Romeo & Juliette – love in the fast lane

Romeo (above) and Juliette (below) came from a very rural part of Virginia. Their people left them to fend for themselves when the family’s trailer burned down. They only came back to collect and sell the pair’s puppies whenever they had a litter. These two sweet pups survived for over a year with only the burned-out shell of a trailer for shelter, and only what little food they could scrounge up on their own . 

When their most recent litter was born, the neighbors decided that they couldn’t stand by and watch anymore, so they called AFH for help. It took some convincing, but Romeo and Juliette’s people finally decided to surrender them and their four new puppies to AFH, so they could be adopted into families that were better able to care for them.

AFH brought this fluffy little family into its foster program and immediately took everyone to the vet for testing and vaccines. All four puppies’ bellies were full of worms, but they were otherwise fat and healthy, thanks to their parents’ excellent care. Romeo and Juliette, however, weren’t so lucky; they both tested positive for Heartworm disease (a mosquito-borne disease), Lyme disease, and Ehrlichiosis (both are tick-borne diseases), all a result of living outdoors without appropriate protection.

All four puppies were adopted out to loving homes as soon they were old enough and they were fully vaccinated, but Romeo and Juliette have had to stay with their foster families while they undergo lengthy treatments for their illnesses. Lucky for Romeo, he has a wonderful forever family just waiting for him to finish his treatment, so he can go home with them. Juliette is still looking for her forever home, but with her soft eyes and sweet disposition, we’re confident she won’t have to wait too long!

---

Learn how you can help AFH raise funds to purchase new transport vans to replace the aging ones we’re currently using. Visit our #GivingTuesday page and take action today!