I became involved with rescue and foster out of my deep love for animals.  My heart absolutely broke every time I saw an animal suffering and with no place to go or no home to call their own.  My mission is to make this world a better place for these animals one dog at a time! I've gravitated to special needs 

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Tazzy's Story & Colorado Paws

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Colorado Paws evolved out of my love for saving and helping animals in need, and ultimately because of one very loved, special needs puppy that captured and stole my heart.

 

I have been fostering puppies for nearly 5 years and on October 29, 2019 I was asked to foster a puppy that I eventually named Tazzy. Tazzy required bottle feeding after she had been removed from her mother at the age of 2 weeks and then later dumped at a shelter. She was taken from her mother and litter mates by a vacationer and when that vacationer tried to return Tazzy to her mothers den the mother had moved all the puppies and could not be located. The vacationer ultimately ended up dumping the puppy (Tazzy) at the local Mexico shelter. Barb, the shelter owner called me to see if I could take her since she needed round the clock care including bottle feeding. Within weeks I had suspected Tazzy was not well, and needed further neurological evaluation. We started the Mexican vet visits that ultimately ended up diagnosed her with Cerebellar Hypoplasia. The rescue eventually made a decision that she would need to be euthanized due to the lack of resources in Mexico for these types of neurologically fragile dogs. There is really no other options for puppies in Mexico with these types of severe brain disabilities and they are just not viewed as adoptable and seldom find their forever homes.

 

I refused the thought of euthanasia and asked the rescue owner of I could try to find Tazzy help in the United State. This is how I found the Be Like Josh Foundation and how they became involved and offered me support and assistance to get Tazzy the treatment and diagnosis she required. Without them, I’m not sure I would have had the resources to help this puppy or get the answers we were needing. The Be Like Josh Foundation let me continue on as her foster mom as we sought to find answers. Eventually I would have given Tazzy a forever home in our family, but unfortunately her life was cut short by her horrible degenerative condition.

 

Tazzy had a MRI and numerous neurology visits, and ultimately was diagnosed with Degenerative Cerebellar Abiotrophy. She lost her battle to this disease on January 18, 2020, and since then my life has been forever changed through the world of rescue and foster. During the time I cared for Tazzy I became tremendously attached and what Tazzy brought to me and to her numerous followers on social media was the capacity for everyone to experience and practice unconditional love. From this tremendous loss, I felt the need to continue on with special needs and devote more of my time and energy to rescue, foster and adoption to as many puppies out there that I can.

 

Through Tazzy I had a desire to do more, to give back, and to make this world for animals a more humane place to be. I decided I would continue to rescue, foster and care for puppies in need and felt that creating a 501c3 non profit organization to help save dogs and especially special needs dogs was my next phase in life.

 

Simply Love

 

Kimberly