October 1, 2009 Update:

Sweet Darby is still seeking a loving home to call her own.  She is such a gentle soul with big beautiful brown eyes that just melt your heart!  Darby's heart murmur was recently diagnosed as no longer detectable!  What wonderful news!  She still loves long walks and has gotten her pep back, tho most of the time she is just content sitting on the couch and snuggling.  Darby is house broken and crate trained.  She still craves affection and rides beautifully in the car.  For the most part Darby is a very passive and laid back girl who loves everyone that she meets.  Darby does well with most dogs if introduced properly, we continue to work on her 'dog greeting skills.' 

June 23rd Update:

Darby is such a sweet girl!  She walks beautifully on a leash, loves our young children and does well with most dogs!  She greets strangers on walks with admiration and adores affection in return.  She is very docile, gentle and eager to please.  Once her babies are fully weaned and old enough to go to homes of her own, Darby would be so pleased to find a family to love her and a place that she can call home!

June 10th, 2009

Darby was found nursing her nine puppies, 'The Rock Stars,' in an abandoned warehouse in Baltimore City.  She was taken to the shelter by the Baltimore Animal Control when her babies were only 2 weeks old.  Thankfully Darby found her way to Helping The Helpless Pets a week later on June 7th.  Darby came to us in a very sad shape, emaciated, covered in dried feces with the start of mange and with a very soulful look in her eyes.  Though through all of this she immediately showed to us her kind heart and nurturing instincts towards her babies.  With all that Darby had been through and considering her condition, she more than proved what an incredible Momma she was to her little Rock Stars.  All nine of her puppies survived and upon a Doctor's evaluation, proved to be in 100% health!

Darby continues to show what a fabulous dog she is every day.  She has re gained her strength and has 'wiggle butt' syndrome, so typical of her breed.  She happily greets us, allows us to handle her babies that she is so very fond of and takes treats oh so gently.  She eats out of our hands and even appears to be housetrained as she only goes potty on the newspaper in her enclosure.  She takes breaks from being a Mom to lie gently on our laps for some quality scratch and attention time.  She is so gentle and docile, such a sweet and well mannered girl! 

Upon Darby's initial Health Exam the Doctor noted a stage 3 Heart Murmur as well as the beginnings of Cataracts in her left eye, due to mal nutrition as a puppy.  It is most likely that Darby only sees blurred vision from this eye and at about the age of 10, could become blind in both eyes.  Around this same age, due to the Murmur, Darby could also loose function in her heart.  With all of this, the Doctors expect her to still live a happy and healthy life with the right Human.

Darby has been through so much yet proves every day what a phenomenal Mom and Companion she is.  Darby is so very deserving of a dedicated, responsible and loving home to call her own.  She is wonderful with people and our young Children.  She seems to do well around other dogs when they pass by her exercise pen area; however, proper introductions have not yet been made.  We will continue to post Darby's progress on her 'Darby and The Rock Stars' link, here on our website. 

Although Darby will not be available until after her puppies are fully weaned we decided that with her being a 'Special Needs' girl, we would work on seeking the most perfect home and family for her now, in hopes that she would have one waiting, once her and her little family are ready.

If you are interested in making Darby a permanent member of your family and providing her with the love and devotion that she deserves, and most likely has never known, please visit our 'Adoption Info' tab to review, complete and submit an Adoption Application.

Thank you for your interest in adopting a rescued pet!