About a week ago we had a small Boston Terrier come into work for boarding in the kennel while his owners when on vacation. This was no ordinary dog though and he has lived no ordinary life. His owners had saved him from a shelter after he was abandoned. He is one of the sweetest dogs I have ever met and loves to do nothing more than cuddle with anyone and everyone around him and give kisses. His affection is overwhelming especially considering all of the issues he currently has. Though he has a good home now and owners to care for him, he has many physical problems that take their toll.
One of these problems is his skin and how sensitive it is. He has cuts all over his body because of it and his feet are completely covered with wounds due to him walking around outside. We have had to place tiny socks on him and have to carry him when we can see he is not feeling well enough to walk. When he lays down, he curls his feet up so that the bottoms are sticking up from the ground because it hurts him to lean on them too much. Though I am not sure what his specific skin condition is, I have discovered that skin conditions are the most common ailments in dogs which make sense because so many illnesses dogs suffer from have skin conditions as one of their symptoms.This poor dog also has a sever dent in his head. It seems as though the skull is a bit deformed and it is almost painful to look at because it is almost like a hole in his head. I am not sure what caused this but just looking at this dog you feel the pain he has put up with over the course of his life. It is a great thing that he finally has owners who care for him.
However, though his owners do care for him a great deal and it certainly does take a certain kind of person to rescue such an unfortunate canine, they did not make the proper decision in boarding him. Bringing a dog in such a condition to be boarded for two weeks in a regular kennel is definitely not the right idea and it is most certainly not recommended in any case. The kennel employees have now decided to suggest to the owners that the next time they go away for such an extended period of time, they bring him to Angel Memorial where proper care can be administered to this poor dog.
Janine, I love your passion for animals and especially for your love of dogs. Dogs are like humans, and they too can feel sadness just as easily as happiness. When you write about your work, it is like I am hearing you speak; your writing is that impactful. If you haven't nailed down a topic yet for your ambitious article, you should consider an in-depth piece on dogs.
ReplyDeleteDonna makes some great points, Janine! I'd like to see some background information on where you work and your larger thoughts on issues like where other animal lovers can adopt and/or volunteer, or how to support no-kill shelters.
ReplyDeleteI love this article! Such a sad, yet hopeful story! I always remember seeing dogs walk around the city streets during the winter. Some of them wince as they step on the salt and it dries out their paws. I feel bad for our friends. Must be hard for them when all they want to do is yelp for help!
ReplyDeleteYou should take some photos of these cute puppies. It will only sell the story more and possibly get some of us to consider helping out in one way or another. ;)
Stories about rescue pups are my favorite! Though they are usually sad. I think I've commented before about how I share your love of animals-esp. dogs. I would love to know ways I could help out..aspca commericals get me every time! Maybe you could feature specific animals (like this little guy)or ones in need of adoption.
ReplyDeleteMaybe you could do a post about adopting a dog--the considerations, the do's and don'ts, and the process. Or something about uncommon species of dogs that are starting to show up at shelters.
ReplyDeleteSkin conditions on dogs are starting to become a real problem as the puppy-mills are breeding for profit instead of healthy pups. I've got a friend who is a vet, and he claims he can tell between "pet store" dogs and ones that come from legitimate breeders. Have you guys noticed the same?
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