Paloma Visits the Vet (update on rescued dog)

I found out my rescue dog has a name. Paloma. Pretty sad that someone would name a dog and then abandon and abuse it, but I'll never understand some people.

The good news is that Paloma is doing great. She went to the vet today for her checkup and shots. She does not have heart worms which is fantastic. Her teeth and gums look good. She got started on Interceptor today and is currently getting a flea bath. I have Comfortis to give her to prevent further fleas, so she is just a spay away from being ready for a good home. The vet said overall she seems like a healthy dog, especially considering her situation.

Her temperament is still just as gentle as it was the day I found her. She played with Millie and Bailey yesterday. Well, I should say she played with Millie. Bailey wanted nothing to do with her. Paloma was immediately alerted that Bailey rules this house and is and will remain the alpha. Paloma tried to convince Bailey that she just wanted to play, but Bailey, in her crotchety old age, refused to submit. So, Paloma and Millie ran about 900 circles around my back yard. I will say this...Paloma is F-A-S-T! Millie was worn out from running so hard. Of course, she took her rest in the biggest, deepest mud puddle (she had about 20 to choose from since we seem to have gotten 5000 inches of rain over the past week. Finally, today is a sunny day!)

I am also proud to say that Paloma did GREAT at the vet. In the lobby, she sat right next to me the whole time. I didn't even have to grip her leash. I wish she could teach Millie and Bailey her waiting room manners. They go ape crazy. There was a sweet little boxer puppy in there and Paloma definitely wanted to play. They sniffed and jumped around a little bit together but then Paloma came right back to me and sat still.

As with most dogs who've been abused, she is very skittish to meet anyone new. But, you can tell that she wants to trust you, she just immediately goes into submission, crouches down and slowly approaches from the crouched position. She doesn't flinch though when you go to pet her, which is a good thing. I do not think she was physically abused as in beaten. I just think she was severely neglected. She had no problems with Dr. Brantley picking her up, giving shots, etc.

I've noticed she is more confident approaching another dog than a human, but even with dogs, she is very gentle. Put it this way, you know how much I love, spoil and humanize Millie and Bailey. I had no issues whatsoever with them meeting and playing with Paloma. She is great with other dogs. She warmed up to Brent quickly last night as well (did I mention she has been moved to my house where I can take better care of her? This IS very temporary. I want to and MUST find her a good home. I don't even have a job right now, so cannot take on a third dog. This will be reinforced today when I go pick her up at the vet and get my bill!)

My vet thinks she is a certifiable, all-american mutt, but his best guess of her most recent mix is Labrador Retriever, Bird Dog and/or Dalmation. We'll never know (unless someone wants to donate big bucks toward the DNA test...yeah, didn't think so), but she definitely has the traits of a young lab. She is playful and has her energy bursts, but she also has a very calm, serene side. He thinks she is somewhere between one and two years old, definitely no older than two.

It's been 4 days since I've been caring for her and I still have not heard a single bark or whine. My guess is she learned early on that it got her no where. This is really good though for her future home, no worries about a chronic barker or whiny pup.

I'm currently brainstorming on a way/ways to raise some money to help pay for her care. Any suggestions? I have a recipe for a healthy, all natural dog treat, so was thinking I could bake some, package them cute in Easter decor and sell locally? Leave your suggestions in the comments area.

Sweet Dog Needs a Great Home

Yesterday (3/31/09) around lunchtime, I learned about a dog in a potentially abusive situation at an abandoned home. There was no possible way I could ignore this information, so a few hours later, I grabbed a bag of dog food, treats, a jug of water and a couple bowls. I headed over to the house to check it out myself. What I saw broke my heart.

The cutest, sweetest dog was tied to a tree with about an 8 foot leash. It was wrapped around other nearby small trees and brush and really could not move anywhere. It was both scared and excited to see me. At the time, it was pouring down rain. There was no place the dog could go to stay dry. There was a rickety crate next to it, but A) the dog couldn't reach it being that it was stuck, B) it was soaking wet inside it and C) There was a nasty old soaking wet pillow at the bottom of it. I would have rather slept on the wet ground too.

While I was there, one of the neighbors came over, I think hoping that I knew a story about the dog and was maybe asked to come care for her. I explained that I had just found out about it and knew nothing other than what I'd seen. I was glad to hear that he and his girlfriend had been feeding it and untangling it anytime they saw her tangled. He said the owners moved to Texas about a month ago and left the dog. They have been back a few times but clearly have no intentions of bringing the dog with them. I cannot wrap my head around how someone could do this, but then he told me that when they lived there they never payed attention to it anyway, so it's probably best that they didn't take it because it would have just been tied up there too.

I gave her some food, untangled it and threw out the muddy water replacing it with fresh. It was pouring down rain, so I know this was a futile attempt, but I had to do something. I had to leave to go to my fit camp class, but the entire time I was there, I could not stop thinking about this poor dog stuck out in the rain tied to this tree. As soon as my class was over, I went back to the house (with the help of a friend), and took the dog, the food bowl and the rickety crate. My friend has a pin inside his fenced in back yard, so we dried out the crate, put a tarp over it and put fresh dry towels inside. I gave her more fresh food and water and let her run around the bigger part of the fenced in yard for about an hour. It was still raining, but she had the best time. Imagine that feeling of being tied up, probably her whole life, and finally getting to run free.

She is still a little skittish at first, but she played with me, let me pet her, dry her off and love on her. She even ate some food right out of my hand. She's very gentle and affectionate. When I was drying her off, she snuggled up right next to me. It was the hardest thing to leave her still outside last night in this weather, but I felt so much better knowing she had a dry place to sleep and no chance of being tangled up.

So far, she has shown no signs of aggression, no whining, no barking, no digging. She is definitely a lab mix and you can tell from the pics that she has white on her front toes, back paws, on her chest and the tip of her tail. She is solid black everywhere else.

My friend checked on her first thing this morning, and she had slept behind the dog house all night, still hadn't gone inside the house. I went over there later in the morning and let her run again, confirmed "she" really is a "she", took pics, gave her more food, dried her off and loved on her. I finally got her to get inside the dog house where she stayed after I left. It's still pouring rain here, so I'm going to go over later and check to make sure the towels aren't wet even though we have her sheltered pretty well.

I plan to take her to the vet tomorrow to have her checked out. I'll post updates here. This girl will make a great pet to someone. If you know of anyone who is a true animal lover that will give her the attention and care she needs, please let me know. She is in Macon, but I would happily drive and deliver her to a good home anywhere within reason.

She deserves a great home!