Dog left starving at ASCMV's doorstep on the mend at Canutillo rescue, foster home

Leah Romero, Las Cruces Sun-News
·4 min read

LAS CRUCES – Steve, a roughly 5-year-old Chihuahua mix, is making gains following his arrival as a starving pup near death at the Animal Services Center of the Mesilla Valley earlier this month.

The ASCMV Facebook page posted about Steve, explaining that on early on Aug. 9 he was left at the shelter door in a laundry basket full of trash, feces and urine. He was weak and struggled to stand.

The facility wrote that shelter officials considered putting him down but saw that he was still fighting.

The day after his arrival at ASCMV, Steve was transferred to From the Heart Animal Rescue in Canutillo, Texas. There, he was admitted to the vet clinic where he started receiving fluids and was in the care of a veterinarian. Steve had an open wound near his tailbone, but it was determined that his emaciated condition was due to starvation and not an underlying illness or infection.

'Sometimes 'no' isn't a word'

“I’m the one that got the message (from ASCMV) and even just without hesitation I said yes when I saw his pictures, because sometimes you just can’t say no, even when you don’t have space,” said Kristin Wirtz, Steve’s foster mom and treasurer for the Canutillo organization. “(Sometimes) ‘no’ isn’t a word.”

Wirtz explained that Steve, or "Skeleton Steve" as he has come to fondly be known, began eating small meals every few hours to not shock his system. He weighed just over 6 pounds when he was brought in, she said, but is now weighing in at over 8 pounds. His ribs are nearly to the point of not showing under his coat.

“He responded right away,” she said. “He never turns down food.”

Based on his teeth, Steve is estimated to be around 4 or 5 years old and his markings and size indicate he is a Chihuahua, possibly mixed with a beagle. Wirtz further explained he is called AKC, or All Kinds of Cute.

Steve has been staying with Wirtz at her El Paso home where she has six other foster dogs and three of her own dogs. Steven has been getting along with his new roommates and enjoys playing now that he is stronger. Steve knew right away how the doggy door worked, Wirtz said, saying that goes to show that he was likely someone’s pet before he ended up starving.

“That’s always the hard part, whenever we get shelter dogs and they have house manners and are potty trained, and you realize that they belonged to someone at some point and still ended up in a shelter,” Wirtz said.

Though Steve may have a sad background, he isn’t letting that get him down. His foster mom said he loves to cuddle and sit on the couch with her. He follows her around like a shadow and even goes to work with her so he doesn’t miss a meal.

Steve still has some healing to do and some weight to gain, but barring any complication, he will eventually be available for adoption. Wirtz said he also needs to be neutered and updated vaccinations. People interested in adopting him can fill out an application online at fthar.org/dog/steve.

They organization is also still accepting donations for Steve. So far, Wirtz said they have received enough donations to cover his current medical treatment.

Steve's story not unique

While Steve’s story has received a lot of attention from the community, his story is unfortunately not unique in the Borderland. Wirtz explained that shelters, rescues and even the streets are full of animals due to a “horrible overpopulation crisis that is happening right now.” She highlighted the need for owners to microchip their animals, spay and neuter them and also simply look for them if they go missing. Fostering is also incredibly important because it frees up space for another animal to be helped.

“You save two live if you’re fostering,” Wirtz said. “You save the life of the dog that we pull out of the shelter and it opens up space for the shelter to intake another dog off the street.”

Those interested in fostering or adopting from From the Heart Animal Rescue can find information and forms online at fthar.org. Wirtz said the rescue will pay for anything the animal needs, such as medical treatment. The organization is volunteer run, so donations are also welcomed.

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Leah Romero is the trending reporter at the Las Cruces Sun-News and can be reached at 575-418-3442, LRomero@lcsun-news.com or @rromero_leah on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Dog left starving at ASCMV's doorstep on the mend at Canutillo rescue, foster home