Hoppy's Story

As Shar-pei lovers (and proud parents of two of them) we were first introduced to Operation Scarlet through The Barker; all those adorable yet abandoned pups who had received such great new beginnings through adoption with this Lancaster, PA based rescue mission.

We responded with a donation to Operation Scarlet. And before we knew it, we were selling raffle tickets to help raise funds for the mission's important work. We knew we were really hooked when we attended our first Operation Scarlet luncheon. There, we got to see some of the graduates of OS - happy little guys and their new owners. We heard the sad stories about how they had been abandoned. Some had been owner surrendered, others were strays, many had been neglected and abused. But here, they had found new beginnings.

Hearing all their stories and seeing the good work of OS, made us want to be volunteers with this wonderful organization. In the ensuing twenty-four months we have rescued, transported, and in some cases, fostered more than forty Shar-pei - all from Brooklyn and Manhattan.

On more than one occasion, we had considered adopting a third Shar-pei. We were successful in controlling the urge, until along came Hoppy. He was a five year old male, a beautiful red brush coat with a big meat mouth. He was an owner surrender to the Brooklyn shelter due to jealously over a newborn. I transported him from NY to NJ where he was taken to a foster home. There, he quickly escaped from a fenced yard and headed north to find his previous owners. After about a mile of walking, he was hit by a car. Hoppy couldn't hear it coming because he is deaf from chronic ear infections and subsequent ear canals being removed. As a result of the accident he suffered a skull fracture, pneumothorax, and lacerations. He was treated and kept for three days. Upon release, I transported him to OS. There he was quickly failing as he refused to eat or drink anything and would bark non-stop in his crate requiring sedation.. We decided to bring him back to us and foster him giving him one-on-one intensive care which included giving him water with a syringe and hand feeding him cooked turkey.

As we nursed Hoppy back to health, his true personality began to emerge and we became very attached to him - so attached that it was impossible to give him up to another family.

When Hoppy had first come to us, he was very sad and wouldn't wag his tail. Now he wags his tail when he sees us, plays chase with our female, sleeps next to us, loves riding in the car, and is so bonded to us that he will bump open bathroom doors if he is left out. He is perfectly content to stay home and be a couch potato, but when he joins us in the car, people smile at his expressively big jowly face.

Last year, decked out in a black tuxedo, he joined 500 other canines at Washington, D.C.'s famous charitable event, the Bark Ball. He was highlighted with a great photo in next day's Washington Times. He also strutted the ring at the Chinese Shar-pei Nationals in the parade of rescues.

One thing Hoppy has proved to us: there's nothing like an OS rescue dog!

Anita and Marshall Murdaugh

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