These dogs haven't received this much attention in goodness knows how long!
Diesel
Diesel - you can see the way he lies that his back-end just doesn't want to work properly.
Diesel supervises in a sea of hair
Georgia - sleeping, but positioned for head rubs!
Georgia- post bath
Susann and her son Gunner in their run
Sweet Tina - all brushed out and ready for a bath
It's Memorial Day today. Rather than going to a cook out though, I - along with 6 other wonderful women - spent the day with the dogs...who we are now calling the "Seven Sweet Shepherds". It's a day that I don't think any of us are going to forget. This was my first chance to meet these dogs and their Guardian Angel Angie. The purpose of today's visit was to go and assess each of the dogs to see if GSRA would be able to take them into the rescue program. I really wasn't sure what I was going to find. It's never a good thing to find out that you have a group of senior dogs who appear to have spent the better part of their lives stuck in kennels being bred. I'll be honest, and I know a lot of people might not understand, but when Angie and I were talking on the phone the other day, we talked about the very real possibility that, for some of these dogs, the best we might be able to offer them is a peaceful passing. I always tell people that "rescue" comes in many forms, and for each case that GSRA becomes involved in, we owe it to the dogs to be honest and compassionate about what form of rescue we need to offer them. Meaning, sometimes, the kindest and most loving thing you can do for a dog (or any animal) is to end its suffering, but to do it in a way that the animal isn't alone, isn't afraid and doesn't suffer. Like I said, when I went to the kennel today, I was fully prepared to face the fact that some of these dogs might not make it out.
Meeting the dogs for the first time today was
both heartbreaking and heartwarming. I can't even begin to describe how shut down these dogs were when we first met them. They were like prisoners who had been kept in solitary all their lives. They panicked when we brought them out of their kennels and wanted to go back in rather than walk around. When we patted them and kissed them we got nothing - not a wag of the tail, not a glimmer in the eye, they didn't even try to get away - nothing! Three of us from GSRA, as well as a wonderful Mom and daughter team from Johnston County Animal Protection League (JACPL), and Angie and her partner spent 3 hours working on the dogs and their kennels. We brushed and combed the mats out of their fur, we washed them all (well, all but one who was just too freaked out by everything to be able to cope with a bath). Seeing what horrible condition these magnificent dogs were in was the heartbreaking part. The heartwarming part came though when we watched them come around - little by little - with the attention they were receiving. I watched o
ne in particular - Georgia - transform :) She was probably the most matted and dirty of the dogs. Not sure what caused the mats, but they were up and down her back and tail and it took Val and I ages to comb each of them out to the point that we could run a brush over her. She was completely stoic and patient throughout this process - even though I know it had to have hurt as we worked on those mats and tugged at her fur. After doing what we could, we washed her and then passed her on to Cathie for some "post-shower" brushing. While we were washing another dog, I watched Georgie as Cathie brushed and brushed and brushed her. Little by little, her posture started to relax..then her eyes softened.... and then she relaxed to the point that she laid down while Cathie brushed her. I swear, by the time the "spa treatment" was over she almost had a smile on her face. When we left today, Georgia was fast asleep in her run, but she was positioned such that her head was pushed up close to the door so that she could get rubs on her head as we said goodbye. Don't get me wrong, this wasn't some instantaneous "happily, ever after" transformation. By the time we all left this afternoon, the dogs were cleaner than they started out, but their spirits were still very much in need of help. Also, after being able to have my hands on them all and look them over clearly, it is really obvious that we need to get a vet out there to get a thorough examination of each dog.
I'm not sure exactly at which point during the visit today that we (and I say we because I think Val, Cathie and I were unanimous on this) decided that GSRA was "in" on getting these dogs the help they needed. Spending just 3 hours with those dogs has made all of us feel a huge responsibility towards them. Cate from JACPL knows a mobile vet who can help with the dogs and she is going to get in touch with her. Angie is already committed to caring for the dogs twice a day to make sure their runs are clean and they have fresh food and water. We left a whole heap of food there and I told Angie that, most likely, we would be able to cover the initial vet costs. I still need to notify GSRA's Board of Directors about all of this. Two of us that were out there today are board members, but there are still 7 others than need to sign off on our involvement. I left it with Angie that we would do whatever we could to help, but that we just had to take it day by day.
Recounting today's experience wouldn't be complete without a full run down on the cast of characters we met today. So here it goes:
* Diesel - approx. 10 years old. Almost definitely suffering from Degenerative Myelopathy (DM). Almost completely paralyzed in the back end. He is by far the most personable, probably because Angie fell in love at first site with him and has paid him a lot of attention :) He is very funny. He has this strong sense of self that I know Angie has encouraged. He wants to be wherever Angie is, and he likes to supervise. Very much an alpha male, when he sees the other males in the kennel he growls and pulls himself towards them barking. I am worried about what the future holds for this brave boy. This is the boy that Angie was called out for last year. He ended up having the infected toe amputated.
* Buster - approx. 10 yrs old. Might also have DM - or just muscle wasting. Sat down during our bathing and then couldn't get up to walk. I had to put a towel under him to support him to get him back in his kennel, but once in, he got up and started walking. Thanks dude - nearly put my back out carrying him! Did I mention that he is HUGE!! And handsome as they come! Gave gentle kisses at the end of his bath.
* Susann - 9 yrs. Feisty Mama!!! She has it in for all female dogs and apparently, in her day, was formidable about attacking them. I am sure if we hadn't kept a tight hold on her leash she would have tried to get the other girls today. Reminds me of Samantha-Jane in that "loveable psychotic bitch" kind of way. Has a massive mammary tumor that is almost certainly cancer.
* Georgia - 10 yrs. Love this girl :) Gentle, shy, sweet. Just a cute girl. Also seems very low in the back in a way that makes me worry about possible neurological isssues. After her bath, she went back into the kennel but stayed out of her run. She laid in a corner and just kind of watched the comings and goings. She's a deep one - it'll take some time to get to know her I think.
* Tina - 9 years. Didn't get to spend much time with her, so can't say much, but Angie really loves this girl. She seems very outgoing. Seemed to enjoy the attention.
* Gunner - 2 yrs old. DROP DEAD GORGEOUS!!! Stunning. Has a bad ear infection, but Angie is treating it with Ottomax and it is getting better. Couldn't get near those ears today, but he wasn't mean about it, just didn't want us touching them. They look the color of tomatoes inside, and very swollen. Makes me sick - they have got to be nauseatingly painful.
* Queenie - 3 yrs old - stunning. The least socialized of the bunch. Terrified of water and completely wigged out by being touched. We weren't able to wash her but we did brush her and tried to get her used to being touched. She's in a run with Tina and it seemed that having Tina near by helped her relax. Poor girl. It seemed like the big, wide world was just too much for her. All she wanted was to get back to the safety of her 3X10 dog run. So sad...this dog should be running, playing and acting like a typical 3 year old GSD. Not cowering down afraid of anything and everything!
All of the dogs have incredible temperaments when it comes to people. None show even the slightest bit of aggression - they are just scared and unsure. Sadly, the 2 youngest are going to be the biggest behavioral challenges as it appears they were born at a time when the owner was already declining in health and so hasn't had anything to do with them. We are unsure if they have ever even been out of the kennel before.
Bottom line, after today I realize just how much work is ahead of us if we are to take this case on. At the same time though, after meeting the dogs, I am 110% committed to helping them. Knowing the GSRA board like I do, and knowing how our volunteers feel about dogs - and senior dogs - I know everyone will be behind this mission when they find out about it. These dogs are EXACTLY what GSRA is here for!
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