Chipper Arrives at Golden Pines

From Lancaster Pennsylvania, a temporary addition named Chipper has arrived at Golden Pines. And to answer the question some of you familiar with that corner of the world may be wondering, the answer is YES.  Yes, Chipper is an "Amish Dog."  Those of you not familiar with that title, I'll tell you that dog farming is a large part of the economy for many Amish communities. Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and counties in Ohio and even Indiana are home to thousands of breeding dogs that will and do spend their lives in puppy mills. The dogs in these Amish mills are treated like livestock. Many times, they don't even live that well.  

At 9 years old, Chipper's breeding days and his past are now behind him. And through a series of events that I'm not really sure about, it took nearly a month for him to make it into the rescue.  His back legs have pressure sores from laying on the concrete and he had to have several teeth taken out. 

On the inside, Chipper is really fearful and afraid and will "pancake" when approached too quickly or he will try to get away from us. He won't walk on a leash, and is submissively urinating.  It's really very sad.

So, how did Chipper make it to our house?  Well, Lab Rescue was boarding Chipper, but he was becoming more scared and withdrawn, and so the rescue asked if I'd take him for a few days. They were also concerned about his pressure sores not healing in the kennel, and his just needing a more quiet place to be.  Since we live pretty close to the kennel, it just made sense.  We're happy to welcome him, and give him the chance to feel safe.

Finally, there's our girl Eva.  Your suggestions and advice about what to feed her, and your prayers and good vibes are appreciated more than you know. They are making a difference. Thank-you for sharing your thoughts and for caring about Eva.

She ends a really busy week on a pretty good note. Eva returned to the vet on Friday to have her blood pressure checked, (still high) and recheck other renal values.  There hasn't been much change, and her infection is still not cleared up, so we've added another antibiotic until the culture is returned.

~Blood pressure check at the vet~

I've started a diary to keep track of when Eva eats, misses a meal, and receives fluids. But this weekend, she ate most of her meals and even though she's not totally herself, she was in pretty good spirits. 

~Fluids again on Saturday~

And so am I.  And Todd too!