Passionate About Pets isn’t just a tagline Matrix Partners uses in order to close a business deal. It is a philosophy that is ingrained in every single one of our employees and something we really pride ourselves on.
I’ve had the privilege of serving on the board of Chicago Canine Rescue for the last five years. Recently, I had the opportunity to make a great impact on one of our animals, and in honor of the month of love, I thought it would be a great time to share Sugar’s Story.
Sugar was brought to Chicago Canine Rescue (CCR) as a stray along with her two puppies. While Sugar’s name perfectly suits her, she is as sweet as can be, her puppies were adopted out quickly and Sugar was sadly left behind at the shelter with no one interested in giving her a forever home.
Sugar was down, but she definitely was not out. After some time, her sweet and gentle nature and the beautiful grin on her face landed Sugar a spot with an amazing foster family. It didn’t take long for her foster family to fall in love with her, and Sugar proudly found herself a home of her own. The shelter staff was ecstatic, but also a little sad to see this sweet girl go.
Shortly, after being adopted, after no fault of her own, Sugar was playing with her new fur brother (as she always loved to do) and injured herself. After a trip to the ER, it was determined that Sugar was paralyzed from the waist down. And the most gut wrenching part of it all, Sugar was promptly returned the shelter as her “forever” family was no longer able to care for her.
Now, for some shelters this may have been a problem, but not for Chicago Canine Rescue. Our mission is to take care of the dogs that are too old, injured, the dogs that are not wanted. We believe in the underdog, and lovingly welcomed Sugar back into our care with arms wide open.
Once Sugar settled back in, we realized that she needed help beyond what we could offer. Thankfully, one of our dedicated volunteers stepped up and contacted Cathy Bissell, founder of the Bissell Foundation. After hearing Sugar’s story and learning of the limited resources the shelter had to rehab a paralyzed dog back to full health, Cathy knew she had to help.
As part of the Grateful Pet Tour, The Bissell Pet Foundation identified Sugar as a special pet that deserved a second chance. The Bissell Pet Foundation signed on to sponsor Sugar’s rehab at an outstanding facility called Integrated Pet Care (IPC). IPC is comprised of a team of certified animal rehabilitation professionals who basically work miracles. This dedicated and skilled team helps rehab animals from surgery and injury and I could never ever give their services justice.
Sugar is now in week 3 of her 8-week program. Thanks to Cathy Bissell, Sugar is receiving a combination of laser therapy, hydrotherapy, and therapeutic exercise to help her walk again!
Sugar has taken every challenge placed in front of her since she came to CCR and crushed it. She overcame her fear, doubts, sadness and injury with a strong will and a beautiful smile on her face.
February is the month of love, so let’s not forget our love and compassion for others, especially for animals. And a heartfelt thank you to everyone who helped us make Sugar’s story a happy one.
Sugar is now available for adoption, an application can be filled out here: https://chicagocaninerescue.org/adopt/animal-adoption-application/
