#pound puppy repair

This is another tale from the archives.  I figured I hadn’t spoken about a pound puppy in a while. :-)

Toscha’s restoration was originally supposed to be a surprise.  Her person’s boyfriend sent the first email.  It was titled “Poor Toscha is dying”.  He wrote:

My girlfriend’s stuffed animal, Toscha, is on her last leg. She is a vintage 1985 Pound Puppy, who has been through it all. I want to surprise her for her birthday by having Toscha fixed, because she has to last another 35 years.
So how bad is it? Well, the pound puppy logo has lost all color; there are numerous holes all over her underside and many places where her fur and fabric are extremely thin; her neck is broken and held in place with a small piece of fabric; her eyes are just black pools as all the paint has rubbed off; she’s missing an ear and can’t hear too well; her paws have seemingly no toes; her cheek is split wide open; her mouth has been sewn shut from having her teeth all knocked out when she was younger.
Do you think you can help Toscha? If you think you can and it helps you, I can also try to find some organ donor puppies on EBay and send them to you with Toscha.

These are some of the diagnostic photos he sent.

She wasn’t quite as bad as he’d described, and she was definitely treatable.  I sent a LONG list of treatment options (think full page single spaced type).  He ended up forwarding the treatment proposal to Toscha’s person, rather than doing it himself as a surprise (usually the wise move).  He wrote to Toscha’s person:

I’m sorry I couldn’t do this myself… Let me know if I can help more… There’s just lots of details, and Toscha is very precious cargo <3.

Toscha’s person wrote to me directly nearly a year later, asking if I could still care for her.  My answer, of course, was yes.  There were still specifics to work out though.  Toscha’s person wrote:

This is great news! I have two donor dogs I will be sending with her. In regards to your questions I want to go with the following options.
1. For the eyes you can either paint them or use the donor eyes whichever is best.
2. For the ear, you can build it or use one of the donor ears. The donor ear might be a better match and easier though.
3. Please use transplant fur for the holes and tears. I want her to last so anything that needs fur go for it. Then please put the lining underneath all of the fur. I want her protected for the future. I would like the original stuffing both in the heart and then what is left mailed back with her when she is all fixed. I hope that is ok. I have something planned for the rest of her stuffing. She has been my baby and I want it.
4. She will need the spa treatment with new stuffing and heart. Like I said I want the rest of the stuffing so please don’t get rid of it. please be as gentle as possible and if washing causes any more tears or issues I can pay to fix with donor fur and reinforced by the lining before she makes the trip back.
5. For her tattoo you can keep her original. I kinda like the wear and love. If it has to be fixed please transplant it.

So Toscha flew out from Chicago for her complex surgery to begin.  Here she is starting with her spa:

And here’s her old stuffing, ready to go back home with her once she’s healthy. 

You can see why I replace stuffing!

Here is a rare photo of a fully lined patient.  This is Toscha’s finished lining, before she got turned right side out and restuffed:

Lining is usually a thin knit or flannel, in a similar color to the patients original fur or skin.  Here’s Tascha’s heart being made and installed with some original stuffing:

And here are her first photos (not quite ready, but time for feedback from her person for chubbiness and other adjustments).  We ended up using donor eyes and nose:

We needed to do a bit of facial adjustment, as the donors who came with Toscha (and who I used as a sample) didn’t have quite her original shape. 

First though, she needed her tattoo back:

Then on to face surgery.  Here was the first adjustment, minus freckles:

The response: Yes much closer, the only thing I see different is the crease by the eyes and nose and the freckles … I can’t believe that is her!

A bit more minor surgery….

She looks amazing! said her person. :-)

So Toscha, her stuffing, and one of her donors, headed home.  This second donor hadn’t been used at all for surgery, but had become Toscha’s buddy during surgery and they were now fast friends.

Here person’s reaction?  Perfect!