Canines for a Change

After transitioning Winnie’s Wish from a shelter to a sanctuary, I started sharing the stories of the current (now permanent) Wishers with you on this blog.  But when I ended up in the hospital, and during the aftermath, I wasn’t able to keep blogging.  Then when I was up to it again, my computer tried to die.  We had it worked on and got it back at the end of last week.   Thank you to everyone who is reading here today.  I appreciate you sticking with me through a rather trying time.

So far I have written about Smokey, Snowflake, and Slate.  Next in line for a place in the spotlight is Finnick.  And he will definitely be the next Wisher I’ll blog about.  But today I’m switching gears in order to write about dogs.  It’s been quite a while since I’ve had any canines to blog about.  Recently, a senior dog in super bad shape came to me for a couple of days until my daughters could make a spot for her at the shelter.  And then about a week and a half ago, I got six precious little neglected puppies.  Let me share their stories today and we’ll get back to Wishers next week.

Her new name is Louisa.  She is an ancient chow who was found by a compassionate couple who brought her to the shelter.  This couple was taking a walk in a rural area several days after some recent flooding in our area.  They spotted a dog standing under a bridge.  She was matted and covered in mud.  And she seemed confused.  They managed to get her and bring her in.  My daughters called and asked if I had a run she could stay in for a couple of days.  And they said when they brought her that evening they needed to start the process of shaving the unbelievable mats that were all over her body except for her head.  I’ve seen many matted dogs in all of these years of rescue.  But this was one of the worst.  As my daughters started trying to gently shave this poor old gal that evening, I was astonished that she had been able even to keep walking.  There were mats bigger than her legs attached to her back and legs and tail.  The girls kept working and eventually got the worst off.  Once those mats were gone, it was heartbreaking to see how thin she was.  I put a sweater on Louisa and got her set up in a run with a pile of warm blankets and food and water.  She has since moved to the shelter and may be taken in by a woman who takes in senior dogs.  Louisa is very old, stays confused, doesn’t see or hear well, and has to be coaxed to eat.  But she will live out whatever time she has left in comfort and with love.  Here’s her story in pictures.

 

 

 

Luckily, Louisa only had to stay in my kennel a couple of nights as I don’t really have room for extra dogs at this time.  When the puppy situation came along, Older Daughter was trying to figure out how to somehow house them at her home because there wasn’t room at the shelter.  But I rearranged some things and made a spot for them.  The story is that the mom dog belongs to an older woman who can barely care for the adult dog.  A family member called to say that the puppies were just in the yard – “full of worms and covered in ticks.”  Clearly, they would not survive in those conditions.  Roundworms can kill a puppy if not treated.  And if they were truly “covered” in ticks, the pups can become anemic quickly at such a young age .  When the six puppies got to me, I was horrified by their condition.  Their bellies were extremely swollen from the worms, and they were literally covered in ticks.  We got them wormed and treated for the ticks.  They have big soft cozy blankets to sleep on, three healthy meals a day, and fresh water.   And toys . . .   they play constantly now.  Take a look at these little cuties.

 

 

 

 

 They are cuties!

 

This arrived for Winnie’s Wish last week.

 

Andrea – THANK YOU.

 

Tomorrow is Wildlife Wednesday.  There’s a new baby in Older Daughter’s world.

See you then.

 

 

Comments

[Ginny& the Fur Family]

So happy your back. That poor little old dog is the worst I think I have seen. Older daughter of ours found a dog by the way side in the same condition. She found she was a different kind of dog entirely once her mats were shaved. She kept her - sweet dog. Neglect is the worst cruelty. Maybe now the dog you took in will be loved and cared for the rest of her life. God bless those who help the animals. look forward to Wild life Wednesday. It is good work that older does. All fur babies need help. Support Wild Angels. You will be blessed.

[Andrea and the Celestial Kitties]

So glad you are back and feeling better!! Oh poor Louisa! I'm glad someone is thinking of taking her in, I hope she enjoys her twilight years in comfort and love. Oh those puppies! How cute! Fingers crossed that they get adopted fast!!

Friends, please consider donating or sending wish list items to Winnie's Wish. Every little bit helps! There are a lot of kitties who would appreciate anything you can send! Thank you!

[Maria in FL]

Chrystal, how could we NOT stick with you! Those of us who first of all, love you, and second of all, enjoy reading your stories SO much, would never go away! We are just so happy that you are better and back to blogging. Neglect cases such as these just make me so angry I could scream, and make me sad to realize that there are human beings (I use that term loosely) who would treat animals like this. But then there are the wonderful souls who step forward and try to right these horrible wrongs. These people are the true heroes, and they are the ones that show me that the world is not full of horrific people like the abusers, but are truly full of wonderful people with huge hearts. Many thanks to all those people out there!!

[Cynthia]

Nice to have you back! Louisa made my cry but the puppies made me smile. You & your daughters are life savers once again :)))
Cynthia xoxo