by Swan » Tue Nov 01, 2011 5:48 pm
Both of our dogs are rescues and th4ey are the sweetest guys going!
Gryphon is a Cavalier King Charles / Dachshund mix, maybe 12 lbs dripping wet. he was named after an heroic German Shepherd a friend of mine got a long time ago. Gryph had been found running around the streets, thin and lost. The rescue placed had named him "Arthur" of all things. He was black and tan with classic Doberman coloring. Needless to say he's incredibly bright, having learned obedience with no effort at all. He was on his very last day at the Shelter, having been chosen THREE times for adoption, and the people backing out at the last minute. Chihuahua Rescue saved him from death and we saw his little face on the Internet (PetFinders) and immediately fell head over heels in love! We paid $300 for the little guy, went through the background check etc. When it came time for him to go home with us, we got in the car and little Gryphon (one year old, so still technically a pup) collapsed on my lap and went straight to sleep... in a moving car! I figured he was just tired, but no, his car manners are impeccable! he's responsible, brave, courageous, sweet, and a little drama queen!
He was SUCH an excellent dog, so obedient and good and well mannered, that a year later we decided to get him a friend. We went back to the same adoption place and they said they had found a little Dachshund mix female in the SAME area Gryphon had been found in! Lillie is (we think) a Pomeranian/Dachshund mix, coal black with white blaze on her chest and 15 lbs. When we GOT her though she was barely EIGHT! She was starved nearly to death! You could feel the bones in her tail plainly and if you placed a hand on her shoulder, she would fall over... too weak to stay on her feet!
We figure she had been a "puppy mill" breeder because she had signs of multiple pregnancies, was emaciated AND didn't know the first thing about "how to be a pet"
She was new to collar and leash, didn't know the "pat invite" where you pat a sofa and the critter jumps up next to you, AND didn't know what dog toys were for! She would, however, joyfully, play with rocks! Throw a dog toy and she would look at you mystified... throw a rock and she would chase it with glee! When we got her, her back legs were so weak, they would "go out" on her and she would drag herself by her front paws! The vet told us it would be around $1500.00 per leg to fix them. We started saving the money. $3000? We'd do it if it was necessary.
We started her on refeeding and therapeutic exercise. We had a person come in to massage her and work with her to get her used to "being a dog" instead of a lump of breeding-meat in a cage. We would walk and run her on sand to build up her leg muscles, but mostly we just loved her. And did she ever love BACK! She grew stronger, and today her legs are FINE... the vet said she needs no surgery, she's strong, healthy and the sweetest dog EVER... Her lameness had come from the fact that (according to the bet) "Her body, starved, was eating itself".
Today Gryphon and Lillie, older now, are our babies. They are sleek, beautiful, obedient, loving dogs who sleep contentedly on our bed at night, warn us of danger, and bask in the knowledge that they are the BEST dogs EVER (we tell them this often) and we are their "forever home"
Lillie finally learned what dog toys are, how to walk in a collar and leash, and will leap onto the couch when I pat my hand to her. She will still happily chase rocks. Gryphon is so VERY proud of his "sister" and despite their harsh backgrounds, neither dog is food-aggressive. We regularly take treats away from them, even out of their mouths, making them sit-stay... then return the goodies... just to keep them understanding that WE are the boss!
Gotta love rescues!! They are the BEST!
Swan
"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." -- Arthur C. Clarke, "Profiles of The Future", 1961 (Clarke's third law)
Gotta hit the petstore this weekend I guess 
