[Ag-eq] OT question

[Nella Foster]

Jody:

One of the first dogs I fostered for GSD rescue was a male named Baron. 
Baron was probably about 9 when he was pulled from the animal shelter and 
nothing was known about him.  He was extremely skinny and had mange.  He was 
missing about half his hair and smelled terrible.  I agreed to foster him 
and ended up adopting him.  I had him for almost 4 years before he had to be 
put down.  He was the smartest and most loyal dog I've ever had, guide dogs 
included!  He seemed to know that I had saved his life and was truly 
grateful.  He was very protective and would stay between me and strangers 
until he felt comfortable with them.  It really broke my heart when I had to 
put him down.

The dogs I have now are Tye and Guinevere.  I adopted Tye from a shelter 
when he was 7 months old.  I suspect he's not full shepherd, maybe some 
Husky or Malamute mixed in.  When I looked at him at the shelter he growled 
at me, and the director, who I knew told me he was on the euthanasia list. 
He was 7 months old and had already been in 3 homes.  He was returned for 
behavior issues.  I begged Bob to let me try and he agreed.  I took Tye home 
and pretty much leashed him to me for a week.  I also got him into obedience 
classes and in a matter of days he was my little shadow!  We've been 
together for over 11 years now and I can't imagine life without him.  He's 
been a lot of work; he's to smart for his own good and needs to be kept 
busy.  Well, he has been the perfect dog for the last 3 or 4 years.

After I had to part with poor Maya last summer I decided I wanted another 
female GSD.  I always have 3 to 5 dogs around and was suddenly down to just 
2!  I went to the local animal shelter and told them I was looking for a 
female GSD between 4 and 7 years.  The only dog they had was a very skinny 
solid black dog named Guinevere.  They said she was six years old, was an 
owner turn in and had been at the shelter over a month.  They said she had 
lost weight and was very fearful and she would be put down soon.  So, sucker 
that I am I said I would take her!  She was not spayed and had had several 
litters of puppies.  While doing the spay surgery the vet found several 
masses and her spleen was enlarged.  The vet also thought that she was more 
like 9 or 10 years old.  I agreed to take her any way and let her live as 
long as she has quality of life.  She's been here since August and doesn't 
seem any worse.  She's actually gained some weight.  Her appetite is good 
and she plays with the boys.  She also gets very excited when I come home 
from work.  She is very smart and affectionate.  She's trust worthy with all 
the other animals; I couldn't have asked for a better dog!

I get angry every time I think of someone abandoning a poor, old and sick 
dog like Guinevere at the shelter.  She reminds me a lot of Baron.  I'm 
keeping my fingers crossed that she will continue to do well.

Nella




----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jody W. Ianuzzi" <jody at thewhitehats.com>
To: "'Agricultural and Equestrean Division List'" <ag-eq at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, June 29, 2010 6:40 AM
Subject: Re: [Ag-eq] OT question


> Hello again Nella,
>
> I'm sorry, I forgot to comment on your present dogs.  It is so hard to 
> watch
> them get old.  We had our male from the time he was 8 weeks to 13.5 years.
> It just isn't fair that they live such short lives.  Each dog has part of
> our heart.  They are family and it is just so hard to loose them.  I still
> have dreams about Baron and he died 17 years ago.
>
> I think the degenerative disc disease is so hard to watch because it slows
> them down so much.  Wow, your girl has cancer for a year?  That is
> incredible.  She must be one strong girl.
>
> What are their names?
>
> JODY
>
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