bring him home.
Originally, Jack was on medical hold due to tumors that were removed from both his breasts. Homeward Pet needed the biopsy results before he would be available for adoption. After a long two weeks and many visits during that time we finally brought Jack home on February 16, 2020. The first few weeks were pretty rough, but with ample attention and dedication to rehabilitation and training, within two months Jack made a complete recovery.
Currently, Jack resides in a very picturesque country side of Monroe, where he goes on daily walks and can check-in on his friends along the way…also known as our neighbor’s livestock. We joke that Jack is a philosopher, as we often see him stand and ponder the environment and situations around him. He loves bird watching and we often see him with his head pointed up and looking at the sky. Jack is very intelligent and a quick learner but can also be mischievous and stubborn.
Jack is so playful we were originally misled into thinking he was much younger than he actually is! He loves doggy playdates. Jack is very inquisitive with people and gets along beautifully with our two cats, who are also rescues. Jack is very musically gifted, hitting a wide range of squeaks, squawks, grunts and nose-whistles…often accompanied with grand sounds of butt trumpets. Jack understands basic hand signals that we use as a pseudo sign language. It allows us to control and manage him without having to shout, or interrupt our conversations. Some examples of hand gestures he understands are: ‘wait’, ‘come’, ‘sit’, ‘stop’, ‘move over here’, ‘look at me’ and ‘leave it’.
And, with a pet as inquisitive as Jack, we, of course have many, many nicknames for our beloved pup. Jackie, Goofus, Pupperino, Jaquez, Lizard Face, Potato Nose and Muppet are just a few of the nicknames he has acquired since joining our family. 
Things Jack Loves:
- Watching birds, cows and horses
- Carrots, the highest currency treat
- Dipping his paws in the river on hot days
- Swimming in the lake with Mom and Dad
- Peanut butter / apples/ pumpkin / cucumbers
- Mammoth Bones
- Sun bathing
- Grunting
- Running
- Chasing bugs
- Face rubs
- His Teddy bear
- His blanket
- Hanging out with his kitties
Things Jack Dislikes:
- Being told ‘No’
- Baths
- Cold weather
- Getting his nails trimmed
- Rain
- Being woken up
- Getting beeped for breaking rules
In mid-October, tragedy struck and Jack became deathly ill. Just as the pandemic spiked and affected availability of veterinary openings as well as our household being affected by COVID, we found ourselves in a very dire situation without many options. Thankfully, the fantastic shelter Jack came from connected us with this wonderful organization Rainier Animal Fund, where Jack was able to receive medical care he desperately needed. After a two-hour long surgery, the two vets operating were able to retrieve the cat toy Jack apparently ate that got stuck in his intestines. It was a complex surgery that followed a five-day long illness, so Jack was very weak and had a lot of healing to do.
After three long weeks of healing, the Cone-of-Achievement was finally retired, to much happiness from Jack. He is fully recovered, all small sized cat toys got re-homed and we are finally able to resume our walks and hikes.
We don’t know what we would have done without Rainier Animal Fund’s help, compassion and support. The entire team was incredibly kind and dedicated and we felt they handled Jack as if he was theirs. This is the first time we have received help from a non-profit organization and it definitely was an eye opener of the importance to support organizations like this because they do come with aid in the darkest hours. We are definitely going to be life longs supporters of Rainier Animal Fund.
For more information on the Rainier Animal Fund, their upcoming clinics and to make a donation, please visit rainieranimalfund.org.
