The odds were stacked against Freya, but that didn’t stop Shawna Frederick or the army of angels who intervened to save her.
HOUSTON — Shawna Frederick is a nurse, but her true passion lies in rescuing stray dogs and giving them a second chance at life.
Frederick describes herself as an independent street feeder who cares for packs of strays in Houston’s Fifth Ward. That’s what led her to a sweet pup who’d had a rough start in life one day in December 2023.
“Even though I feed in that particular neighborhood every day, this was the first time I saw her. She stood out because she had growths all over her,” Frederick told KHOU 11.
Frederick couldn’t take the dog home because she was about to leave for a two-month sabbatical in Europe. Instead, she shared a video of the dog to ask for help, and it quickly went viral. That led to donations and a boarding facility that agreed to keep Freya until Frederick returned to Houston.
With a trap set, it wasn’t long before a hungry Freya wandered inside in search of food. She was clearly nervous inside the trap, but Frederick said the sweet pup never growled and even wagged her tail a couple of times.
A closer look revealed that Freya was in worse shape than they expected.
“She smelled like rotten meat, and I realized she had these growths everywhere, even in her mouth and throat,” Frederick said.
The vet diagnosed Freya with canine papillomavirus warts and called it the worst case she’d ever seen. The warts were infected, and tests confirmed that Freya was also heartworm positive.
Frederick dropped her off at the boarding facility, and they agreed to take her back to the vet when she finished a round of antibiotics.
“She was scared and a little shut down, but was eating and didn’t smell so bad once the antibiotics kicked in. But the warts got quickly worse. The new vet had us take her in a couple times a week for IV infusions.”
Fighting for Freya
Even with the treatments and more antibiotics, the warts continued to worsen, so the vet recommended euthanasia. They were devastated and not ready to give up on Freya. Instead, they read everything they could find about CPV and learned that there was hope.
With the right medications to improve the dog’s immune system and fight the infections, surgery could eventually be done to remove the warts.
“There were things we could do!! And as miserable as she must have been, she was eating, engaging with her caregivers a little, giving the occasional tail wags, so we told her if she wanted to fight, we would fight,” Frederick said.
The boarding facility’s vet refused to do the surgery and was adamant about euthanasia, so they went to work to find another vet.
Even with special antiviral meds from Russia, Freya was starting to shut down physically and emotionally.
Then a new manager at the boarding facility said Freya could no longer stay there.
“Then a miracle happened. An amazing angel who lived a little north of Houston volunteered to foster her and take her to some vets she used to try and get her the surgery,” Frederick told us.
The vet who eventually agreed to do the surgery discovered the warts were much worse than expected, and removing them would be more complicated. Some were very deep, especially the ones in her throat, so the first surgery took nearly five hours.
A couple of weeks later, Freya began to perk up, and she even wanted to play.
WATCH: Freya after first surgery
A second surgery followed, and it took more than four hours. The vet was able to remove about 80% of the warts during both procedures. The rest of them eventually dried up and fell off.
“This baby had beaten the odds!” Frederick said.
‘On her way to a wonderful life’
Freya’s foster fell in love with her, and her kids and other dogs welcomed her to the family.
“She was well on her way to a wonderful life with the help of hundreds of folks who donated money, shared her journey, the most amazing foster mom and a vet who was willing to take a chance on her like we did,” Frederick said.
Instead, fate intervened again when multiple trees fell on the foster family’s home during Hurricane Beryl. They had to move in with a relative who later died, so they had to move again.
Frederick took Freya home, and she instantly made herself at home with her five other rescues, including a sweet blind dog named Buddy.
“She’s definitely a lover, not a fighter! Her favorite games are playing ball with mom and dad and tug with the pack. She is also super sweet, cuddly and VERY smart; definitely the smartest pup in my current pack,” Frederick said.
They recently found a rescue in Canada that agreed to take Freya, so Frederick made arrangements to transport her. With stricter spay and neuter laws there and in some U.S. states, strays, shelter dogs, and available puppies are few and far between, so it’s easier to find adopters and fosters.
A few days before Freya was set to begin her journey up north, Frederick got a call from the dog’s original foster mom. She and her family finally found a permanent home, and they wanted to adopt Freya!
It was wonderful news for Frederick and her fiancé, Seth, because they’d gotten very attached to Freya and were dreading the day when they had to say goodbye. Now, they’ll be able to visit her in Hockley and get regular updates on her progress.
The experience with Freya also inspired Frederick to start a small rescue called 5th Ward Babies. They depend on donations and word of mouth to help spread the word about other strays that need homes or veterinary care. Click here if you’d like to help, or you can email shawnafrederick22@gmail.com.
