Two Dogs in One Day, Two Very Different Stories

When I thought earlier today about how I was going to write this post, it was going to be very different.  I was going to write about a dog who was scheduled to be euthanized at 4 p.m. this afternoon.  Instead, I brought the dog home to the ranch.

Missoula Animal Control had been called a week ago about an abandoned elderly Husky.  His family had simply moved away, leaving him behind in the yard.  They left him with no food or water or shelter.  Neighbors finally gave the dog water to drink ... out of an old paint can with paint chips still floating in it.  The dog struggled to get up on his own ... his hind legs just weren't working well at all.  They picked up the dog and took him to the shelter.  He had no collar and no name.

The director of Missoula Animal Control, Ed Franceschina, e-mailed us and asked if we could take him.  Ed had spent time with this old boy, combing matts out of his thick fur, cleaning him, and trying to figure out what was wrong with his back legs.  Ed fell in love with this dog in the process.  But in the condition he was in, the dog wasn't adoptable.  Hence the e-mail to us. 

Last Thursday ... a week ago today ... I went to the shelter to see the dog.  This big, sweet boy immediately licked me in the face and pushed his head into my hands to be petted.  He was so affectionate.  Yet it was clear he was having trouble.  He couldn't get up on his own, and once up, couldn't stay up very long.  His rear end was a mess from falling down into his poop. 

I agreed to take him, but I wanted a vet to evaluate him and see what, if anything, we could do for him.  On Monday this week, our awesome volunteer, Jerry Black, picked up the dog from the shelter and took him to a Missoula vet clinic for us. 

After two days of evaluation, the vet called us yesterday.  She didn't think there was anything we could do for him.  His back legs weren't working, and he was so big that his front legs were straining to compensate.  Even a wheelchair wouldn't accommodate his needs.  She felt the best thing we could do would be to euthanize him.  In fact, she said, "If it were my dog I would put him to sleep."  I hung up the phone and cried.

I e-mailed Ed with the news.  He called right away.  Ed was as upset as I was.  But he wanted to be there when we euthanized him.  I scheduled an appointment for today and planned to arrive early to spend some time with him.

When I arrived at the vet clinic this afternoon, Ed and his wife Karen were already there. They had taken the dog outside on the grass.  I bent down in front of this big, old Husky ... and he raised his head to lick my face.  He was smiling.  He was happy.  I looked at Ed and said, "He doesn't look like he's in pain.  He doesn't look like he's ready to go." 

Ed said, "We didn't think so either."  We talked.  Minutes went by.  In the middle of all this we decided to give him a name:  Kodiak.  We tried to get the dog up ... he did.  He walked around.  He peed.  He lay back down.  He wanted to be petted.  I took some photos of Ed and Karen with Kodiak. 

I had brought the camera because I was going to take his photo and give him a name and post him on our Web site.  I didn't want him to die as an anonymous old dog with no name. 

Ed said, "It's your decision."  I said, "No, it's OUR decision.  That's why you're here." 

We decided it wasn't the right thing to do.  We needed more time.  Kodiak needed more time.  We decided to have a specialist look at him.

At 4:08 p.m., I lifted this giant dog into the back of our truck and sped across town to our specialist, Dave Bostwick.  There, Dave diagnosed his hind leg weakness as a neurological problem in a specific set of vertebrae along the spinal cord.  X-rays didn't reveal any tumor or mass.  So Dave recommended treating Kodiak with prednisone to see if that would reduce any possible inflammation.  If that doesn't work, the next step would be a myelogram (injecting traceable fluid into the spine) to pinpoint the problem.  Surgery would follow.

But one step at a time.  Kodiak and I arrived back at the ranch about 8 p.m.  I unloaded this hefty boy (107 lbs!) at Widget's House, our disabled dog building.  It has a massive 12' covered porch in front, with dog beds strewn about.  I took the second photo of Kodiak on the grass right off the porch. 

I fixed his dinner, gave him his first dose of prednisone, and left him happily laying on a big, soft dog bed on the porch. 

Wish this old boy well.  He's been through a lot. 

AND THEN ....

Barely 20 minutes after unloading Kodiak, Jerry Black ... yes, the same awesome volunteer who took Kodiak to the vet for us ... arrived at the ranch from Spokane with a blind and deaf dog we had agreed to take.  The folks at SpokAnimal, the Inland Northwest Humane Society, had called us last Sunday about this dog named Angel.  So Jerry drove to Spokane to pick her up.

Here's a photo of Jerry and Angel this evening.  She has eyeballs but no cornea, iris or pupils ... the eyeball is all white.  We thought we'd seen just about every eye condition, but not this one.  She is the sweetest little thing ... rolls over to have her tummy scratched and loves to kiss, too.  She walks around the yard with her head pointed up in the air ... being blind AND deaf, she must depend on that nose a lot!

So there you have it ... a tale of two dogs in one day.

Comments

[Karen Gallant]

I think you really did the right thing to give Kodiak more time. My oldest dog, Tanner, 14 year old Pom, takes prednisone every once in a while to boost his immune system. This could really work. It could be an old bruise, injury that just needs help to get the inflamation down. I hope the best, and glad you gave this beautiful dog another chance to restore his faith and loyalty in humans that the others let him down on so badly.

[Jean/Nevada]

You write with such compassion, you give me sad/happy tears:
That humans would drop from their families these two beautiful animals -
That these dogs' will be able to be cared for & loved on this wonderful ranch makes your supporters so proud to know you -
Thank you,

[Leigh]

I will keep Kodiak in my thoughts and prayers. Please keep us updated.

And Angel...what an angel she is. What a beautiful girl.

Jerry Black is an angel too. Proof there are kind souls in the world. After all that you see what humans do to animals, it is nice to know that good people like you, Alayne and Jerry are out there.