If She Could Talk

Thursday, as the first named storm of the season was saying hello to Florida, someone took a long drive to pick up a couple of dogs and return home. One of those dogs was my new foster girl, Andrea. We named her after the storm, the day of her new beginning. Time was ticking away for her, and during a time when most people are going to avoid making long trips, there was someone dedicated enough to do so. I admire her. I only had to go 20 minutes for an appointment that day and wasn't too amused about the drive.

The image that was being floated around online to get her help

Andrea is a very sweet girl. She can both grab your heart and break it at the same time. She came into the pound as a stray. There, she was called Sasha. She is an older girl, somewhere around 9 or 10 most likely. She's rather small, what I like to call an apartment size husky, weighing in at 44 pounds. Cataracts are visible in both eyes, though she seems to be able to see the things that she wants to see, for example, the cats. Her teeth aren't in great shape. And she has a growth on her face. With all of this, she is a happy girl that has the spirit of a young girl. She keeps up with Sid and keeps both Sid and Onyx in line. She has shown that she is truly the queen. 

Sid checking out Andrea

She settled in rather quickly. After a brief testing of the waters with Sid and Onyx, she was taken outside to be shown the backyard. Until we get the dogs use to the set up out back with the pool and the pool cage, we guide them back and forth. With all of the rain we had, the pool was filled to the tip top. Somehow, even being guided, she walked right into the water. She did not panic. She was lifted out right away and dried. It really didn't seem to phase her one bit. Since I did have a commitment for the evening, I made sure she had some cozy blankets in the crate I have for the fosters, got her settled and ran out for the dinner plans I had with my family. 

When we got home a little while later, she had her first sighting of the cat. I think it is pretty safe to say that to her, a cat is a snack. She immediately went into hunting stance. But with the way we have the house set up, the cats can be kept safe and we can work with the dogs to accept the cats as part of the pack. I don't expect to be able to turn a dog with a prey drive cat friendly. But I do think that with proper work, some dogs can learn to coexist with cats with the right set up and humans. It didn't take Kony long to get to that point and Andrea is already making huge strides. While she would still love to snack on the cats, that hunting stance when they come around is gone. If I can get her to the point that she ignores them, I will be shocked. If I can get her to the point where she won't attack them because she knows it's frowned upon, I will consider it a success. Right now, if she goes for the cats and she is told to stop, she does. 

Andrea with her favorite toy

Some people, when first hearing of a dog with a few treatable issues at her age, may think why bother. Others see the potential. I don't think it's going to take long for someone to see the potential for sweet Andrea. She has a lot of life in her. She also has a lot of love that she wants to shower onto a family. She is still very playful. In fact, she stole the blue dog that was recently replaced since Kony stole the last one. I am beginning to wonder if Kong will sell those to me in bulk since they tend to be the favorite toy in the house. She is so adorable with the way that she carries the toy with her everywhere. She likes to lay with it as well as make it squeak. She is not often seen without her little blue dog when she is relaxing. I guess this means that when she gets a home, the dog will go with her, and Sid will once again have to wait until I can find a new one to replace it with.

Just like with humans, dogs are living longer. Nine or ten years old does not mean she is close to the end of her life. Better foods, better medical treatment as they are growing up, better knowledge of how to care for them is really extending a pet's life. Diefenbaker, my first girl, lived to 16 1/2. The last couple of years she was battling arthritis. But inexpensive medications/supplements as well as a good dog bed kept her quality of life very high. 

Since it has only been a couple of days, she is still coming out of her shell. The one thing that is consistent with her though as she gets more comfortable here is how much attention she wants to pour over who ever will have it. She goes from person to person giving kisses, laying in laps, waiting to be pet. While she gets along with the two young boys and can keep up with them, she will let them know when it's too much.

Andrea relaxing after her bath

Today, I decided to try out a dog bathing center near the house at a do it yourself carwash place. It is a little room with a bathing setup. It was so worth paying a couple of bucks to bathe her there instead of in the bathtub. She seemed less stressed. There was no slipping and sliding. The setup was a lot safer for the dog then doing it in the house. Since I didn't know what to expect over there, I forgot to take a brush and a towel, which I will remember next time. The dryer helped bring up the undercoat that is starting to blow so she does need a brush out desperately in the next day or two. But she is such a gorgeous girl when she is all cleaned up. It's hard to believe that people can just let their dogs go when they are done with them for whatever reason. It is harder to believe with Andrea. All she really wants out of life is to please her humans and give them love. All she wants in return is a roof over her head, food in her stomach and most importantly, the love returned. I'm looking forward to seeing her come out of her shell more and more over the next week or two. It's sure to be an interesting adventure as the boys aren't use to having a girl around and aren't really sure what to make of it.