Sasha is a beautiful and loving one-year-old Shepherd mix. Sadly, this gorgeous girl was born without a left kidney or a urethra and her urethral sphincter doesn't work properly. Sasha's vulva is also malformed. Because of these unfathomable birth defects, Sasha's can not hold her urine as she produces it. Unfortunately, she ends up leaking some urine. It takes a very special person to lovingly provide the care that Sasha needs and deserves. Elsewhere, young Sasha would most likely be put down.

In an effort to try to help Sasha, she underwent two complex surgeries. The first was a cystourethropexy. This procedure allows some of the pressure to be taken off of the bladder. The second was a vulvaplasty, which helped to correct the malformation of her vulva.

Sasha is a fantastic dog who can have a full and happy life ahead of her. She is affectionate and gentle and is a pleasure to pet and snuggle up to. Sasha's condition will be life-long. However, through the Animal League's Sponsor Program, Sasha has found a foster home, where she will be loved, respected, completely cared for and given the wonderful life she truly deserves.

Sasha's Updates

3rd Quarter 2009
The two abrasions that Sasha had on her shoulder have completely healed with antibiotics and Sasha has gone right back to her normal self. Since the long period of rain has finally subsided, Sasha has been getting outdoors more and loves to romp around in the dog park on the Animal League's campus. Sasha is accompanied by her "Buddy Program" associate during playtime so she can be supervised as she socializes with other dogs. Unfortunately, Sasha's incontinence has not significantly improved despite using the treadmill to help strengthen her pelvic muscles. However, we are hopeful that the right family who understands Sasha's medical conditions will come along and give her the perfect home.

2nd Quarter 2009
Sasha has been improving in leaps and bounds thanks to her participation in the Animal League's Buddy Program. Since she began working with a dedicated shelter staff member, who is her "buddy", she has been improving steadily with her training on the treadmill. She is now able to exercise on the treadmill twice daily and can walk for up to 10 minutes. We are hopeful that this training will help prevent her from leaking urine, but there is no guarantee that it will be effective. To help ensure that Sasha does not have any accidents in her cage, she is taken outside multiple times a day. While outside she is walked around the Animal League campus and gets to greet some of the staff members. She also gets some playtime in the dog park, which she seems to love. She recently spent some time romping around with another dog named Ginger and the two seemed to have a great time.

1st Quarter 2009
Unfortunately, Sasha has recently not been getting along with all of the other foster pets in her home. While Sasha is generally a sweet and playful dog, she has exhibited aggression at times towards some of the other animals in her home. In order to ensure the safety of all of the foster animals, Sasha was brought back to the Animal League to find a new home that best suits her needs; preferably one where she is the only pet. Since coming back to the Animal League the staff has started exercising Sasha on a treadmill each day. This exercise will hopefully improve Sasha psychologically as well as physiologically; the additional conditioning will strengthen her pelvic muscles and will hopefully help tighten her urethral sphincter allowing her to hold her urine. Until the Animal League finds Sasha the right home she will remain in our care and will receive love and affection from the staff.

4th Quarter 2008
Sasha's life is full of love and happiness. She has been running and playing the days away in her foster home. Her foster mom is very understanding of Sasha's special-needs and lets her spend a lot of time in the backyard where she likes to gallop around with her tiny foster sibling Stella. When her foster mom calls her name through the window from the house Sasha jumps around in excitement even more. Because Sasha has difficulty holding urine, being outside in the yard a lot prevents accidents from occurring inside the house and lets Sasha get the exercise she loves.

3rd Quarter 2008
Sasha continues to blossom in her foster home and is doing wonderful. Her foster mother has taken care of many special-needs animals and knows how to provide the extra special care that they each require and Sasha is no exception. Her foster mother takes Sasha out into the yard frequently because she knows she loves it so much. As a young puppy Sasha is very energetic and lively and her foster mom makes sure to play with her outside as often as she wants to provide her with the exercise she needs and loves.

2nd Quarter 2008
New to Program! Sasha is a beautiful and loving Shepherd mix. Sadly, this gorgeous girl was born without a left kidney or a urethra and her urethral sphincter doesn't work properly. Sasha's vulva is also malformed. Because of these unfathomable birth defects, Sasha's can not hold her urine as she produces it. Unfortunately, she ends up leaking some urine. Elsewhere, Sasha would most likely be put down.

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