Friday, October 2, 2020

National Black Dog Day

Yesterday was National Black Dog Day which is a day aimed at bringing awareness of the plight of black dogs waiting for adoption who are often overlooked in favor of their lighter counterparts. Black dogs are less likely to be adopted for no other reason than their coloring - Regardless of behavior, size, breeding, personality, or age, the phenomenon persists. It's sad, I think. 

At our house, we only have one black-dog. Who happens to also be the only girl, and that of course, is Sophie. 

I've been going to write a post about Sophie this week. You may recall that Sophie and her counterpart Tiggy the Siamese cat, came to us last September from our groomer after the son of their owner took them to the vet to euthanize them both when their owner, who is in her 90's had to go to an assisted living facility. The son, I'm told, wanted nothing to do with either of them. 

With 3 of our dogs having respiratory infections (kennel cough) my vet put them on an antibiotic, and Leo, Charlie both got better pretty quickly. Sophie however, who has laryngeal paralysis (a condition that involves loss of normal function of the larynx that causes coughing and loud rasping breathing) seemed to have been hit a bit harder. Her coughing was really getting to be an issue, and because of her "pre-existing condition" I worried about her kennel cough turning into pneumonia. 

So, with Sophie's health history, instead of taking her to my vet, I decided to call her previous vet instead. I'm glad I did. Dr. S called the night before her appointment and we chatted about Sophie. He has seen Sophie her entire life. He knows exactly how old she is, 13 years 8 months, Dr. S knows everything about her, including the details about her cancer treatment, a softball size malignant thyroid tumor that was successfully treated with radiation in June of 2018, and that the prognosis was that it could extend her life by 1 year. So, Sophie is a 2+ year cancer survivor!  

And Dr. S who of course knows Sophie's original owner, told me that "she loved Sophie to the ends of God's green earth, and there wasn't anything she wouldn't do for her."  Hearing how much Sophie was loved, touched my heart, and I know that they were not just words, but how *J* really felt/feels about her. **And we'll see if those feelings remain because Dr. S told me he was sending the bill (almost $500) for Sophie's treatment to the son to pay. Of course I said I would pay the bill because we consider Sophie our dog, but Dr. S insisted. 

Dr. S took great care of Sophie. He did x-rays, an ultra sound, blood work, and a very thorough exam. 

I like Dr. S very much. He's a vet that I knew only by his reputation as a longtime vet in our area, that is kind and well known for providing good care to his patients. Now that I've met him, I have to agree with that. 

For the most part, Sophie is healthy. There are a few concerns like a nodule on her spleen, and of course there are the remains of the tumor on her throat. Dr. S gave me another antibiotic for her cough, that knock, knock, knock on wood, a week later seems to have helped. 

Shortly after her dinner last Saturday, Sophie did start coughing and choking and she collapsed - I got her to her feet, and cleared her throat to make sure she had an open airway, and thankfully she's been fine since then.  ...whew..... I am really hoping that Sophie, our single black dog, on the day after National Black Dog Day, will be fine for many days ahead. 

22 comments:

  1. Hello,

    What a nice story about Sophie's previous owner. Sending good wishes and hugs for Sophie, she has been through so much. I hope she is ok. Take care, enjoy your day! Happy weekend!

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  2. What a beautiful story, Kim, and how lucky Sophie is to be out of the hands of the owner's son. I try not to be judgmental about such things, as perhaps the son was overwhelmed with his mother's care and I will resist thinking that he probably would have euthanized his mother too, if he could have. It is what it is and as with all the animals in your care, you were there with your safety net when the animals, who were flung out into the universe, needed to be caught. God bless you, Kim, and it's a true honor knowing you! My love, Andrea xoxo PS~ We've had two black dogs in our lifetime and cherished their beautiful dark coats. <3 <3

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  3. It sounds like Dr. S is one to keep in touch with. Sophie is lucky to have him in her corner as well as you and your husband. We love our black dog too and think she too was looked over because of her color but that allowed us to have her as our own.

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  4. Sophie is a truly blessed dog, first her owner who loved her to the ends of God's green earth, to the kind vet, and ultimately to find you to see her through the rest of her life. As far as I'm concerned Black is Beautiful. My Faith says she agrees.

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  5. We hope Sophie's cough goes away and stays away. Such a sweet girl. We know from her story that she was loved by her first owner. That is the kind of vet we all should be able to find for our pets. We are a week away from switching clinics after Misty's last checkup with her visiting surgeon. The past few months have been really tough on Mom with the whole Misty issue. The vet that we like so much left there a couple of months ago and we are going to be visiting him again soon.

    Have a good weekend and we hope all the dogs will be doing well.

    Woos - Lightning, Misty, and Timber

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  6. Our house has a theme, black and white dogs. Kyla was a rescue black Scottie. Kali is a rescue black Scottie mix. Kaci is a white rescue Westiie Chihuahua mix. The peep was walking them (Kaci is white and Kali is black but turning more white with age) and a lady asked if they were the same breed, "Not onlu that, they're idenitical twins".

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  7. is there a brown dog day? i'm looking forward to reading about it.
    pete heinlein

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  8. oh Sophie! I hope someone kind (like Dr. S) somehow gets word to your owner in assisted living... that you are SAFE. that her son didn't get his way and had you killed just because you were inconvenient. it might make your own life easier. stress like knowing a beloved animal's fate is very real.
    I wish she could know how wonderful Kim is and that you're doing well. it would make a difference for her I'm sure.
    GOD LOVE the Doctor S's of this world! and the Kim's! xoxo

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  9. I love black cats and dogs. I think they are the most beautiful of their species. I do not understand why they are the last chosen.

    Except for the son of the owner, Sophie has lived a life where she has been very loved and she that continues with you.

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  10. Good luck to you all! Hoping for a few weeks of healthiness for all.

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  11. In today's world when I have run across so many vets who do not care (they care only about making money not what is best for the pet or the owner), it is so nice to hear about Dr. S. Thanks for sharing. And black dogs are awesome. I heard about this a few years ago that black dogs get overlooked and cannot imagine judging a companion on their color.

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  12. I hope Sophie's better health continues...and I'm glad she has a vet who cares and takes good care of her (I'd have nothing good to say about that son, so I'll just be quiet like my mother told me, ha ha).
    I don't understand this whole black dog thing. Our first two dogs were black, and we were looking for another black lab mix when we found Luke. I think I could easily say that other than beagles, black dogs are my favorite! Or black & white...or golden retriever, fine, I love all dogs no matter their color! :)
    Jan, Wag 'n Woof Pets

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  13. What lucky girl Sophie is to be with you, Kim. I do hope that she recovers quickly and can enjoy her happy life with you and the crew. I think the main reason people don't choose a black dog is because of the mess their hair makes when it sheds.
    Apart from one tan Spaniel X, all our dogs have been yellow Labs, but I would never dismiss the idea of a rescue black dog, and I'd go for an older dog next time too. They all deserve to be loved, and I wish I was in the position to care for more than one dog these days.

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  14. black dog here is code for depression so it's refreshing to read about a real black dog! sophie sounds like a very special dog and I am so glad you are giving her care. Dogs like her could give so much love and feel so rewarded if they were able to visit the elderly in care homes, something that's catching on at a snails pace in the uk.

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  15. p.s. also don't get why people are so silly about black animals, we are homing a black cat at the end of the month and can't think of anything more beautiful - we actually asked if there might be a black one going spare!

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  16. Our angel, Miss Ginger had a lustrous black coat with tan points. She was the queen of the house! We also fostered an older black lab for a little while until we found him a good family. We're sending lots of POTP to Sophie and hope she stays well.

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  17. Hope Sophia is doing well and the cough is gone. How lucky she is to be with you. About 25 years ago we gave our daughter Andee one of our black Lab puppies. She named her Holly. Holly lived to be 15 years old. She traveled with Andee to Alaska and to Germany and then they moved back to NC. Andee says there will never be another Holly. We had a black Lab named Splash. Black dogs are beautiful. Thank you. I didn't know about National Black Dog Day.

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  18. It is nice to hear that Sophie has had a life of love and wonderful medical care. POTP that her cough improves soon.

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  19. I'll be adding my prayers for sweet Sophie. Our Millie - a 14-year-old black Lab/greyhound mix - will be disappointed to learn that we didn't celebrate National Black Dog Day. We've had two other black lab mixes and they were both wonderful girls. Hurray for black dogs! I also hope that you're feeling better, Kim.

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  20. It must be so hard for doggos when their humans can't care for them anymore. I hope Sophie's mum knows how well she's being looked after.

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  21. Fear not - Any dog called Sophie is going to be super tough.

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  22. Good to hear Sophies story...so sad when a dog is taken away from the owner when they have to have more healthcare...and what a rotten kid:(

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Speak--I really enjoy your comments! Thanks for stopping by today!!