Straydog UPDATE posted WEDNESDAY 4/9/03 at ~10:47 p.m. CT

Pat's Daily Dog Log

WEDNESDAY APRIL 9 2003

Today was a big day for Betsy!

      This morning we took Betsy to see the doctor to have him take x-rays of the leg she'd broken over nine weeks ago. After taking the x-rays Dr. Morton showed me the radiographs and pointed out how well the bone was healing, and because the bone has healed so well, he said he will be able to remove the pin in her leg, which he did as soon as we got back to the examining room. The doctor wants me to bring Betsy back in a week, at which time he will remove the kirschner. Another bit of good news for Betsy is that she will be able to spend time outside now in a nice-size (12'x6' ) kennel (small enough not to allow her to run) during the day. Betsy will love this!

Betsy and Pat go down the ramp from the trailer to Betsy's "new" outside "medium-confinement" kennel.

Betsy would rather go to the park than into her new outside kennel.

Betsy's got plenty of room to move around or lie down in the shade or in the sun. The tarp on the chain link portable fencing is there to keep Betsy from catching the rod protruding from her leg in the fence. (She's not really sticking her tongue out at us.) She enjoyed very much being out there for the first time this afternoon.

      In another few weeks Betsy can move to a regular big-size kennel where she will stay either by herself, or with a gentle, calm dog, or puppy. She can't go back with her big rowdy brother, Buddy, for another few months, during which time the bone will continue to heal completely. Then she and Buddy will become kennel companions once again. (Buddy and Betsy are one of a few pairs of dogs who must be adopted together because there is such a strong bond between them.)

Others see the vet too

      Misty saw the doctor today too, for her allergy injection, and the remaining two puppies, six-week-old Ricky and Rex, went for their first puppy vaccinations.

This Coming Friday will be an exciting day for Nikki, the frightened Pit Bull

      A wonderful couple, Amy and James, want so badly to adopt Nikki they can hardly wait until Friday afternoon to see if all will go okay with Nikki and their other five once-upon-a-time rescued strays. Amy said that their five furry fellas are all so friendly, gentle and easy going that the couple does not anticipate any problems. We are praying that all the dogs get along great together too.

      Something in Nikki's past has made her a very timid, fearful dog and how she will take to five dogs, in her new home, is something we just won't know about until the introduction. It might not work; she may become too frightened; or maybe having five doggie friends is just what Nikki needs to help her overcome her fears and timid behavior. Nothing could make us happier than to have Nikki be adopted by this loving couple. If all goes well, Nikki will immediately join Amy and James' family of pampered house pets! Amy said there is room on their big bed for Nikki to sleep too, right along side all the other fellas!

      We'll be taking Nikki to see Amy and James and to meet their dogs this
Friday at 5:00 p.m.

 

Two more, unwanted, special needs, little pups will be arriving tomorrow

      We got a call today from a long-time volunteer and good friend, Shannon, saying there were two little eight-week-old Australian Shepherd puppies who were going to be euthanized today, if they could not be placed in a home or a shelter--today. I was told that the pups would be put down because they are totally deaf and practically blind, plus "they are white, Australian Shepherd puppies, and all white Australian Shepherds will develop Spina Bifida and they will die because of this disease -- which is the reason all other shelters will not take the pups." Many shelters won't take the pups because according them puppies with this kind of handicap are "unadoptable."

We will take them

      After the recent passings of old dogs, precious little Snowflake and before her death, the passing of sweet and gentle, big German Shepherd, Old Davey, who came to us terminally ill with colon cancer (and lovable fellow, Danny Boy, who lost his battle with prostate cancer) the pain of loosing these wonderful old dogs was so immense that I decided we'd take no more old or terminally ill dogs. It is just to painful to loose them when their time comes. Caring for the handicapped dogs and puppies or the terminally ill dogs, and the older fellas who develop all kinds of old-age problems, (like granny Snowflake) just makes us love them all the more.

      But my instant reaction when I heard about these little blind and deaf puppies was Yes, we'll take them. I guess this is just what our Happy Home for Strays is all about -- taking the dogs and puppies that no one else wants because of their health problems. Even tho it does hurt so much to loose them, they still deserve a chance to enjoy a good life for as long as they have left on this earth, and we will give this to them until the day they are adopted, or until they too cross Rainbow Bridge.

      We don't know anything about Spina Bifida, and because the puppies are puppies, they haven't developed this disease yet, and as far as we know, right now, they might not ever develop the problem, but we will be researching Spina Bifida in order to give the puppies all the help they need if they do develop the disease.

The little puppies will have a happy home here with us

      We know there are wonderful compassionate, kindhearted, loving people in this world who will adopt little puppies like these guys--we just need to find them. And, until we do find forever families to adopt the little pups, they will have a happy home here with us, where they will receive all the love and good care they deserve, just like all the other puppies and dogs at our Happy Home for Strays.

      The animal shelter where the puppies are now has been notified that we will take the puppies, and the shelter will keep them for us until Shannon goes to pick them up tomorrow. She'll take the pups directly to our vet, and we'll find out much more about their health after Dr. Morton examines them. I'll be there too, so we'll have much more to report on the little fellas tomorrow.