Presa Canario – Murphy (on medical hold)

Murphy was recently rescued by a volunteer when his previous owner broke his jaw. The jaw was literally broken away from his face. He’s going into his second surgery to reattach the jaw. Right now he’s happy and doing well. If everything goes well the jaw will reattach, if it doesn’t he sadly probably won’t make it. He deserves the chance at a great life and we intend to see that he gets it. Please consider donating to his surgery costs. It’s going to be a steep bill. If there’s any chance at all, we have to take it!

11/1/12 update:
Because of the serious nature of Murphy’s injuries, he is considered a special needs dog. After two surgeries, the veterinarian was able to reattach his upper jaw but this area is always going to be fragile.   If his jaw is re-injured, the new home can expect to spend between $2,000 and $4,000 to correct the damage. We want to make sure his new family will be able to cover any future medical expenses that may arise.

These restrictions must be in place to ensure that Murphy’s placement is a successful one:

• We will be looking for someone with Presa Canario or other guardian dog experience.  This breed of dog requires strong leadership.
• The new home must reside within 60 miles of the Kansas City area.
• Murphy will need to be kept as an only pet for life.  We feel this is important because his activity level and socialization with other dogs must be carefully supervised so he will not re-injure his jaw.  He is still a puppy and doesn’t understand why he can’t play and wrestle with other dogs.  However, he knows that he sometimes gets hurt when he plays.  Most of his upper teeth are missing and if he were to get into an altercation with other dog, he would not be able to defend himself.
• He loves children but his interaction with them must be continually monitored .  A home with older children who understand that rough housing could cause additional injury is preferred.  This means that he would also need to be protected from neighborhood kids and/or friends and relatives that visit your home.
• A 6′ privacy fence is a must.  Murphy is only 7 months old.  He has the potential to weigh over 150 lbs. and could easily jump a 4′ fence.  Presa Canarios tend to have high prey drives and getting out of the yard to chase a cat or a squirrel could do irreparable damage.

Our intention is not to make it difficult to adopt Murphy.   We only want to make sure that his new family understands the special care and attention he needs.  He has endured too much already in his short life for us to not do everything in our power to see that he never has to experience another painful surgery.