Tulip's update Written by her amazing foster guardian, erin

Tulip arrived at the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter at the end of April, after being hit by a car. The shelter vet wasn’t sure if she had broken bones or if she was just sore since there were scrapes on her legs and body. She was scared, obviously in pain, and it was determined that being in a shelter was not ideal. A shelter employee took her into foster and a call went out to CAPE hoping that Tulip would be accepted into their program to give her the additional medical care and attention she needed.

CAPE stepped up, as they often do for these difficult cases. Immediately an appointment was made for Tulip to be seen for assessment and x-rays. Sadly, Tulip had five significant fractures of her pelvis that were clearly extremely painful. The good news was that her hips and spine were okay. The vet believed that the fractures could likely heal without surgery, so her foster mom took her home for weeks of rest and recuperation. She received daily doses of pain medication to get her through the toughest part of the healing process and Tulip was an ideal patient. She was a stoic and brave girl who was good at self-regulating and her body started to heal.

With Tulip’s severe injuries, it was hard to evaluate her true personality when she first arrived. She was calm and sweet, but also very fearful of strangers and sudden noise or movements. As the weeks passed, healing happened physically and psychologically, and a fun and playful girl emerged. She got along with the resident dogs and became fast friends with Wilma (also a former CAPE dog) who she loved to tussle with. She showed a spirit and curiosity on short walks and seemed to love getting out. She is still a fearful girl, especially with new people. Tulip most likely has not had a lot of world experience and needs to be gently introduced to new things. She warms up slowly to new people and it must be on her terms.

​Six weeks passed and Tulip has now moved on to her new home. She has a brother, also a CAPE rescue dog, and is settling into her home. Transition is hard and this girl has had too much change in her short life. It will take her a while, and lots of patience from her adopters, to truly grow into her new environment. She is a special girl and we are hopeful that Tulip will blossom in her new forever home.