See this story at BrooklynDaily.com.
By Vanessa Ogle
Brooklyn Daily
An abandoned dog is melting hearts in Mill Basin with its puppy-dog eyes.
Customers at the Mill Basin Bagel Café found the adult Yorkshire terrier tied up outside the Avenue N eatery on June 27. The dog had no tags and was in sad condition — its matted fur spattered with urine and feces — so the noble noshers whisked the Yorkie across the street to the Mill Basin Veterinary Clinic.
There the matted muffin got a bath, a haircut and a check-up courtesy of Dr. Amy Lipnicki, a veterinarian at the clinic, who lamented that this poor pooch was the second abandoned pet she has seen in the neighborhood in the past few weeks.
“Some people just don’t go about it the right way,” said Lipnicki. “These poor little guys don’t deserve that.”
The check-up gave a clue as to why the dog may have been abandoned — Lipnicki discovered that the terrier needs surgery to remove a bladder stone, plus additional blood tests, and medication for a heart murmur.
Lipnicki dubbed the cuddly canine Aloisius and set up a page on the fund-raising site fundrazr.com to gather donations to cover the $1,500 cost of his blood work, medications, and surgery.
Lipnicki also noted that Aloisius — described on the fund-raising page as an “intact male” — needs fixing in another way too, but she said that would be handled during the bladder surgery.
The Mill Basin Veterinary Clinic is offering dog lovers who donate $50 or more a free nail trim and ear cleaning for their own pets.
After Aloisius has surgery, the sensitive sweetie will still need a special diet — something Lipnicki is taking into consideration. She’s is reaching out to a specialty dog food company in the hope of securing a small stockpile of food for the dog’s future parents.
Also, Lipnicki said that any money collected in excess of the $1,500 needed for the immediate treatment will be set aside to help cover future medical costs to make life easier for Aloisius’s new family.
“It’s hard to take on an adult dog with a medical condition,” said Lipnicki.
Aloisius is downright elderly, in fact, estimated to be about 8–10 years old — or 56–70 in dog years — but Lipnicki hopes some family in the area will open their hearts to the tired terrier.
In the meantime, Aloisius is in foster care — showing that years of apparent neglect haven’t dimmed the dog’s affection for people.
“He’s always right by your foot,” said his foster mother, Marquita Leys. “Whenever you turn around, there he is.”
Leys said Aloisius is actually quite well-socialized, and friendly with both kids and adults. And she said that even though Aloisius isn’t a puppy anymore, he still deserves lots of loving.
“Older dogs need love too,” said Leys.
Donations for Aloisius can be made online at https://fundrazr.com/campaigns/co3B8?psid%3D95fb0366cfbf4315b6c2d6f5c6d3209f, or sent to the Mill Basin Veterinary Clinic, 6315 Avenue N, Brooklyn, NY 11234.