Yesterday, I was asked to check two more Rotties at Orlando Animal Control. The first was a relatively young girl -- 3 to 4 years old -- who has obviously been used for breeding and has not received a whole lot of human contact. She's sweet but about 15 lbs. underweight with pretty severe eye infections. She did not come to me in the yard but when I went to her and kneeled, she came over, took some Milk Bones and was happy to let me examine her. She likes people but clearly has not had much contact with them. At my recommendation, Gulfstream Rottweiler Rescue has agreed to take her in for adoption.
The second girl is a senior -- probably 9 or 10. She's overweight, her nails are so long they curl back on themselves and when she was found by OAC, some kids had "playfully" painted her entire body. OAC shaved her down. In the yard, she came over to me immediately and accepted my petting, mouth exam and physical exam. But she's very tired and definitely has been through a lot lately. One of the volunteers and I trimmed her nails and she accepted the pedicure without complaint. She appears to have mammary tumors and is probably heartworm positive. In spite of my own personal feelings, I had to recommend that GGARR not take her in for adoption because I frankly don't think anyone will adopt her even if she survives the treatment for heartworm.
Last night, I didn't get much sleep. That old girl kept creeping into my dreams and this morning I wrote to the folks in Rescue that I work with and asked if there was anything we could do to give the girl a little more time even it was just to bring her into a place that would give her some love until it was time to put her down. Well, I guess everyone had the same thoughts because as soon as I sent out my email, 5 people responded with offers to find a place to bring her. Ten minutes ago, the owner of a Boarding Kennel contacted us to say she would keep the girl for a couple of weeks but that she had a friend that specializes in Senior Rescue and they would take her after the quarantine period. There were a number of people who had tears in their eyes when they read that, including me.
Linda and I had actually agreed to take her if we couldn't find anybody else. You can't do effective Rescue work if you get emotionally involved. On the other hand, you can't get involved in Rescue unless you love the dogs. I'll be transporting my old girl -- Emma -- to her new place this weekend. It will be one of the most joyful transports I've ever had.
Jim
