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I would like to tell you about my adorable, sweet, gentle, long term ERU foster dog, Joseph. Some of you might recall seeing him on the Eskies In Need Facebook page. He is the 10-ish yr. old eskie who turned up as stray on Long Island, NY. Because someone was able to provide a foster home for him on a short term basis, ERU could accept him. I became his foster mom in the beginning of September. Like many who come to ERU through shelters, his coat was a matted mess (so matted he was shaved down) and very thin. Older dogs often start to lose their vision and hearing, so it is no surprise that Joseph didn’t see or hear so well. But his teeth were in remarkably good condition. Someone once took care of this dog- and then they let him get away. No matter how many times I hear this kind of story, it still bothers me, but, I digress…
Joseph also came with mobility challenges. He could not stay upright on tile or hard wood flooring. Even on a rougher surface, his front legs completely slipped to either side so he ended up chest to the floor and face in his food dish. Or his back legs lock and stretch outright so he would be stuck sitting.
When he came to me, his gait resembled a newborn lamb trying to walk. His legs nearly twisting, often moved sideways rather than straight ahead to keep him from falling. He was unable to walk up or down the 3 steps to the great outdoors, or the ramp that 2 of my others use. He needed to be carried. And, when picked up, he would jerk about. And while he was certainly willing to pee and poop outside, he seemed to have no awareness of the need before it overtook him- he just went where ever he was. Sometimes he would fall while trying to void and be unable to get up.
Off to the vet we went. The good news: he wasn’t in early kidney failure, as had been suspected. And the vision and hearing are just typical “old dog” things. But, the sad news for my little lamb is that he seems to have one of those degenerative neurological conditions that is causing him to lose the use of the legs, making him spastic (no, he wasn’t anxious about being picked up ), and he likely can’t really tell when he needs to go to the bathroom. None of this puts him in the highly adoptable camp~ Some rescues would opt to euthanize him.
Fortunately, ERU is able to offer long term fostering to dogs like Joseph. So, he will spend the remainder of his days right here with me. This is a complete win-win since I think he is an absolutely precious boy.
More good news on my little white shadow…he has gained weight and muscle! With that has come the ability to take the ramp down and the stairs back into the house. There are fewer accidents, and he seems to be learning to use pee pads if he has the need while in the house. Yoga mats keep him from slipping on the floors. He adores his siblings and they are marvelously tolerant of his quirks and foibles. He sleeps right next to my bed at night and is the first to greet me every morning. I know it will be terribly hard to say good bye to him when that time comes, but what a gift to be able to keep him safe and sound, and loved until he is ready to go. |
