The Spirit of Giving Tuesday: Calgary’s Story
From Milk Crate to Miracle Puppy: How Calgary’s Journey Defines the Spirit of Giving Tuesday
On October 29th, at 3 p.m., one of Cincinnati Animal CARE’s Animal Control Officers and Certified Humane Agents responded to a heartbreaking call:
a tiny, trembling puppy found abandoned in a milk crate at the edge of the woods.
He was cold, dehydrated, and barely responsive.
The puppy, later named Calgary, was immediately rushed to our Colerain shelter, where our medical team began working to save his life. Bloodwork revealed that he was suffering from severe hypernatremia, meaning his sodium levels were dangerously high, a condition that can quickly become fatal. He was twitching uncontrollably and on the brink of collapse. But our team was not about to give up on him.
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When Love Meets Lifesaving Care
Over the next several days, our veterinary staff fought tirelessly around the clock to stabilize Calgary. His care required intensive hospitalization, a feeding tube, and daily bloodwork. Every hour mattered.
For 13 long days, it was touch and go. But slowly, signs of hope began to appear. His eyes grew brighter. His appetite returned. His tail began to wag. The little spark inside him, the one that had refused to go out, finally caught fire again.
When Calgary was stable enough to leave the clinic, one of our dedicated medical team members, Carrie, took him home as a medical foster. Yes, our staff literally take work home to save lives. Carrie woke up through the night to monitor his feeding tube, kept him warm and comfortable, and continued his physical therapy sessions.
Through daily wheelchair exercises and even a few rounds of water therapy, Calgary slowly learned to walk again. And eventually, against all odds, he ran.
Why Giving Tuesday Matters
Calgary’s journey from a milk crate to a happy, healthy dog is nothing short of miraculous, but miracles like his are not funded by magic. They are powered by compassion and community through events like Giving Tuesday.
Many people don’t realize that as the county’s only open-intake animal shelter, Cincinnati Animal CARE Humane Society is contracted by Hamilton County to provide basic animal control and care services. County tax dollars fund only the minimum—the first 72 hours of mandatory stray hold, ensuring that every lost dog has a chance to be reclaimed.
Everything beyond that, including advanced medical treatment, behavioral support, enrichment, and quality-of-life improvements, is made possible only through donations.
That means when animals like Calgary arrive critically ill, your support bridges the gap between basic care and true rehabilitation. Without community donations, specialized treatments like feeding tubes, bloodwork, wheelchairs, and hydrotherapy simply would not be possible.
This Giving Tuesday, your gift ensures that every animal, regardless of their circumstances, receives the second chance they deserve.
The Ripple Effect of Compassion
Cincinnati Animal CARE cares for thousands of animals every year, from lost pets reunited with their families to neglected animals rescued by our Humane Agents. But the stories that stay with us the longest are the ones like Calgary’s, animals who arrived broken, frightened, or forgotten, and left transformed by compassion.
Every act of kindness, whether it’s a $10 donation, a bag of food, or a volunteer hour, ripples outward. It fuels our onsite medical team, supports our foster network, and strengthens our ability to respond to emergencies day and night.
When you give on Giving Tuesday, you are not just donating money. You are giving second chances. You are giving comfort to the frightened, mobility to the weak, and dignity to the forgotten.
Your Gift Makes Stories Like Calgary’s Possible
Because of supporters like you, Calgary is alive today. He is learning to run, to play, and to experience the joy of being a dog again. His story could have ended the day he was found, but instead, it became a symbol of what’s possible when a community comes together to care.
Your donation this Giving Tuesday helps us:
- Provide emergency medical treatment for animals in crisis.
- Fund rehabilitation programs for injured and sick animals like Calgary.
- Support foster families who open their homes to animals needing recovery time.
- Enhance enrichment programs that improve every shelter pet’s quality of life.
- Equip our teams to respond to cruelty and neglect cases across Hamilton County.
Every dollar helps close the gap between basic survival and a life worth living.
Be the Reason for the Next Miracle
Calgary’s story is just one of thousands that remind us what’s possible when compassion meets action. At Cincinnati Animal CARE, our mission goes beyond sheltering. It’s about creating a community of care where every animal has a chance to heal and thrive.
This Giving Tuesday, we invite you to be part of that mission. Your generosity fuels every lifesaving treatment, every rehabilitation success, and every happy ending.
Whether you give $5 or $500, your contribution directly impacts the animals who need it most. Together, we can ensure that no animal is ever left behind, and that every life, no matter how fragile, has a fighting chance.
Join Us for Giving Tuesday
Giving Tuesday is not just a day. It is a movement built on kindness, hope, and shared humanity. It’s a global reminder that every small act of generosity can make a world of difference.
When you donate to Cincinnati Animal CARE this Giving Tuesday, you are joining a community that believes every animal deserves love, safety, and care. You are standing beside the people who show up every day—our Humane Agents, medical team, volunteers, and fosters—to make that belief a reality.
Because for every Calgary, there is another animal waiting for someone like you to step in and say, “You matter.”
Give now to help us save the next Calgary.
Your compassion keeps hope alive today, tomorrow, and every day after.
