Elsa wasn't the only German shepherd saved last month. On July 2nd I received a call from Arthur Whole. He wanted to surrender his dog right now. In fact, he was a little miffed when I told him I wouldn't pick up his dog until the following day. (I had a dog bite case that took precedence. Plus, Mr. A. Whole was an A-Hole when he called and I'm a passive-aggressive bitch.) When I arrived at A. Whole's house there was a beautiful sable shepherd in the yard. (To be honest, I was expecting a pit mix. Yes, that's profiling.) The dog seemed friendly, despite her owner's bitching about everything from money (he paid $500 for "this stupid dog") and dog hair.
At one point A. Whole said "If I'd known about all the dog hair I wouldn't have bought her. Do you know how much these things shed?" The question was probably meant to be rhetorical, but I answered anyway with a cheerful "Yes, I have three of them." I then pulled out my phone and showed him way too many pictures of Jedi, Roxy and Trooper. He was flabbergasted. He asked "How do deal with all the hair?" I gave him my best well aren't you special? look and told him that I bought an expensive vacuum cleaner.
(BTW, "Duh" was implied.)
When people surrender their dogs I have a series of questions I need to ask. A. Whole's answers just pissed me off.
After a good cry I started making calls and cashing in favors. Unbelievably, a rescue in central Florida was willing to take her, sight unseen. RK offered to drive Fifi to the rescue -- on the 4th of July, a 6-hour round trip without holiday traffic.
It's been six weeks and I think of Fifi often. I recently got an update from the rescue: Fifi is now called Lola. She turned out to be a really nice girl, albeit full of energy. (The rescue used the word "spitfire.") She's heartworm positive (I'm not surprised). Lola is housebroken, has been taught basic obedience skills and was spayed last week. An approved adopter is coming to look at her this week. Once the heartworm treatment is completed, the adopter plans to train Lola in agility. She'll have a loving home and a positive outlet for her energy.
My heart is full. THIS is why I stay at my underpaying, often-thankless job. -- K
When people surrender their dogs I have a series of questions I need to ask. A. Whole's answers just pissed me off.
- He said he'd had the dog for 3 years. No, he never spayed her because he was going to breed her and sell the pups. (Remember, he paid a whopping $500 for her.)
- No, he didn't have any shot records.
- No heartworm prevention either, even though he lived less than half a mile from the mosquito-filled marsh.
- He guessed she was "half and half" housebroken. He wasn't sure because she wasn't allowed inside -- you know, because of the hair.
- No, he couldn't think of any special traits ... except maybe that she didn't escape over his 4-foot chain link fence very often.
After a good cry I started making calls and cashing in favors. Unbelievably, a rescue in central Florida was willing to take her, sight unseen. RK offered to drive Fifi to the rescue -- on the 4th of July, a 6-hour round trip without holiday traffic.
It's been six weeks and I think of Fifi often. I recently got an update from the rescue: Fifi is now called Lola. She turned out to be a really nice girl, albeit full of energy. (The rescue used the word "spitfire.") She's heartworm positive (I'm not surprised). Lola is housebroken, has been taught basic obedience skills and was spayed last week. An approved adopter is coming to look at her this week. Once the heartworm treatment is completed, the adopter plans to train Lola in agility. She'll have a loving home and a positive outlet for her energy.
My heart is full. THIS is why I stay at my underpaying, often-thankless job. -- K
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