"Such a sweet lttle love!!" Harper (Fabi/Silas) 2018

"Happy Birthday to Harper!  Such a sweet little love!!!  Hot dogs for all!! "    - The Kludt Family

left to right)
Bucky (Coco/Bart, 2019), Boomer (Maggie/Silas, 2014), Harper (Fabi/Silas, 2018)


Harper is a burn survivor.  Though she has four legs and is a dog, she seems to understand what that means to survive such a difficult time. Here's her story:



One special day, on January 20th, 2018, a little girl was born to two of the most endearing Golden Retrievers who ever lived . . Fabi, whose father is a World Champion, and Silas, son of a two-time World Champion.  "Wow!" you say, but it's really not the genetics that make this girl so very special. . . it's that she had a place in this world from the very start, and that she has a story to tell.

Harper was born and raised on a farm in Northeast Iowa, along with her three siblings.  Reaching the age of 2 years old, Harper became a mom on March 20, 2020.  Five little girls and five little boys made their way into the world!  This journey was not so easy for Harper, though, and she found herself traveling to the veterinarian to have surgery (Cesarean section) to birth all of the new furry kids.  While this surgery is not uncommon, the procedure took a little longer than normal.  The veterinarian worked hard to bring all of the puppies to safety, and Harper came out of surgery well, as expected.  It was only days later, though, when we learned that everything was not fine.

Harper had suffered what we would call third-degree burns on 70% of her back and down the sides of her body, due to a malfunction of the heating pad used during her surgery.  Though the veterinarian checked her body often during the procedure, Harper's skin became too hot, and the burn was very deep.  Her flesh began to weep, and soon the evidence was seen by all.  Harper's burn was so severe that she lost a great deal of her hide - this was the hair and thick flesh that coated her entire back.  The same veterinarian had to cut away the dying flesh to prevent infection for Harper, if she was going to have a chance to heal well.   Of course, we knew this was very painful for her.  Her body had to be wrapped and changed daily to protect the area where the hide was removed.  

This, alone, would be very difficult for a dog to endure! . . . but Harper had newborn puppies to care for. . . and TEN of them!  These puppies needed to eat and be cared for in a way that only their mama could do!  And so we watched this very special girl, Harper, even in the midst of her great pain, feed her puppies milk and wash them with her tongue, giving them a bath throughout the day, keeping her babies fed, warm, and clean.  Though she was in so much pain herself, she cared for her puppies so that they could be safe and healthy.  

All this time, the veterinarian came to see Harper every single day!  He carefully changed the bandages and cared for her.  And what did Harper do?  She gently looked at the veterinarian, as if he understood, and reached out to touch him with her nose - even while the painful injury was being treated.  Day in and day out, the flesh had to heal on its own.  The area was too large to be grafted, and we all had to wait for the new flesh to granulate in. Little by little, days turned into months, and then into a year.   Harper's babies were now much older and living with their new families, but Harper was still healing from that day they were born.

At first, we wanted only for Harper to heal safely.  And when her flesh began to heal, we then hoped the area would not be so tender for her.  And to our surprise, as Harper began to heal, the area became smaller, and smaller, and SMALLER!  We do not know how this happened, but the new hide grew in, and the scar tissue became smaller as the months went by.  She even gained some of her hair back!  Truly, a miracle!!   And to our great surprise and delight, the area is very small now!  While her flesh still remains covered to protect it from the sunlight, she dons beautiful clothes to keep her comfortable.  :).  And one more sweet thing. . . . her small remaining scar is in the shape of a bone!  And dogs LOVE bones!

We think God cared for Harper every day. . . and we are thankful that He helped Harper endure the pain for so long.  She cared for ten babies, giving so much of herself, even though she was hurting so.  But the really amazing thing is that she almost smiled at us, almost seeming to understand that what happened was an accident, and that we were doing our best to care for her.  Harper's attitude was truly amazing.  And though some days, Harper looked tired and seemed sad, she had so many happy days!  We think that is what helped her get better and stay strong.  :)

Harper is a special gift to all who know her.  She demonstrated such love and trust when she was hurting, and she still continued to be kind.  What a gift that was to behold, watching her every day!