HSPPR raises over $80K on Giving Tuesday to help local animals in need, like Dasher

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – The Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region says thanks to generous community members, the shelter raised over $80,000 on Giving Tuesday to support local animals in need, including one special puppy now getting a second chance at happiness.

On Monday, HSPPR introduced us to Dasher, a young pup that arrived at the shelter at just seven weeks old with a case of "puppy strangles," a condition where his immune system was attacking his own skin. Shelter officials say he was found outside a business in Pueblo in serious condition, with swelling and bumps across his body.

"His little face was tender and swollen, and his small body was struggling to keep up with the battle happening inside him," HSPPR said.

Without help, the shelter says Dasher's story could have ended much differently – but thanks to the generosity of donors that make HSPPR's life-saving care possible, they were able to quickly begin treatment and start him on steroids to calm his immune system.

In an update shared on Wednesday, the shelter said the tender spots on Dasher's face are healing, and his foster family says he's beginning to show his personality more and more each day. Soon, he'll be ready to find a forever home.

"With donations from our community on Giving Tuesday, Dasher is just one example of animals being helped daily at HSPPR," said a spokesperson with HSPPR in a release.

HSPPR said $50,000 of the donations they received on Giving Tuesday were matched by Fetch Pet Insurance and an unnamed "longtime friend" of the shelter, helping them provide more of the region's animals with care, shelter and love.

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