Mochi

5-6 years old, adopted by foster

April 17, 2024: Celebrating Mochi’s Special Adoption

Today we’re celebrating Mochi and her foster-turned-forever Mom, who have just finalized a very special adoption.

Mochi joined the SECR family back in July 2023 with a steep upward climb. At about 6 years old she arrived in rescue needing a spay, critical surgery for mammary tumors, and treatment for heartworm disease. We got her the surgery she needs – two separate and intensive procedures – and she went through a full course of heartworm treatment. She was a trooper through it all, and bonded with her foster Mom quickly in the process. Things like this aren’t easy on any dog, so we wish we could say that all of Mochi’s medical treatment gave her the all clear on her health.

Unfortunately, however, Mochi’s battle isn’t over. A recent follow-up exam indicates that despite the surgical intervention upon coming into rescue, the cancer has spread to her lungs. Her diagnosis didn’t scare Mochi’s foster Mom away, though. If anything, it made the bond stronger and Mochi’s Mom decided to officially adopt her so the two of them could tackle whatever comes next as a forever family.

Mochi will have ongoing palliative care to keep her happy and comfortable for as long as possible, and we’ll forever be grateful for people like her Mom, who step up to provide love and care at a time when dogs need it the most. The worst thing about Mochi’s diagnosis is that every bit of it was preventable before she came into rescue. Being spayed early on likely would have prevented the mammary tumors that have now spread, and regular heartworm testing and monthly preventatives would have avoided heartworm disease – the treatment for which is intensive and risky, especially for a dog already battling other health issues.

Please help us celebrate Mochi, her Mom, and adoption by spreading the word about the importance of spaying and neutering your pets. And, if you haven’t already, please talk to your vets about heartworm testing and prevention for your pets. One monthly chewable literally saves lives.

September 15, 2023: Celebrating with Mochi!

Mochi is a happy girl today, and we’re so happy for her! After a long and exhaustive search, she finally has the perfect-for-her new foster family.

Mochi is a special needs girl who came to us with several critical health issues – needing all the basics plus not one, but TWO surgeries to remove mammary tumors as well as get treatment for heartworm on the books. As a dog who has significant anxiety and reactivity around other dogs, we also needed to make sure that Mochi’s long-term foster home was one in which she could be the queen of her castle as the only animal in the household. She’s finally taken her rightful seat on her thrown, made it through both surgeries, and is having a restful recovery. Mochi will be set up at a new vet soon for follow-up surgical care and evaluation, as well as to begin her heartworm treatment.


We’re still hopeful that we’ll be able to report a successful recovery and a low-stress heartworm treatment process, but stay tuned for those updates. For now, Mochi and all of us are smiling because we know she’s finally in the right place to get the care she needs.

July 21, 2023: Introducing Mochi

  • Working in rescue is hard, and it means a lot of things…
  • Making room in your heart for the dogs who aren’t perfect.
  • Giving the dogs with medical issues the care they need to get healthy again.
  • Figuring out how to help a dog with special needs thrive in a world that isn’t always built for them.
  • Accepting that, to save a dog, you have to think more about what they need than what you want.

It means taking a chance on dogs like Mochi.

Mochi is the newest corgi to join the SECR family as a shelter pull. Our vets estimate that she’s 5-6 years old, and she’s gone through much more than a dog her age (or any age, for that matter) should ever have to go through. She’s heartworm positive, has mammary tumors that are in critical need of being removed, and she still has to be spayed. We took her into rescue because she was at risk in the shelter, and we’re banding together to get her the care that she needs. Because, that’s what rescue means.

Mochi has been with our vets all week long undergoing evaluation and testing, and we’re currently awaiting pathology results from her tumor aspirations to make sure she can withstand surgery next week. If she can, she will, and then she’ll join a loving foster family that’s committed to sticking by her through surgical recovery and heartworm treatment.

We’re lucky that Mochi will be taken care of, but there are so many dogs like her – many of them on our waiting list to come into rescue – that still need their chance. If you can help us by becoming a special needs foster, please visit our website to apply today. Without more people willing to take a chance on dogs like Mochi, SECR may be forced to close intakes, and they don’t deserve that.

Please, help us help them.