Lucky Dog
Another one of the week’s events, aside from getting Mama Cat spayed, was the rescue of a neglected dog. I was walking across the parking lot on Monday when I came across a strange looking dog. I couldn’t tell what exactly he was, but knew it had been a long time since anyone had really taken care of him. I knew where he had been living, but because I’d never seen him from up close till now I had never realized what kind of shape he was in. He was completely matted—to the point that some of his mats were several inches thick. He had small burrs covering parts of his body, and his fur had faded to various colors. His eyes were hardly visible through all the matted fur. I went back home immediately, called the vet and asked if I could bring him in since I didn’t know what else to do with him. I then called him over to my car, and he jumped in eagerly. Considering that I was a complete stranger to him, I was surprised by his willingness to come with me. Perhaps he sensed that help was on the way?
Once we got to the vet, I had to carry him in since I didn’t have a leash. I was surprised by how light he was, and once again, surprised at how easily he let me pick him up. Even the vet and his assistants had no idea what type of dog he was. The mats were so bad the vet couldn’t look in the little dog’s ears. He wanted to do a ringworm test but didn’t want to put a needle through that much dirty, matted fur—the last thing he wanted was to cause an internal infection. They concurred that he was underweight and in desperate need of some help. His teeth were dirty, too, probably from lack of a proper diet. They agreed to keep him overnight and get him cleaned up the following morning.
The next day they had to sedate him in order to be able to groom him. Because the mats were so extensive, they had to shave him down completely. They found that he was covered in fleas, and so they gave him flea medication. The good thing was that since his hair was now so short, the remaining fleas wouldn’t last long. Shaving him down also solved the problem he had urinating—it seems one of the mats was making it difficult for him to pee.
I stopped by at lunchtime and they took me in the back room and I was astonished at the dog I found. I had had no idea what he was going to look like under all those mats, and found a dog that looked like he could be a Schnauzer. He looked so much better, even with most of his hair shaved off. While they were shaving him, they found that he had a small abrasion on one of his ears, but luckily it was minor. We think it may have been from when he escaped from the tiny backyard he used to live in. It could have gotten infected from all the filth trapped in the matted fur, but luckily there was no time for that to happen since he was rescued. All it required was an antibiotic ointment. Once he was all shaved, they also performed the ringworm test and it came out negative. At this point, the dog’s major concerns were gaining some weight and finding a new home. At the vet, we had nicknamed him Fluffy since he was far from it, but we figured it was his hope for the future.
That day I spent a lot of time on the phone, trying to reach as many of the animal rescue organizations as I could. Not surprisingly I found that most of the no-kill shelters were full beyond capacity, but one of them told me that while they couldn’t take him, they could give me phone numbers of breed-specific rescue groups. Since we thought he was a Schnauzer, they gave me the numbers for various Schnauzer rescue groups. They also said that if anyone called them looking for a dog like I had, they would put them in touch with me. I started calling around and left a number of messages. I also sent an email to another rescue organization with as much information about this dog as I knew. Incredibly, my cell phone started ringing soon afterward. The first person who called me had gotten my number from the animal sanctuary that had provided me with all the Schnauzer rescue groups. He had had a dog for many years and had recently had to have her put to sleep since she was very old and ill. He was getting empty nest syndrome, and was looking for a small dog to adopt. I told him what little I knew about this dog, and we agreed that that afternoon after I picked him up at the vet, I would bring him by. If they got along, the dog would stay with him. Afterwards I got two more calls from people who were interested in adopting him, and I also received an email saying that if I couldn’t place him, there was a spot in a foster home where he could go and live until someone could adopt him. I couldn’t believe this little dog’s luck! Within 24 hours he was going from a neglected, unrecognizable dog, to one with a future.
After work I went to pick up the dog, who was very excited. Because he had never been fixed, when they brought him out he started peeing everywhere, marking his territory. They gave me a temporary leash so I could get him to the car, and I bought a bag of food to get his new owner started. When we got in the car I couldn’t get him to sit still. I had originally put him in the back seat, but within seconds he had made his way into the front seat. He couldn’t decide whether to sit on the passenger seat or in my lap. I am not used to driving with a dog on my lap so I had to keep him on the passenger seat for safety’s sake. Luckily the drive home was short and there we picked up Tim. I wanted his company so that he could drive and I could keep the dog under control, and also because we were going to a part of town I wasn’t familiar with. I figured with the dog in my lap I could still navigate, but definitely not drive.
The dog was very excited during the drive, too. He kept moving around, and finally settled down between my feet on the floor. I petted him and he enjoyed it when I stroked his snout. I called Terry, the man who I hoped would be adopting this dog, along the way to let him know we were close. By the time we got to our destination, he was waiting outside for us. He came to the car door and began petting the dog. Eventually he picked him up and the dog growled a little, but I think he mostly growled because he wasn’t sure what was going on. Soon he was sitting comfortably on Terry’s lap, enjoying all the attention. I could tell that Terry was a dog lover by the way he handled the dog, whom he named Max. He asked me to get his collar and leash out and Tim adjusted the collar for Max’s size. Soon Max was running around on the long leash, smelling all the plants, marking his territory where he pleased, and generally looking like a happy dog. The large lawn was a huge improvement over Max’s old home. Terry’s neighbor, an elderly woman, came by and asked if this was the dog he had told her about. Indeed it was, and the woman said that while she couldn’t keep a dog herself, she would help Terry spoil Max. Wonderful! Within these few minutes, Max was already getting more love and attention than his previous owners had probably given him in a long time.
Finally it was time for Tim and me to go home and leave Terry and Max to enjoy their new life together. It was hard to leave because I’d become attached to the little dog in the last 24 hours, but I knew I’d done the right thing. I know who the former owners were, and they just don’t deserve to have an animal. Given Max’s condition, they clearly didn’t care enough about him, and if he had stayed with them for much longer, his health could have seriously deteriorated. Luckily we saved him before he could get worse. While he was in bad shape, after getting shaved and bathed the vet found him to be in fairly good shape, all things considered. I know that under Terry’s care, Max will gain weight and his hair will grow back healthy and shiny. Terry also plans to have him neutered, and luckily has an animal hospital just a couple of blocks away from his apartment. I’m happy that Max escaped from his former owners and that I found him. I’m even happier that Max now has a loving owner, and that Terry has found a companion to fill the void left by the dog he lost.
I love a happy ending.
Once we got to the vet, I had to carry him in since I didn’t have a leash. I was surprised by how light he was, and once again, surprised at how easily he let me pick him up. Even the vet and his assistants had no idea what type of dog he was. The mats were so bad the vet couldn’t look in the little dog’s ears. He wanted to do a ringworm test but didn’t want to put a needle through that much dirty, matted fur—the last thing he wanted was to cause an internal infection. They concurred that he was underweight and in desperate need of some help. His teeth were dirty, too, probably from lack of a proper diet. They agreed to keep him overnight and get him cleaned up the following morning.
The next day they had to sedate him in order to be able to groom him. Because the mats were so extensive, they had to shave him down completely. They found that he was covered in fleas, and so they gave him flea medication. The good thing was that since his hair was now so short, the remaining fleas wouldn’t last long. Shaving him down also solved the problem he had urinating—it seems one of the mats was making it difficult for him to pee.
I stopped by at lunchtime and they took me in the back room and I was astonished at the dog I found. I had had no idea what he was going to look like under all those mats, and found a dog that looked like he could be a Schnauzer. He looked so much better, even with most of his hair shaved off. While they were shaving him, they found that he had a small abrasion on one of his ears, but luckily it was minor. We think it may have been from when he escaped from the tiny backyard he used to live in. It could have gotten infected from all the filth trapped in the matted fur, but luckily there was no time for that to happen since he was rescued. All it required was an antibiotic ointment. Once he was all shaved, they also performed the ringworm test and it came out negative. At this point, the dog’s major concerns were gaining some weight and finding a new home. At the vet, we had nicknamed him Fluffy since he was far from it, but we figured it was his hope for the future.
That day I spent a lot of time on the phone, trying to reach as many of the animal rescue organizations as I could. Not surprisingly I found that most of the no-kill shelters were full beyond capacity, but one of them told me that while they couldn’t take him, they could give me phone numbers of breed-specific rescue groups. Since we thought he was a Schnauzer, they gave me the numbers for various Schnauzer rescue groups. They also said that if anyone called them looking for a dog like I had, they would put them in touch with me. I started calling around and left a number of messages. I also sent an email to another rescue organization with as much information about this dog as I knew. Incredibly, my cell phone started ringing soon afterward. The first person who called me had gotten my number from the animal sanctuary that had provided me with all the Schnauzer rescue groups. He had had a dog for many years and had recently had to have her put to sleep since she was very old and ill. He was getting empty nest syndrome, and was looking for a small dog to adopt. I told him what little I knew about this dog, and we agreed that that afternoon after I picked him up at the vet, I would bring him by. If they got along, the dog would stay with him. Afterwards I got two more calls from people who were interested in adopting him, and I also received an email saying that if I couldn’t place him, there was a spot in a foster home where he could go and live until someone could adopt him. I couldn’t believe this little dog’s luck! Within 24 hours he was going from a neglected, unrecognizable dog, to one with a future.
After work I went to pick up the dog, who was very excited. Because he had never been fixed, when they brought him out he started peeing everywhere, marking his territory. They gave me a temporary leash so I could get him to the car, and I bought a bag of food to get his new owner started. When we got in the car I couldn’t get him to sit still. I had originally put him in the back seat, but within seconds he had made his way into the front seat. He couldn’t decide whether to sit on the passenger seat or in my lap. I am not used to driving with a dog on my lap so I had to keep him on the passenger seat for safety’s sake. Luckily the drive home was short and there we picked up Tim. I wanted his company so that he could drive and I could keep the dog under control, and also because we were going to a part of town I wasn’t familiar with. I figured with the dog in my lap I could still navigate, but definitely not drive.
The dog was very excited during the drive, too. He kept moving around, and finally settled down between my feet on the floor. I petted him and he enjoyed it when I stroked his snout. I called Terry, the man who I hoped would be adopting this dog, along the way to let him know we were close. By the time we got to our destination, he was waiting outside for us. He came to the car door and began petting the dog. Eventually he picked him up and the dog growled a little, but I think he mostly growled because he wasn’t sure what was going on. Soon he was sitting comfortably on Terry’s lap, enjoying all the attention. I could tell that Terry was a dog lover by the way he handled the dog, whom he named Max. He asked me to get his collar and leash out and Tim adjusted the collar for Max’s size. Soon Max was running around on the long leash, smelling all the plants, marking his territory where he pleased, and generally looking like a happy dog. The large lawn was a huge improvement over Max’s old home. Terry’s neighbor, an elderly woman, came by and asked if this was the dog he had told her about. Indeed it was, and the woman said that while she couldn’t keep a dog herself, she would help Terry spoil Max. Wonderful! Within these few minutes, Max was already getting more love and attention than his previous owners had probably given him in a long time.
Finally it was time for Tim and me to go home and leave Terry and Max to enjoy their new life together. It was hard to leave because I’d become attached to the little dog in the last 24 hours, but I knew I’d done the right thing. I know who the former owners were, and they just don’t deserve to have an animal. Given Max’s condition, they clearly didn’t care enough about him, and if he had stayed with them for much longer, his health could have seriously deteriorated. Luckily we saved him before he could get worse. While he was in bad shape, after getting shaved and bathed the vet found him to be in fairly good shape, all things considered. I know that under Terry’s care, Max will gain weight and his hair will grow back healthy and shiny. Terry also plans to have him neutered, and luckily has an animal hospital just a couple of blocks away from his apartment. I’m happy that Max escaped from his former owners and that I found him. I’m even happier that Max now has a loving owner, and that Terry has found a companion to fill the void left by the dog he lost.
I love a happy ending.
posted by Ana at 21:34
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