Special needs dog is returned to shelter 4 separate times – then finds his perfect match
Bandit is one special dog – and he happens to come with a few special needs as well.
The adorable black and tan mixed breed dog was taken in by Gwinnett County Animal Shelter, where he was then scheduled to be euthanized. Thankfully, the Gwinnett Jail Dogs Program stepped in to save Bandit’s life by giving him a second chance.
The program launched in 2010 as a three-fold partnership to help rehome the county’s shelter dogs. The Georgia-based rescue program was founded between Sheriff Butch Conway and the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Department with the Society of Humane Friends of Georgia. When the partnership started, it began with Sheriff Conway calling the animal shelter and requesting that the first five dogs scheduled to be euthanized be “pulled” from the line to be taken in as part of the program.
The program has been a huge success, now housing up to 15 dogs at any given time and is responsible for saving over 400 dogs from euthanasia.
“Upon arrival at the unit, each dog is assigned a primary inmate handler, in whose room the dog sleeps, plus either one or two secondary handlers. This not only gives more inmates access to dogs and ability to learn handling skills, but also provides continuity for the dog should one of its handlers leave the unit,” it says on the Jail Dogs website.
The lucky people who adopt these dogs don’t just get a new furbaby, but one that has already had official training.
“Trainers visit with the dogs and inmates three times a week, teaching the inmates how to train and care for the dogs. Basic obedience, tricks, and agility are all taught to the dogs and many have become quite adept! We also have groomers, vet techs, and other animal welfare volunteers and professionals visit the unit to educate the inmates on different issues surrounding the dogs, their care, and ways to reduce pet overpopulation,” it continues.
In Bandit’s handler’s case, his care routine was quite a bit different than the other dogs. Bandit needed someone to be his back legs for him, and even more.
Bandit didn’t start out as a special needs dog, though.
When he arrived as a participant in the program in 2014, he was given a full veterinary exam. Sadly, the sweet dog tested positive for Heartworm, but his new friends at the jail weren’t ready to give up on him just yet. So, the program shelled out money for the expensive treatment that involves a painful series of shots in the back muscles over a 90 day period.
Though the side effects of the treatment were known to include everything from lethargy and flu-like symptoms to muscle soreness and inflammation from the shot, Bandit had a much more rare and devastating reaction to the medication.
He lost the use of his back legs.
For a while, his handler had to pick Bandit’s back legs up to help move him move around “wheelbarrow” style.
Then the Society of Humane Friends of Georgia stepped in to Bandit’s rescue by buying him a custom wheelchair. Now, he can move around much like any other dog, if not a little faster.
While Bandit can still run and play like the other dogs, there are other things he will just never be able to do. Going potty on his own is one of them. The dog’s bladder and bowels need to be expressed manually most times. Other times, Bandit won’t even know he’s going because he can’t feel anything.
Tragically, Bandit was adopted and returned by four different families over the course of six years in the Jail Dogs Program.
While the families were well intended, none of them fully realized what it would take to care for a special needs dog. Then Darrell and Sue Rider came along.
Darrell suffers from paralysis himself, and when he and his wife came across the Jail Dogs Facebook post about Bandit, he had a feeling that they might be a perfect match.
“The most intriguing part of Bandit is that he and I share the same type of paralysis and use a wheelchair to get around. Because Sue and I know what it’s like for life in a wheelchair, we knew what was needed for Bandit. We also felt a much deeper connection,” explained Bandit’s new dad.
After lengthy consideration and a month of talks with the program, the Riders’ decided to bring the special needs dog home.
Their first meetup couldn’t have gone more perfectly and everyone felt that it truly was the perfect match. Letting go of Bandit, though, proved to be bittersweet for everyone in the program – especially his handler.
“He meant so much to all of us at the detention center that it is now very strange to walk into the unit he was in and not see him running up to you for a treat. His raspy bark is missed and that ‘smile’ he always seemed to have on that furry face of his. His handler has since received another dog to work with, but he and the rest of the handlers in the unit miss him. We are all adjusting to his absence and are thrilled that Bandit has a home of his very own,” said Lori Cronin, a volunteer with the Jail Dogs Program.
Now that Bandit is settled into his forever home, it’s like he’s always been part of the Rider family.
“Bandit is doing great, and has settled in better than we could have imagined with his new family and surroundings. We as his family couldn’t be happier to have Bandit in our lives,” said Bandit’s new dad.
If you would like to help Bandit’s friends in the Jail Dogs Program, found out how to do so here.
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.