Part two of our weekend came on Saturday when things got bumpy. You may remember that I'd agreed to foster the pair, Abe and George before Sadie came. But they got sick, so that was the end of their coming to us. At least that's what I thought. Well, they popped back up on the radar again. After they were feeling better, they went to another foster home who quickly returned them. So when Sadie went to her new home, I was asked again about fostering Abe and George. They were in boarding and the foster home coordinator really wanted them in a home setting.
~George on the left, Abe on the right~
So, I met Abe and George up on Saturday. High drama ensued, because both dogs were so wound up, okay, they were crazy, because they were so excited to be out of boarding and to see each other. I had to call Carl and ask him to make a 40 minute drive to where we were to help me get them home in seperate cars. Once home we let them explore the yard and play together until it started to get dark.
We brought them inside, and put them in a large-ex-pen and George started barking. For about 5 hours he barked. Nothing we said or did could get George to stop. Both dogs finally settled down around 10 o'clock. The barking started again at about 2 o'clock in the morning, continuing until around 4. I've no idea what George and sometimes Abe were barking at. So, needless to say we were all exhausted, tired and worn out, and yes, I was stressed out. I contacted the foster home coordinator and she made a couple of great suggestions, one involved medication, and that did the trick. And that made Sunday a very quiet day as all of us caught up on missed sleep.
Despite that rough start, both Abe and George are nice dogs. For obvious reasons, I've nicknamed them "The Barkalot Brothers." I think it fits.
Of the two dogs, Abe is the more outgoing and curious one. He's diabetic and needs insulin injections twice daily. He is also mostly blind from cataracts. But that doesn't stop him, Abe is totally engaged in what's going on and wants to be part of it, especially if there's food. He's good natured, and his tail is wrapped up because he has "happy tail." **Happy tail is also known as kennel tail when a dog whacks his tail hard enough on a hard surface that it causes a cut or split on the end of the tail.
~ABE~
George, the more vocal of the two has problems getting to his feet. He is equally friendly, a bit more laid back and silly and all that comes with his not being afraid to let us know his opinion.
~GEORGE~
So far, they are fine with our dogs, ignoring them and the cats. That of course, suits Todd
Having worked every day the previous week, I was looking forward to Thursday and Friday and getting a few things done at home and catching up. But the end of last week could not have been more hectic or stressful.
It began with Sadie on Thursday morning. After a vet visit to have her staples taken out and a few errands, it was time to come home to pack her up. Even though it had just been a week, someone was coming to meet Sadie with the hope of adopting her. I wasn't ready to let Sadie go. She is such an easy going girl with a gentle soul, and there was a big part of me that wanted to keep her.
~I loved Sadie's smiling face!~
But, I had to be honest because as hard as I tried to find fault with Sadie's hopeful adopter, I just couldn't find anything. She is kind, caring and compassionate. There was a connection between the THREE of them right away. And so I said good-bye to Sophie, who now has a dachshund brother named Marshall and she'll be going to work daily with her new owner, who is a Registered Nurse.
I've gotten several reports and photos, and all is going really well. Registered Nurse couldn't be happier to have Sadie as part of her life! Judging by the photo below, I think Marshall agrees too.
***And I'll add here the the tumor that Sadie had was a Spindle cell sarcoma which is a type of connective tissue cancer. The slow-growing-tumor won't metastasize, but because there was not a good clean margin when it was removed, it will likely reoccur. Despite that it may grow back, it's still good news for Sadie!
We landed on Friday when Sophie went to see the holistic vet for her first follow up since she started taking the chinese herbs for her thyroid cancer. Holistic Vet was happy with how Sophie was doing and felt confident in saying that she thought that the lump on Sophie's thyroid hasn't gotten any bigger. Like Sadie, that's good news for her too!
With the good news for the girls, I'll end this post asking if you remember these two boys from a previous post? On Monday, I'll tell you about them.
Thank-you all for your blogging-welcome to Sadie! What a nice, nice dog she is!! Sadie has fit right in and is getting along really well with our dogs and the cats too! Being the 900th dog for Lab Rescue has meant that Sadie's story of rescue has been shared by them, so I am sharing that and a couple of their photos with you.
Story as told by Lab Rescue: Sadie's story before coming to Lab Rescue is a sad one. She originally belonged to an older woman who could no longer care for her, so she gave her to her daughter. Eventually, the daughter decided she could also not care for Sadie and gave her away to a couple. Sadie repeatedly escaped from the couple’s yard, and they eventually stopped going after her. When she escaped, Sadie would wander down to the police station nearby as the police officers would share their chicken biscuits with her. Eventually, the officers told her owners to sign her over since they weren’t caring for her. The officers brought Sadie to the local shelter in North Carolina. Sadie was in very rough shape with a cantaloupe-sized tumor on her side and a small one in her mouth.
The shelter asked if Lab Rescue could help, and we immediately said, “yes!” Sadie’s transporter described Sadie as a “dreamboat of a dog” as she never stops smiling and wagging her tail. The Rescue quickly arranged for Sadie to get the veterinary care she needed, and she is now recovering from her surgery. We don’t have the final reports back on her biopsy, but no matter what, she will be safe and loved from now on!"
This is quite the sad story, isn't it? The sharing of Sadie's story has also meant that there are hopeful adopters that want to meet her. I got an e-mail late Friday night from a coordinator that had someone that wanted to come Saturday morning. For several reasons, I wouldn't let them come this weekend. One reason that may seem and probably is totally selfish, is that I really want this time to get to know Sadie, and let her settle in just a bit before she moves on to the next chapter of her life.
I did agree to let someone come on Thursday. Which means she may be leaving us. I'll be totally honest and admit that I am regretting that. But in my heart, I know that I am just the gateway to help and keep dogs like Sadie safe and to get them to where they are supposed to be. But you know me, and you know it's not always easy for me to let them go.
As always, a busy week for me. But its been made a bit more that way because my counterpart at work is out sick and so I'm working every day this week to cover for her. At least I didn't miss our CPR update.
But nothing can really slow down the pace at home. I enjoyed getting your guesses about who you thought I'd been asked to foster. Those of you that guessed the pair, Abe and George were right! We've not fostered a bonded pair in nearly 10 years, so I was a tad-bit reluctant. But there really is something special about fostering a pair, and so I agreed and was looking forward to welcoming them. Unfortunately Abe (who is diabetic and blind) has pneumonia and George has a respiratory infection. As of Wednesday, both are hospitalized. So, when they improve, they will be going to another foster home without other dogs to make sure no other dogs become sick, and where they have the best chance of regaining their health. I'm disappointed, but I so hope these two boys feel better very soon!!
~The Great Pumpkin in a local pumpkin patch~
But knowing that my dog-beds were getting cold, I was asked to foster another dog. She has come to Virginia from a shelter in North Carolina, about 300 miles away. Her name is Sadie, and today we welcomed her into our home.
~On our way home!~
Sadie is about 11 years old, and she was turned into the shelter by her owner who could no longer care for her. Sadie had a very large tumor on her chest that needed to be removed and so she had surgery a few days ago. Because Sadie is recovering from surgery, and we had really stormy weather this evening, we have opted to not do intros with our crew. There's plenty of time for that. Tonight after her dinner, and a walk outside in the rain, we're letting Sadie get her rest.
~At home this evening~
We look forward to getting to know Sadie, who by the way, comes with a little bit of celebrity. She is the 900th dog that Lab Rescue has taken in so far this year! Welcome Sadie!!
