Adopt a Dachshund / Chihuahua / Mixed (short coat)

Sometimes life just isn't fair...

Costata is short for the Latin name of the seashell called the Cyrtopleura costata -- the Angel Wing shell.

She got that name because this 2 year old, 9 lb Dachshund and Chihuahua Mix is the newest addition to our Umbrella of Hope Hospice Program

Costata was found as a stray and brought to San Jose Animal Care Center and it was found that she had an ulcerated mass on her abdomen. Tails of a Shelter Vet treated her, removed the mass and sent it off for biopsy.

And it was bad. The mass came back as a Grade III carcinosarcoma. A plea was put out via San Jose Animal Advocates for a rescue to take her for hospice care.

This rare tumor usually affects older dogs so our girl drew an unlucky card. This cancer is aggressive and metastasizes quickly and our veterinarian thinks she has a prognosis of 3-4 months.

Chemotherapy, while an option in theory, is prohibitively expensive and (more importantly) would only offer another 2-3 months and much of that would be spent in medical appointments and not living life and being a dog. So it is not an option that we are going to pursue for her. We have the technology of extending life... sometimes at any cost, but the hard part is having the wisdom to know when enough is enough. Death is not always the enemy -- inhumanity is -- and we will provide her with love and comfort care until she tells us it is her time to go and we will humanely release her.

NOTE: We have an extensive veterinary team in place and trust them implicitly so we are NOT looking for medical advice. While we appreciate that things like turmeric, coconut oil, CBD oil and herbal remedies have worked for other people/pets we are going to stick with the advice of her medical team and what they recommend for her comfort.

So, Costata, our Angel Wings girl will be 'fospiced' (foster-hospice) and given a really good life for the time she has left and she will be in a home, with a family and treated as their own. She is happy, sweet and is not in any pain. She will be closely monitored by our veterinary team who will advise us of the best decisions for her.

Once we get to know her personality better, she may have some bucket list adventures that she will post about on Pinto's Bucket List .

She is being fospiced in the SF Bay Area of California (East Bay). If she has the kind of temperament that would be conducive to going out on "dates" with people who want to take her to the beach or to a park or to a dog-friendly restaurant we will post about finding people to do that with her.

To donate towards her medical and comfort care, please do so at www.paypal.me/UOH. Once we get to know her better, she may come up with her own Amazon Wish List of things that make her happy.

Welcome to Umbrella of Hope, Costata. We are happy to have you

GENERAL INFO:  

Housebroken?: Yes, we think so

Crate Trained?: Yes

Leash Trained?: Yes

Rides Well in Car?: Yes

Non-Shedding?: No

Good with cats?: Yes, we think so

Good with dogs?: Yes

Qualifies for Seniors for Seniors?: HOSPICE

Umbrella of Hope does not have any strict rules on ages of children because all children are different, but our best approximation is that this animal would do best with children over the age of 5

Umbrella of Hope is a non-profit animal rescue based out of Pittsburg, CA that rescues animals off death row from local shelters. We offer rebates of adoption fees after completion of obedience classes and CGC titles. 

Also, ask us about our seniors for seniors program, where we adopt animals 5 years or older to qualified homes with a $5 donation as an adoption fee. All animals are spayed/neutered, vaccinated, treated for parasites and given any additional treatments (dental work, bloodwork etc) as recommended by our vet. Some of our senior animals have sponsorships for their food/vet care/medicine for the rest of their life at our vet in Pittsburg, CA (94565)

 Adoptions to veterans of the US Armed Services are ALWAYS free to thank you for your service.  Other retired public servants, please let us know what career you retired from and we can let you know if we offer any discounts for your adoption

Please send an email to the Umbrella Of Hope Animal Director with any inquiries at [email protected]. Detailed emails will be answered first.  

We thank Maddie's Fund for their sponsorship, Well Pet Vet Clinic for providing most of our veterinary services, Lovely Grooming for our grooming needs, and Delta Dog Camp for training. We thank Memoirs of a Dog and Share the Joy Photography for the beautiful portraits of many of our animals and a special thanks to volunteer photographers Barbara, Kristy, Christine and Natalie.  Please support these businesses for supporting rescue!