Seven finds his forever home

Christmas came early for the Apsey family.

Just days before, the family, who had been following the story of Seven, a badly-beaten puppy, decided to bring him into their home.

His forever home.

Shane and Alli Apsey, along with their children Maryjane, Elizabeth and Colt, welcomed the newest member of their family on Dec. 20 and now, three weeks later, everything is going well. He’s adjusted to not only a new family, but having two fellow canine pals in the home.

“I didn’t want to see him in the shelter any longer and with Christmas coming up, that was another reason why I didn’t want him there,” Shane said. “We’d been following him from the first day we saw the post on the Friends of the Boulder City Animal Shelter Facebook page. Every day I looked to see what the updates were and how he was doing. At first, so many people were saying they wanted to adopt him that I really didn’t think we’d have an opportunity to do so. How the community rallied and came together to help him, just blew my mind and inspired me to want to help them (shelter).”

As a glass artist, Shane made dozens of dog paw necklace pendants, which he gave to people when they donated to the cause. To date, it’s brought in more than $2,000. It’s something he plans to continue to do to help raise money for the shelter.

The couple said that after seeing the injuries Seven had suffered, they expected that he would be worse off than he is and that someone like a veterinarian would end up adopting him.

In early December, Seven was adopted but was returned to the shelter about a week later as he proved to not be compatible with the adoptee’s cats. It was then that the Apseys thought it was fate that they knew they needed to try and adopt him.

“We felt this was our chance,” Shane said. “We saw the post that he was back at the shelter. I called and they said there were already a couple of applicants. I was bummed because I thought we had again missed our chance. On the 20th, we were sitting on the couch and I was looking at photos of him.”

“It was around 2 p.m. and I said, ‘You’re killing me, let’s go down,’” Alli said, laughing. “He kept sending me photos and updates. I was joking with my co-workers that, ‘He’s going to try to get me to get this dog before Christmas. I can feel it.’ That’s when I said, ‘Let’s do it. I know you want to bring him into our home.’”

“Once we got him out, there was no way he was going back,” Shane added.

A look back

On Aug. 19, Boulder City Animal Control responded to a local resident who stated they found an abandoned injured puppy in an alleyway. It was later reported that the abuse occurred in Mohave County, Arizona. At the time, the Review was unable to confirm that a man had been arrested for the abuse.

The puppy was immediately transported to the Boulder City Animal Hospital and treated for a dislocated jaw, eye and facial damage, and missing teeth. Veterinarians determined that the puppy’s injuries were consistent with human animal abuse. Within days, $10,000 had been raised through donations, which covered the costs of the puppy’s surgeries.

“Those people (BCAH) who saved his life are miracle workers,” Shane said. “They told us that 99% of the time, the dog wouldn’t have made it. I couldn’t believe what they were able to do.”

Over the course of the next two days after being found, Seven had undergone two surgical procedures. One of his eyes was so damaged, it had to be removed.

“I was really hoping it was no one in Boulder City who could be that vicious to do that to anything in general but to a puppy, which is so innocent, loving and means no harm,” Alli said when they saw the original photos of Seven and read about his story. “It was heartbreaking to see.”

Aside from the loss of the eye, the couple said he’s just a normal growing puppy. However, because he had lost several of his teeth during the abuse, Seven does have another surgery scheduled for later this month for an abscessed tooth. He also has sinus issues and will always have a “runny nose.”

“We were anticipating it would be a bit more work as it was explained to us but to be honest, he’s perfect,” Shane said. “He obeys. He doesn’t chew on anything he’s not supposed to. He’s never had an accident in the house. He’s just the easiest dog to have.”

Seven is now about six to seven months old. The Apseys have chosen July 7 (seven, seven) as his official birthday. And no, there was never any thought to changing his name.

Arguably the most famous dog right now in Boulder City, the family said when out for walks or at events like the recent New Years’ Eve block party, people are always asking if it’s him. Many want to pet him or take a selfie. And to answer the question before it’s even asked, he now has a personalized harness with his name embroidered on both sides.

“He definitely gets a lot of attention,” Alli said. “They stop and stare and then ask if it’s him.”

“It’s been the 8-year-old girl who wants a selfie or the retired couple who just want to take a photo of him. They all love taking photos with him,” Shane said.

It’s not just the parents who have fallen in love with Seven. The kids are also excited to have the newest member of the family.

“I love him,” Maryjane said. “He’s my favorite. He’s just so lovey. If you’re on the couch, he always wants to jump up and lay with you.”

Colt said he likes him because he’s small and that he’s glad to have him. He added, which elicited laughter from the rest of the family, “When we’re out with him I just feel so famous.”

Elizabeth added, “I like when he sticks out his tongue when he sleeps and slobbers all over the bed.”

Some may ask whether the Apsey family adopted Seven or in a way, did he adopt them?

“I think it’s a little of both,” Alli said.