An Addition and Subtraction

With Morty pretty much settled in, mid-July brought the arrival of a new foster boy: a 12-year-old Golden Retriever named Hawk. 

Hawk was surrendered to a shelter along with three other Goldens named Rooster, Wolf, and Rufus, from a legal situation in Maryland. He has a nervous personality, and startles easily at sudden movements or sounds. And as unsure and as nervous as he was about all the changes, Hawk immediately bonded with our other two foster boys, Teddy and Simba, who easily made him part of their all boys club. (photo below, left is Simba, Teddy in the middle Hawk on the end)

~The only and not so good photo of the 3 together~

But Hawk developed one very specific, very persistent and often annoying behavior, he constantly licked Teddy’s left ear.

At first, we thought it was just a behavioral quirk that unfortunately led to Teddy developing an ear infection. We took Teddy to the vet on a Friday, and got the usual round of antibiotics, and we did our absolute best to keep Hawk away from Ted. But Hawk was relentless and laser-focused on that left ear.

By Monday, Teddy wasn't any better. Added to that, both he and Hawk had stopped eating. I was off to the vet with both. 

~Monday Vet Visit~

For that visit, Hawk was given medication and allowed to come home. Teddy however, didn't fare as well. He had a temperature, and so we were sent to a 24-hour (emergency) animal hospital for an overnight stay for Teddy.

~At the 24 hour vet - Waiting to be admitted~

On Tuesday, with his fever down, Teddy was cleared to come home and he seemed brighter. But by Wednesday evening, visible swelling appeared around his left eye and ear. That led us straight to another urgent vet on Thursday and the (new) vet took an x-ray of Teddy's head.

The x-ray revealed a mass near the bottom of Teddy’s left ear canal, pressing right up against his brain. Its appearance strongly suggested cancer. Teddy was in visible pain, and with practically no options, we felt that the kindest, hardest choice was to say goodbye to this sweet boy. 💔

We really think that Hawk had to have been sensing Teddy's mass all along, which would explain why he was so determined to keep licking his left ear. It's the only explanation. We've all heard stories about dogs sensing illness and hidden trouble long before we can, but for me, this experience has changed what I thought was possible.

Teddy and Simba weren't littermates. But their 2017 birthdays, were just weeks apart, and they had been together since they were puppies. 

~Simba on the left - Teddy on the right~

Teddy was the quieter, more serious of the two, while Simba has that same fun confidence, but with a much more carefree and playful spirit. We loved having them as part of our household. And I am beyond grateful for the nearly one year we were so lucky to have them both together. 

In writing this, it reminds me of how much Teddy is missed. He was a gentle, calming and big spirit with a joy, that treated every single day, no matter how routine it may have been, like a new and fun adventure.

~Teddy~

So, as Teddy runs ahead to wait for us, we have welcomed Hawk, who has proven that he may appear nervous and unsure on the outside, but inside he has an extraordinary soul. 🐾

~Hawk~

Thank you Blogging Friends for stopping by again today. 

But don't wander too far, believe it or not, there's still more to tell you about. 

What Morty is Made of

A heartfelt thank you to our wonderful blogging friends who have been checking in on us lately! Between navigating the grand adventure of retirement—where every day feels like a Saturday and the days somehow go by twice as fast—and keeping up with the changes in our pack, life has been keeping me on my toes as I've tried to have and keep focus through the highs and lows. 

~A photo from the sunflowers fields I visited in September~

For this post, I'll begin where I left off, and that was with Morty. I really wanted to know what Morty is made of so, I did one of the at-home DNA tests for dogs to identify his breed makeup. I couldn't wait for the results, and I could not have been more surprised when I got them.

The test covers a lot of things, but here is the short version: 

I don't know what I thought Morty was going to be mixed with.  I had thought maybe Beagle was in his mix and Dachshund had been mentioned by someone else. But not the others. 

Noticeably absent in Morty's DNA is any trace of Golden Retriever, Scottish Terrier, or Lab — not that I expected it to be there. 

~Morty and Simba~

But discovering that American Foxhound is part of his DNA leaves me completely choked up. Because as you’ll recall, I applied to foster and adopt Morty right after we lost Kaboodle, our American Foxhound and the dog I had waited so long for. Finding out that the gentle Foxhound spirit is woven into Morty pulls so deeply at my heartstrings, and it feels like a confirmation from the cosmos that he was meant to find his way to us — and that in a small way, I still have the American Foxhound I dreamed of. ❤

But I think it also goes to show how life has a way of coming full circle. 

Thank you all again for checking in on us, 

and keeping up with our ever-changing crew, and sharing in the happenings. 

 

I hope you'll stop back in very soon, because there is a subtraction 

and additions that I want to tell you about. 

So, until next time ....

~A photo from a lovely weekend spent with family in Gloucester VA~ 

More About Morty

Thank you all for stopping by and reading and commenting on what's been happening in my corner of the world. 

To answer a question, Morty arrived at Golden Pines nearly a month ago. 

Not since Todd have we had we had a smallish dog around the house, so there has been a bit of an adjustment in having Morty around - Especially because he's totally blind. Added to any concern was the vague and few instructions I'd received from his second foster home that specifically mentioned keeping an eye on him around other dogs.

I'd been told Morty got along with other dogs - And I felt confident our crew would be fine around him, but I was now worried his terrier instincts might kick in around unfamiliar dogs. Thankfully he is totally fine, and as expected, our dogs have been fine too and they don't mind his bumping or running into them at times. --I wonder if it was the other dogs in his previous foster home that didn't like Morty bumping into them and that caused a problem?? 

Morty has mostly learned his way around the house and yard. We have used a leash and a clicker to teach him the way - giving him plenty of praise along the way, especially when he's outside. 

He’s gotten comfortable enough that he now has full freedom inside the house -- except at night when he's crated. We still use our voice or the clicker to guide him when needed, but for the most part, he confidently wanders around on his own. 

~A new helper in the kitchen~

Along with being blind and incontinent, Morty deals with struvite stones—mineral deposits in the urinary tract often brought on by UTIs. To manage this, and to try to make sure the stones don't return, he stays on a strict prescription diet (no regular treats) and drinks mostly purified water instead of our mineral-heavy well water, though I still make sure he gets plenty of his favorite treat: ice! I'll add here that unlike his last foster home, I don't ration Morty's intake of water, it's important that he stay as hydrated as possible. 

All that aside, Morty is really a nice little dog. He’s a bit of a social butterfly that responds to our talking to him, and his spirit brightens when you give him praise. 

He’s a fun shadow, that is almost always nearby, and that proverbial "little heartbeat at my feet." 

Was it the Cosmos?

I’m a pretty big believer in karma, serendipity, the cosmos and the universe, fate, faith, or whatever it is you want to call things that happen without any real explanation.  And I confess that I often look for those proverbial signs, and I try to follow them.  

The losses of Max, Jack, Noodle and the latest, Kaboodle have totally gutted me. And one morning as I sat alone with my grief, something popped up on Facebook... 

I knew about this particular story that began in the early part of spring - It was a heartbreaking report that happened in a neighboring county involving FIVE dogs that had been found tethered outside, with little to no shelter in single digit temps in early February. Sadly one dog was dead, and was believed to have died from prolonged exposure to the extreme conditions and malnutrition -💔- The (so called) owners were both arrested and charged **(each with 1 count of felony animal cruelty, 3 counts of Class 1 misdemeanors and 6 counts of Class 4 misdemeanors)**

The four remaining dogs were taken to the local shelter for care and for the court case to work its way through the system. In May, the 4 dogs were released from the shelter and they found their way to 2 different rescues. One of these dogs went to a rescue whose Facebook page I follow. 

He had caught my attention because he was a 10 year old wiry-haired terrier named Morty, that weighed about 30 pounds, and was totally blind and incontinent. 

Of course my heart went out to this senior boy.  I couldn't help but follow Morty's journey that was being posted on Facebook, as he went from the shelter to a foster home, and then he went to a 2nd foster home.

The post that I was reading that particular morning was a plea for a 3rd foster home for Morty. It was needed as soon as possible, or he would have to go into boarding. In that moment, I felt like the cosmos was telling me something, so I thought about it for a couple hours (believe it or not, it was that long!) and I applied to foster him. 

After nearly a week, and not hearing anything or from anyone, I thought I must have misread any sign I'd been given. But no, I was not. I received a call from the rescue. And the next day I made the 3+ hour drive - one way - to a place I'm not sure where I went exactly, to pick up Morty, and bring him home. ❤

~On Our Way Home From Somewhere~