Happy Tails
The Story of Gomez
Gomez, the rat terrier, was a stray for quite a while before F.I.D.O. volunteers saw him in their neighborhood and began to pursue him to get him off of the streets. After talking to neighbors, the F.I.D.O. volunteers humanely trapped Gomez and fostered him in their home. Over the next two months, Gomez’s health improved and he learned how to relax and enjoy the company of people again. However, Gomez found true happiness in a home of his very own. The Johnson family wanted to add a second dog, and they knew that Shannon, their Wheaton terrier, needed an older male companion. Gomez was more than happy to fill that slot and has been adjusting well to his new home. He even sat still for the annual Thanksgiving family portrait.
The Story of Amos
Amos was adopted from a local shelter 12 years ago as a 2 month old puppy.
He was promptly chained up and has spent his entire life on the end of a 10
foot chain on a slab of concrete in a dark back yard. F.I.D.O. volunteers
recently noticed Amos while driving down an alley. He appeared to be an
old, dirty, skinny and pathetic black Labrador retriever.
The F.I.D.O. volunteers decided to try to talk to the old dog’s owner and
help the dog in whatever way we could. Much to our surprise, the dog’s
owner told us that he was thinking about getting rid of the dog because he
didn’t know how he was going to get him through another winter. When we
walked to the back yard to meet the old dog, he raised his head and slowly
wagged his tail at us. So we offered to take Amos then and there as long as
the owner promised us that he would not just get another dog to chain up.
The owner assured us that he was done with dogs. The owner could not tell
us if Amos was good with other dogs, cats, or children, since Amos had never
been exposed to any of them. It was clear Amos had lived a sad life of
isolation. So we loaded up the old pooch into our car and drove him to a
new life.
Amos is now living in a home with 5 other dogs and 2 cats. There was a
period of adjustment since Amos had lived such an isolated and deprived
life. Initially, he would not sit still and continually walked in the house
and yard, likely because that was the first opportunity he had to walk
around freely. Amos was initially afraid of all the other dogs in the house
until he learned that they would not hurt him. But he really seeks out
human attention and affection and is comforted to be wherever the people
are. When he is afraid, he tries to hide under objects, such as chairs and
tables or behind doors. There are scars around his neck to indicate that he
suffered an embedded collar when he was a puppy. He also has atrophied hind
legs likely due to the fact that he has been forced to live on the end of a
chain on hard concrete his entire life. He seems mentally impaired, likely
due to a complete lack of socialization and sensory stimulation.
But despite all he has suffered, he is a very sweet loving dog. He has even
started trying to join in the play with the younger dogs in the house. He
lays down and the younger dogs play around him. He also loves sleeping on
his big, soft cushy bed. He also really appreciates dog treats and even
just plain old dry dog food. Amos will live out his days in his current
home and finally have all his basic needs met...plus, all the comforts,
treats, and affection we can give him.
The Story of Chap
Chap lived nearly his entire 8 years of life on the end of a chain. In the middle of winter, a concerned neighbor called FIDO because Chap appeared very sick. FIDO volunteers visited the address and found a very sick and lethargic dog still chained up outside in winter. There was a strong odor of infection, so we knew there was something seriously wrong with this poor dog. We stressed to the owners that the dog must be treated by a vet. When they declined, FIDO insisted that the dog must receive immediate treatment or he would likely die. So Chap was taken to a local emergency clinic where he was diagnosed with a massive infection likely due to untreated dog bite wounds. Chap required two surgeries to remove all the dead, infected tissue. Chap also needed powerful antibiotics, and endless bandage changes over a period of 6 weeks before he was finally healed. During this time, Chap was surrendered by his owners and FIDO became his legal guardian.
During Chap’s long recovery, a couple of kind-hearted ARPO volunteers (Alliance for Responsible Pet Ownership, http://www.adoptarpo.org) fostered Chap, even though Chap was not an “official” ARPO dog. They reliably administered antibiotics and made endless return trips to the vet for bandage changes. The problem was, Chap did not get along well with the other male dogs in the house. So Chap moved on to another foster home with a FIDO volunteer. Again, he did not get along well with the other male dogs in the house and there were some very serious fights. We think that Chap’s history of being vulnerable on the end of a chain to attacks by other dogs may have contributed to his inability to get along with other male dogs.
We struggled what to do with Chap, a dog who had been through so much suffering and such a difficult recovery. A regular adoption was not an option for a dog with such issues getting along with other dogs. But the concerned neighbor would not give up on Chap and she worked to find Chap a place at an animal sanctuary. Chap went to live at the sanctuary where he is being carefully socialized and slowly integrated in with some of the other dogs. So far, Chap is doing amazingly well at the sanctuary. Chap has been through so much suffering, we are so glad he has finally found a place to live out the rest of his days in a place where he is given lots of kindness and good care and will never be chained up again.
The Story of Raven
Growing old is a terrible thing to have to happen to a person. When it happens to us, oftentimes the ones who are hurt the most are the ones who depend on us the most. Case in point: Raven. For the first several months of her life she was part of a warm, loving, non-traditional family made up of a grandmother, her teenaged granddaughter, and several other dogs and cats. When grandmother became sick and ultimately unable to continue as head of the household, this wonderful, loving family who had hung onto each other for so long, was broken up. Raven, still a youngster, woke up one morning warm, safe and secure in her own bed, and went to sleep that night on the cold, hard concrete of an animal shelter. Where were her humans? Where were her siblings? Why was she here? The shelter was noisy, and strange, and scary for a puppy who had known only love and family and home. Day by day she waited patiently for her family to come and get her – she didn’t understand what she had done wrong to deserve this? Why they had left her here? All she knew was that she loved them and surely they would be back soon.
She was still waiting and watching for her own family, but she had come to look forward to the kind words and occasional gentle pats she received from the shelter staff. After two months in the shelter, Raven was moved to veterinary hospital, where she lived for another month. She had grown to know her caregivers at the shelter and this was yet another loss for her, such a short time after losing her family. Bewildered, Raven began to withdrawal – shy by nature, she was not going to let herself grow to close to anyone. She was beginning to learn that the one’s she loved, for some reason, didn’t love her back the same way. At the end of her month at the veterinary clinic, Raven was accepted into her first foster home.
Four homes in three months. That’s lot for anyone to handle, try putting yourself in your Raven’s place. She was badly shaken up. She tried hard to be the best dog she could, but lacking any recent permanence, she was terribly shy. Spending three months in a kennel also didn’t help her with her housekeeping and manners. As a result, she was adopted and returned more times than she could count. A forever home seemed a distant dream when finally the right family took Raven home. A family willing to help Raven understand that not everyone leaves. They even adopted a brother so she would not be alone, knowing that Raven at one time had enjoyed a large extended family. Raven’s story ultimately reached a happy and satisfying end, but for many dogs who lose their family, either to age or infirmity – theirs or their family’s – the end often comes in a cold, unfamiliar animal shelter, at the hands of caring strangers. Raven is now one happy girl!