Kyna’s Story

by Kaitlin Allen | Apr 30, 2014

The little black and white dog was born in rural Oklahoma. She was one pup too many for the family that owned her mother, so they dropped her off at a shelter; so easily disposed of. She arrived at the overcrowded, run-down shelter when it was inundated with summer puppies. Odds were already stacked against her, but then it became worse. She contracted ringworm, a fungal infection that is highly contagious for both humans and other dogs.

Ringworm treatment is not easy. It is lengthy and requires that the pet be kept isolated for several months to prevent transmission. Traditional kill shelters will not spend the time or resources on a ringworm-infected dog or cat and usually choose to euthanize them immediately. To say her future was bleak is an understatement. She would have been just another statistic. 

But something wonderful happened. That very same shelter just happened to be one that PAWS Chicago had formed a relationship with during the Oklahoma tornado missions. PAWS continued to work with them in the aftermath of the tornado and, whenever possible, send teams down to save what animals they could. A PAWS Chicago volunteer saw the little puppy and included her in a group of dogs and cats being transported to Chicago. 

Once she arrived at PAWS Chicago Rescue & Recovery Center, she was given a name