We rescued a female canine. She was almost starved to death (could feel every bone in her little body) and she had 49 ticks on her head alone! I want to think that she was a victim of the war and/or the economy, but whatever the case neglecting an animal like that is awful. No kill humane shelters or animal rescue organizations are wonderful places. Dropping an animal off to fend for itself is the wrong choice! But Gracie is one of the FEW lucky ones. We have had her now for nine days and have decided to keep her.
She is an answer to prayer. Andy's precious Golden Retriever, Emma has cancer. When we realized it in April, I said a prayer that asked God to send us the right canine to get along with Emma during her last months and one that would fit in with our life style. We were on our way to the farm when I spotted her and two other very thin dogs running across the highway. I whipped into a driveway where I saw a person (scared Andy half to death). I asked the man living there if he knew her, and he did not know the animal. He said that she had been a stray there for sometime, foraging for food in the trash. During the time that I was talking with him, she ran away, so I got back into the car and drove away thinking that she was not the one we were meant to have. Then I happened to look into a field to my left, and there she was loping along trying to keep up with the other two. In the time that it took me to turn quickly into the field (again a cardiac event for Andy), the other two were no where to be found, but she was in plain view. I got down on my haunches, clapped by hands and called out, "Here, girl!"; I had decided that she was female. She responded by running like crazy toward me, she approached me readily, smelled my hand, took the position that said she was submitting, and with caution I petted her. She wagged her tail, I lifted her up with one arm around her chest and the other around her backside. She was willing to be put into the car (fleas, ticks and all). We took her to the farm where she allowed a bath, eagerly ate cat food (it's all we had there), and went home with us that night.
She weighed 30 pounds, and now is up to 34. She is so cute! She looks like a miniature Golden Retriever, with the blue tongue of a Chow and the head and neck of a Daschund. She has the sweetest disposition. Andy has named her "Grace" because she found unmerited favor and we call her "Gracie". She's started coming to her name already. She loves to play ball! I treated her for ticks and fleas with Frontline and have wormed her. As soon as she gains some more weight (she has no where to stick for vaccines) I will take her for a vet visit. I hope that she is with us for a long time to come. We believe that she was meant to be ours. Say a little prayer for the two that I could not catch.
Photos:
Emma watching Gracie acting like a fox
Gracie
Gracie with her ball
An addendum: Gracie has gained more weight! She's now up to about 39 lbs., so I took her for her shots, worm exam (she had whip worms, so have treated them), and a check for heart worms (negative). She's a hoot and is stubborn!!!! We are working on coming back to me readily when she doesn't want to do that...obedience school may be in her future! In the meantime, she and Emma just love each other, they play and play, which is where they are right now...in the middle of the living room floor "face fighting". It's hilarious to see Emma who weighs 95lbs. being held at bay by Gracie the lightweight. Duchess, the Royal Fox Hound doesn't know what to do with them. I think she finds them amusing.
