Overdue Update

I haven't updated in so long! It's been a very busy year for me. My training business has picked up, and I've continued going to the shelter 2x/week for about 3 hours each day. I've mentored a few new volunteers. I've continued fostering for the shelter and rescues too. Mushing season has picked up again. There has been so much, and this is going to be a long post with lots of pictures to catch up.

I see my last post was about Kaia at the end of March. As painful as it is, I'll follow up from there. Kaia was adopted on April 4th, 2014; I'd had her since March 27th so not very long at all. About a week and a half. Her new family could not have been more perfect. A young couple. Their first dog together. Dog had to be cat friendly. Kaia went to live with one of their parents until the couple got their own place in June. Kaia continued to heal, becoming more and more beautiful. They kept her name.

Her color changed so much!

On July 7th, a lump was discovered on the side of Kaia's neck. After testing and a biopsy it was discovered to be osteosarcoma. Cancer. A cancerous tumor going straight through her neck. Inoperable. They opted to offer her the best care they could until the end. Days? Weeks? We didn't know, they'd follow her lead. They graciously invited me up to say goodbye, on Tuesday. 7/15/14. I brought her an In-n-Out burger. We gave her ice cream. We took a walk. She had not eaten much of anything in days, barely able to swallow, and coughing frequently. She didn't even drink on Tuesday. They already had it scheduled, she was euthanized that Tuesday night as she had not eaten in 4 days other than goodies to spoil her like a can of tuna and the little nibble of burger she ate. My jaw was clenched and my stomach turning the entire drive up there to say goodbye. I expected to feel pain and sorrow upon seeing her and witnessing come of her final hours, but instead I was overwhelmed with how much love they gave to her and how good the final months of her life were. I didn't cry. I felt peaceful. Kaia had found the perfect home and was loved and given everything. I'm so grateful to have had a hand in helping Kaia get out of the shelter to spend her last few months loved, so loved, instead of alone at a shelter. Run free, Kaia.

After Kaia was adopted in April I continued fostering.

There was Shelly from the Humane Society, a fearful young chihuahua who we had about 2 weeks until she developed spots we feared could be ringworm as Humane had an outbreak so she was returned. I'm not sure what happened to her from there.

Then came Rascal, for two hours. Short story: Hit by a car, broken toes and bad road rash. Owner being deployed overseas and person who was to be taking care of Rascal backed out so the man had to sign over his dog to be euthanized- fortunately our shelter rocks and they were able to use the Spirit Fund to pay for surgery to save his life. Rascal was cat tested with my own cat at the shelter, after over a week of waiting for his surgery and initial recovery he came home with me, met the dogs, saw the cats through his crate, never any hint of aggression. No obvious signs. No growling, barking lunging, trying to nip, no freezing, no staring, no lip quivers, nothing. Once out of his crate I had him on leash and was kneeling down petting him. He lunged at Zebulon and grabbed his entire head and throat and locked on. I immediately had my hands around his jaws. I finally screamed after what seemed an eternity but must have only been a couple seconds, and he let go. I threw Rascal in the crate, checked Zeb who was fine but in shock, then took Rascal back. Zebulon clawed my hand badly while fighting for his life, I went to the ER hours later as the scratch had not closed. I have a lot of guilt that won't ever completely fade. Zeb is totally fine but he nearly had his skull crushed open. I have a nice scar. I'm so strict and careful in ensuring that foster dogs are ok with cats. Rascal gave me no indication whatsoever and had many, many chances to show that he wanted to eat cats.

After naughty Rascal came a longterm foster from Lionel's Legacy, named Merida. She was surrendered to a shelter by her owner who could not take care of her medical needs.

Feb 21st
SENIOR ESKIE WITH CANCER
SPAYED FEMALE - 16 YEARS OLD
INTAKE DATE 2-21-14
* AVAILABLE NOW *

Feb 23rd, Lionel's Legacy had already rescued her.
"Please welcome sweet Strong Heart the elderly (but not 16 yrs old) Eskie. My daughters have renamed her Merida after the Disney princess in the movie Brave. They said she's a strong and caring little survivor who won't let cancer beat her! We will get lab work and xrays done to confirm her mass hasn't spread and determine the best course of treatment for getting her better. She is a gentle little girl who has a lot more life to live."

Cancerous mass on her leg, not attached to bone so was easily and successfully removed!

After grooming and surgery

So Merida had already been with the rescue some time, as we didn't get her until June 7th. Despite being a senior, Merida had so much spunk! We really, really enjoyed having her around. She was adopted July 16th by someone who has had eskies her whole life, and is a member of the eskie club. Could not have asked for a better home for Meriderp! She was Denali's "mini me."

Orthopedic bed on top of an orthopedic bed. Not spoiled at all!

 

While we were working on getting Merbear connected with her adopter, there was a pup at the shelter that was breaking my heart. Mer was such an easy foster and with us being sure of her adoption (which is never for sure until it's done, but we were pretty sure), my husband allowed me to bring home the pup. Enter Molly, an ~8 month old American Bulldog. She was so frightened and shut down at the shelter that she wouldn't even stand up. For weeks. The muscles in her back legs were atrophied. I pulled her on a Sunday, July 1st, 2014.

At the shelter, I carried her out of the kennel and into the interaction yard area.
That gray spot on the top of her head turned out to be dirt, it washed off!

Home

Cuddling with the husband.

Molly went outside with me every day, often with Kaytu or Denali or Merida as having another dog there with her really helped her be brave and want to explore. She started exploring more and more and came out of her shell pretty quick.

Outside!

On a walk with Merida

Video speaks for itself.

She was adopted on July 11th; we had her only 10 days! I'm still in touch with her adopters, they met Molly when I took Molly to the car dealership with me (and Kaytu) for an oil change.

After Molly and Merida  I had a quick weekend foster, Ivan. A 3 month old puppy that someone threw away. Tossed into a dumpster. He was emaciated, by this photo he had already gained a couple pounds. He was found July 15th, and I took him July 17th (remember how Merida and Molly were officially adopted the 11th and 16th!)

I didn't even put Ivan down, he went straight to the bathroom for a bath and then here he is drying in the sun.

 

Ivan was returned to the shelter the morning of the 21st, and became available the 22nd. He was soon adopted!

Next was yet another puppy, Elsa. Found as a "stray" with two siblings (stray with siblings = probably dumped), we believe a Rhodesian Ridgeback. Picked up August 7th- we needed a break for a little bit after our string of fosters. She had distichia, which is when there are extra eyelashes growing inward toward the cornea. She had the eyelashes removed and had very puffy eyes that required twice daily goo medicine. I fell in love with her, hard. I even asked husband if we could keep her, she fit with us so perfectly. He vetoed. The plan was for me to only foster until she didn't need her meds anymore so she was returned to the shelter August 19th. In those 2 weeks she felt like she was ours, not a foster, and putting her back in a kennel was emotionally brutal. I bawled the entire way home. I felt like I'd abandoned one of my own dogs. I knew it was for the best, I knew she'd be out soon, but it still crushed me. She was picked up by a Rhodesian rescue the next day, August 20th!

I kind of really love how her scarring around her eye looks like a star.

 

I took a few days off to emotionally recover some from letting Elsa go. My parents were going to be in town the first week of September so I wanted a short term medical dog. Enter Odin, the evening of August 25th. We have no idea what happened to his eye. Found as a stray. He was violently aggressive toward the cats and barked all night in the crate. Exit Odin, the next morning. As fate would have it, a few weeks later his new adopters called me in to work on separation anxiety. He is a really wonderful dog and so happy now! I didn't even get a good pic of him, so here's his awful intake photo.

His eye was removed, and now he's very happy and well loved!

Two to go!

With a nice break and having my parents in town, once they'd gone back to Colorado I was ready for a longer foster since Ivan and Elsa (and Odin) were all intended as short term medical needs fosters. I had been thinking a lot about two chihuahuas at the shelter, Autumn and Summer. I had forced Summer out for a photo and it was not fun for anyone, I was afraid she would bite me and in having to drag her she dug her claws in and ground a couple down to the kwik. Completely unadoptable. They had both come in with 2 other chihuahuas that had both been adopted out quickly (there were 6 total running at large, 4 were caught- not bad!)

Summer and Autumn

Every time you pass the kennel they do that. They run to the back, as far from you as possible, and cower. And growl. Nobody had walked them or touched them in 3 months since they came in, apart from me forcing Summer out. I went into the kennel and tossed treats to help them warm up to me. We made progress. They ended up fighting over the treats so I stopped. I talked to staff. Autumn was the more outgoing, and I wanted to see what I could do. Apparently they had been fighting daily when fed. Twice a day, every day. I took her home on Sept 9th, planning to foster for 10-14 days to get to know her, help her relax, and make a flyer to market her. My initial notes:

-Submissive/fear urination when approached

-Great with cats, does not chase, bark at

-Great with dogs, submissive, freezes, rolls over, urinates sometimes, but learning to open up and play

-*Should go to home with another dog

Kaytu and Autumn immediately attached to each other. Typically my dogs will interact with the fosters and do seem to enjoy them, but they don't seem to get particularly bonded. These two bonded instantly and were inseparable the first couple days. Kaytu would find Autumn and lay by her. Autumn followed Kay everywhere.

First day home, already relaxing some!

Fear pose. "Please stay away, you're scary! I'm so scared I'm going to pee."

Whenever I approached Autumn, she would pee in fear. It was heartbreaking. Think of how scared you would be to pee like that. You'd be scared for your life, and she was. Over the weeks her confidence grew, she started playing, she started playing, she still refused to walk on leash so I didn't push it and just let her stay inside and in the backyard.

As we hit the 2 week mark Autumn was blossoming but still nervous.There were no other dogs I felt called to foster so we stuck with Autumn and started marketing her hard.

A fellow volunteer forwarded Autumn's info to a coworker, who met Autumn and their dog, a chihuahua who often doesn't like other dogs going near her people, was very accepting of Autumn. It was meant to be, she was adopted October 11th. I've been getting updates, and Autumn is doing really well! I was never fond of the name "Autumn" for her, and her new owners are still waiting for her to tell them her name. Currently she's being called Lucy but that could change.

And finally, my current foster is Cleopatra, a one year old pointer/pit bull(?) mix. We named her that, her first name at the shelter was Birdy to emphasize her pointer qualities over what is likely some kind of pit bull breed. But who knows! She was found as a stray on August 26th. We took her October 11th, immediately after Autumn was adopted!

First time I met her, at the shelter.

Gettin' loves!

At an adoption event, a candy corn witch.

 

This face kills me!

Enjoying the finer things in life.

 

She's been on the news, and had two potential adopters. First potential, their dog didn't like her. Second potential, the landlord's insurance would not cover any kind of pit bull looking breed. She is a blast, so sweet and so fun. She is learning basic cues easily, loves mushing, and all she wants in life is to be cuddled and sometimes to run around and play. Loves her food dispensing toys too!

Whew, so that's the foster situation! Meanwhile at the shelter, I've mainly been updating intake photos. I still have the main goal of helping dogs relax, connect to people, and learn polite skills and some basic cues like sit. I really enjoy volunteering and everything I do there to help. It's so rewarding. Here are a handful of good photo updates, and we'll end the update here with all these cute doggies. Click to enlarge.

 

 

Phoebe/Kaia update

Well, Phoebe is now Kaia. Phoebe fits her very well and I love the name. But for the first time ever, I have this strong, undeniable "knowing" that her name is Kaia (kye-uh). I was feeling it when interacting with her but wanted to pick something else which is why we searched for a different name and I never mentioned Kaia. But I fight to say Phoebe and have to think about. I love the name Phoebe, but it's not her name. I have no idea where I got Kaia from and why it's her name.
Now the freaky part: Kaia is Greek, which I didn't know. It means pure. The Greek word "phoibaô" means "to purify"... and its root word it Phoebe. The names are closely related. I'm creeped out. I have never felt like I knew a dog's name. We pick their name if they don't come with one, or are happy to change it to whatever we want. But this isn't a choice. I know her name is Kaia. It just is. I don't have a choice. It is also a Hawaiian word, Kaia means "the sea".. check out those eyes in case you missed them.

Even missing a lot of fur from the flea dermatitis, she's blowing coat
like all other huskies are right now.

Belly love!

Thursday 3/27

3/30

 

 

Looking much better!

 

 

 

 

 

Doing her best impression of a wolf

Phoebe

Often at the shelter I seek the huskies. I love huskies, and similar Nordic, spitz type dogs that are fluffy with curved tails and little triangle ears. I saw one listed on Tuesday so circled her kennel number. She was the last dog of the day I got out. Listed as 3 years old, no name.

When I saw her, her bright blue eyes were round and wide. Her pupils were dilated. Ears back. Tail down. Weight shifted back. She was nervous. Skittish. I was cautious and a truthfully a bit nervous going into her kennel. The shy dogs are just as likely to bite (if not moreso) than the dogs that make a big display of growling and lunging and using offense as the best defense. I slipped into her kennel and she turned, crouched, slinking to the far end. As I shut the kennel door I turned my gaze away from her for only a second and when the door was shut and my eyes moved back I found she was next to me. I spoke sweetly and cheerily to her as I squatted down, and again she moved away. I wasn't getting bad vibes, wasn't feeling she would nip, her body language was softening so I went to her in the corner and put the leash around her neck. I am patient when needed- I've spent 10-15 minutes in kennels getting a leash on, and some dogs are so scared about the leash, or of leaving the kennel, I don't even bother with a leash and just spend the time in the kennel doing what I can to show comfort and love.

With the leash on she followed me, past the grooming room where I grabbed a brush, then out and to the interact yard. Perfect leash walking. In the yard I did my usual, took the leash off (she laid down as I did), then ignored her as I went to sit on the bench. I gave her several minutes to sniff around without trying to engage her at all. When I finally called to her she ignored me, continuing to sniff. I tried again shortly after but she ignored again. I approached when she wandered close to me and touched her. I was soon giving belly rubs as she laid down and rolled over, exposing a recently shaved belly and spay scar.

I spent a long time brushing her, which she loved. She is pretty itchy from her previous flea infestation. Her lower back is dry, flaky, crusty, scabbed, and missing most of the fur. Just above her tail looked raw.

I brushed and brushed, and she rolled around and seemed to love every moment of it. Whenever I stopped to pick the fur from the bristles she would squirm and roll and always wanted more.

 

 

I walked her back to the kennel row, grabbed a stuffed frozen Kong, and put her back in the kennel. She seemed excited about the Kong. I went and cleaned my leash, washed my hands, and when I walked by her kennel again on the way out I paused to peek and she was happily licking and chewing the Kong.

Today, I asked staff about her. To see what was going on, why she was still there when she was so nice. She doesn't "show" well in the kennel. She's skittish, scared, and when staring intensely out with those piercing blue eye from the back of the kennel with her ears back, she does not look friendly or approachable. I got out a couple other dogs then got her out again. I couldn't resist as she'd been so, so lovely the other day. When she saw me she had that wide-eyed, freaked out look. I made a kissy sound and talked sweetly to her, and she immediately perked up and started wiggling, and swishing her tail. She remembered me! Leashing her was easy.

I brushed her more in the interact yard, then pulled some treats out. She planted her butt before I even said sit. I had her follow me a couple steps and asked her to sit. Butt straight down. Yay! Good girl. I said "down," and got no response so put the treat at her nose and pulled it down to the ground. She stood up. Ok, doesn't know down. "Sit." She sat. Good girl! Treat. I put a treat at her nose and slowly pulled it down to the ground, just in front of her paws, then along the ground slightly toward myself. This time she leaned forward, putting one paw forward. Yes! Click and treat. Good baby step. Same thing the next time. The next time, wait a second longer.. and.. other leg stretches forward. Yes! Click and treat, and new criteria. No reward unless both feet step forward while her butt stays down. A few more repetitions and she laid fully down, elbows touching. Woohoo, girl girly! I gave a jackpot of several treats on the ground. She ate them then got up. Repeat. Then again, and this time I clicked just as she was getting the last treat on the ground and gave her another treat, wait a second then again, a second and again, a couple seconds and again, clicking and treating her for staying laying down. I repeated this a few times and before I knew it she was easily being lured to lay down and would happily stay down. so I started adding the word to it. I then had her sit a few times so I could get a decent shot of her.

Then it was time for more petting!

And belly rubs!

And rolling!

I went and talked to staff. I wanted to take her home. She doesn't show well, she's stressed, she's freaked out in the kennel, her lower back has the skin issues, and I'm a husky lover. I put her back in the kennel, then first went to medical to ask about her skin to make sure it wasn't something potentially contagious to my own pets. They said it was skin dermatitis, irritation from fleas. I hadn't seen a single flea on her so I assumed she'd been treated for them. I also asked out of curiosity if she was pregnant when spayed, they didn't know, so I don't know if she had puppies or if they were removed [aborted] during her spay a week ago, but she definitely has "mommy boobies" still. I then went to the front office. Both ladies were at lunch, and I hate interrupting their lunchtime but one was about done and said we could chat. She said she didn't have a problem with me taking the dog, but what was the plan. I hesitated a moment, finding the words. To take her temporarily, a couple weeks or so, to let her skin heal, to let her relax and reset from the stress. If a rescue ends up wanting her, great, if not then I plan to bring her back in when she's looking and feeling better. Do need to dog and cat test though first, or if preferred I could go home and bring up my own dog and cat but I'm comfortable not doing it with my own pets. I waited in the office while staff lady went to talk to medical. Other staff lady I was waiting with looked the dog up.. she was the one who found husky girl.

Her story: Husky girl was tied up with a Basset hound to the fence at the shelter, and they were found around 9pm having just chewed through their leads. Staff lady caught Basset easily as he is very people friendly and came right up. The husky girl was not so easily caught and she enlisted the help of another person to herd husky girl into the parking lot, shut the gate, and get her cornered and leashed. There were foxtails in her ears, she was infested with fleas.

Staff lady selected a dog that is good with other dogs and we had them meet. It was uneventful. She stood still as he sniffed her, she showed mild interest but not much and did fine. We put the other dog back and then headed over to the farm animal area to have her meet the dog-savvy barn cat. We were interrupted when another person was having trouble with a dog spinning and fighting against the leash. I hung out with the husky girl so staff lady could help with the other dog. Then people were adopting a horse that had to be walked by, so I stood out of the way as staff lady went to open the gate for them. She was then called away so I went to find the barn cat, Jersey, on my own. I walked over and didn't know where to look for her. Ok, we can cat test later, let's just take her to medical I thought so she can have a check before I take her home- that was the plan anyway. As I'm walking the short distance I intercept another lady who has a moment to show me where Jersey is. The shed-like building behind the one remaining horse, which has fine welded wire mesh-type "walls" at the front which confine Jersey to the building. Jersey is called over. Husky doesn't seem to notice. Jersey rubs against the mesh, husky sniffs and ignores, I encourage her to check out the kitty again, another sniff and ignore. Great!

I take her to medical where staff lady meets me. Husky girl had foxtails in her ears but they seem fine now, so no further medication is needed. Her rump looks better, and they give he a bottle of shampoo that will help with the itching. It's "use as needed" and I'm advised to use it about once a week, every 3-4 days is fine too if she needs it. I can put it on tonight.

As I walked out the door, one of the ladies at the front desk said "Sucker!" and grinned at me. Oh yes, I sure am! Big sucker for huskies!

I am set to go. I put husky girl in my car, drive a short way to pick up an order of raw meat I'd placed a few weeks ago before taking her home. She did fine in the car, no panting or drooling, even laid down a few times. When I got home I left her for a moment so I could put my dogs outside and the cats in the bathroom. I brought her in on leash and let her explore the downstairs, following her, and when she wandered upstairs I opened our bedroom door where husband was sleeping so he could meet her. She sweetly nuzzled his hand.

Once downstairs I let Denali in, they met each other, husky girl wanted to go outside so I opened the door and let her out, still on leash, to meet Kaytu. They did fine and after several minutes I took her leash off. After she'd settled I got Zebulon out and had her meet him, she did fine, and then the same for Everest. Mild interest to sniff them but didn't care about them much..

She warmed up and after several attempts of my girls inviting her to play she gave in a little.
After all the exploring and meet and greets she had a nap. Denali came up and laid next to her.

When she woke up it was bath time. Dirt poured off of her, she was filthy. She is not used to baths and was not having a good time, and was trying to get out of the tub so I kept it as short as I could I washed her legs, back, and sides, using the medicated shampoo on her lower back which has to sit for 5-10 minutes before rinsing. After her bath she had a blast rolling around the dog bed.

I dried her as best I could with a towel. She was scared of my hair drier so I did some counter conditioning with it but not enough to be able to really dry her with it. Zebulon helped some, but then she got a little nervous of the cat playing with her head.

Definitely passes the cat test, and husband and I were discussing names. He said something bright, because of her eyes. I said yes, bright, something equally sweet. We landed on Phoebe which means bright, shining, and radiant in Greek.

The rest of the evening has been uneventful. She ate, I gave her little bitty scraps of the raw food while cutting it up, and she's been sleeping a lot. It must be nice for her to sleep. The kennel row she's in has been exceptionally loud with a lot of barkers recently. That, combined with the stress and a concrete floor, does not lend itself to restful sleep. I suspect she'll be sleeping a lot the next couple days.

Chuni

I have been absent. I've been incredibly busy with a new foster dog, work, home maintenance issues, and a week ago my car was totaled in a nasty wreck when a guy ran a red light and T-boned me, slamming into my drive side door. No time for blogging when life is busy! 

Chuni is worth making time to post about. She's our newest foster. I picked her up Friday, March 7th.

The first post I saw about Chuni was from a friend of mine on Facebook. Chuni and her brother, Tony, were at the shelter and needed foster homes. They had a rescue ready to offer financial support, but the dogs needed a foster home. Nobody stepped up. A week went by. The newest update said that Chuni was not eating. A few days more. Chuni had not eaten for 10 days. She was stressed, depressed, and declining rapidly. Chuni and Tony had lived outside in a backyard for 11 years. No vet care, no grooming, fed the cheapest grocery store food. They both had collars on so tight their skin was indented. They were relinquished when the owner became ill and couldn't "take care of them" anymore. I knew that history. I knew their chances were slim. I needed to try.

 

Tony had some medical issues that were significant. It was a complicated situation but came down to me asking if it was worth it for me to come in with my dog and cat and see how Chuni did with them. I was told Chuni was worth it. My heart wrenched as I knew what that meant for Tony.

Friday afternoon I drove to the San Diego Humane Society with Denali and Zebulon, throat tight and jaw clenched, fully prepared to leave without Chuni if she didn't get along with my pets. I knew what that would mean for Chuni. But my pets always have to come first, and I will not risk their safety. My hopes were low. She, as far as we knew, did not have any interaction with any dogs other than her brother and we had no idea how she was with cats.

I asked to meet her myself first, to see how she was, before having her meet Nali and Zeb. She was in the kennel with Tony. I saw him, but never met him. The staff member helping me got the leash on Chuni and he lead her out to me. She was skinny, and she was terrified. Tail completely tucked under and up, head low, ears sideways, panting, pupils dilated. I squatted down sideways and she basically ignored me. Ok, let's do this. I had her meet Denali first. They sniffed, and Denali left her alone. Good girl Nali! She is very socially adept and can tell when a dog wants to play, and when a dog does not. Nali did a lot of displacement sniffing, pretending to be interested in smelling the metal kennels in the room we were in. I put her leash over a hook and got Zebulon out. Chuni didn't seem to notice him. I knelt down with him in my arms, showing his butt to her. She sniffed then turned away. Hooray! I set Zeb on a chair and Chuni wasn't interested at all. Though I knew her avoidance was probably stressed-based, she did not show any worrying signs so I said I'd take her.

They gave her a medical check, her paperwork, and there she was. Mine to foster, under Ferdinand's Familia rescue. I had my own leash for her. She came with nothing. No collar, no leash, no bed, no blanket, no toy, no food. Just her. And just her was beautiful and perfect.

On the way home I stopped at the local pet supply shop and got about $30 worth of various canned foods. Wellness Core. Taste of the Wild. Canine Caviar. Canidae. Evangers. Merrick. All grain free. No more cheap crap food for her! I wanted all canned food for the water content to help her stay hydrated, and to avoid fillers. She doesn't need to be pooping out half of what she's eating, she needs to absorb the nutrition. That day, she ate. I offered her one small can of food, and she ate it. I was thrilled!! My biggest fear was that she would not eat. There is no way we could let a dog starve to death and she had already not eaten for 10 days. I was going to give her 3-4 days and if by then she had not eaten I would have had a very difficult conversation with the rescue. The pressure was lifted and I breathed a sign of relief, grinning ear to ear and ignoring her as best I could. The next morning she ate and ate, and has continued eating well. I've discovered she likes her food heated up. My friend, who first posted about Chuni and Tony, gave me Grandma Lucy's dehydrated packets and they are Chuni's favorite. After a few days I also made a batch of satin balls (I used a slightly modified Fat Balls #1 recipe with whole eggs) and she has been getting several of those each day too. Finally, after two weeks at this point, we're seeing a little padding on her ribs, her waist filling out. Eating 2+ cans of food plus a Grandma Lucy's dehydrated packet per day, plus satin balls in the morning and a couple spoonfuls of canned tripe each meal. I've since run out of tripe but she's eating great.

 

 

Tony was put to sleep early on Monday morning, March 10th. Being put to sleep is sometimes the best, most humane option for a dog. To be forever free. No more collars, no more pain. I had a strange feeling of not knowing if I should tell Chuni or not. It may seem silly. She can't understand my words. She can't know he is gone. She can't know she'll never see him again. I haven't told her and it feels odd. I don't know if I'd feel better telling her, or if I'd just feel crazy.

The 10th was also the day I gave Chuni a bath.  Apparently a volunteer at the shelter gave her a bath too! I never would have known. The bath at the shelter reportedly removed a lot of black, sticky gunk from her. She did well in the tub, I took my time, went slowly and gently, and removed as much dirt as I could. It was a long bath that I made as easy and quick as I could while being as thorough as possible. It was disgusting, to see the blackish brown water dripping from her face and body. I had filled the tub, wetted and washed her, then let the tub drain as I used the sprayer to rinse her. She was stressed in the tub but did quite well, not trying to escape, and after she had dried she enjoyed being brushed. Her fur feels so much better now, and she smells better too!

That week her temperament and personality really started to come out as she relaxed. She learned to love her crate and put herself there to take naps. She was more active, enjoying daily short walks, and also learning to trust us and enjoy affection. She is skittish and avoids us if approached directly. I've been working hard on that, teaching her that being approached means affection and love. We've been using the 5 second rule of petting and she is begging for affection now! When let out of her crate, instead of trotting off down the stairs, she stand there wiggling excitedly and whining, wanting to get some petting and affection and praise before going downstairs.

I also made a collar for her, since she didn't come with one and had been wearing Denali's. Purple, for her royal, regal princess-y self; purple with flecks of green and pink, for her plum sweet and deeply beautiful temperament; blue weaving and holding the purples together for her brother Tony.

Chuni is lovely. The husband and I both fell hard and fast for her. She will truly be hard to let go. She fits in with us very well. She is quiet, calm, sweet, loving, perfect.

On Friday, March 14th, I went out to get more food for her. I brought her with me. She doesn't have much experience in the car- being taken to the shelter, and from the shelter home with me. She is being transferred to a rescue out of state (more on that in a minute) so I wanted to take her with me. Short, easy trip, she can come inside with me, and it will help her get desensitized to being in the car since she has a trip coming up. We picked up the food. I then went to another shopping center to pop into Office Depot for a minute to get a receipt book for my business. She was doing very well at that point. As I left the shopping center, turning left, a guy ran the red light. He slammed into us, T-boning my car in the driver's side door. My head whacked against the window hard and Chuni was thrown across the back seat. To make that story short, neither car was drivable. Firetruck came, police came, there were cones, and flares, we gave reports, tow truck took my car away, we were on the scene at a very busy, loud, chaotic intersection for 2 hours. Chuni was tethered to a post at the corner. She wouldn't even drink water though it was a hot, clear, bright day. When husband came to pick us up, she was terrified of getting into his car. She ducked away, backing up. Tail tucked under and up. Head low. Ears sideways. Legs bent low, crouching to the ground. I picked her up to put her in and she immediately was panting hard and drooling. My plan to desensitize her had gone horrible backward with a traumatizing situation.

At home I called the insurance company, crated Chuni, then went to get stuff from my car, took me to the doctor to check my head (I'm fine, and Chuni is fine too), went out to dinner, then came home. Chuni wouldn't leave her crate. Husband checked on her once, and I did about 15 minutes after that. I encouraged her to come out by holding her collar up. She came out. I needed her to, to make sure she wasn't injured. She was fine, and she went downstairs and ate her dinner.

Chuni seems fine from the wreck, though I have not had her in a car since. I have been sharing her progress on a forum and someone said she reminds them of their own dog, "All soft and delicate, but [s]he has the soul of a survivor and just quietly plods on through."


The rescue, Ferdinand's Familia, is friends with a rescue in Arizona. Chuni will be transferred there this weekend. I am so, so excited for her future!

Chuni on March 9th, pre-bath.