copyright Pat Crew
reprinted with permission from "Cocker Tales", newsletter of the Southern New Jersey Cocker Spaniel Club
It's been almost 8 months since my first foray into rescue and fostering needy cockers.
There have been happy highs and tearful lows. Thought I'd share a few...
Maxi was one of my first. He was a year old when his neighbor called with
the question "could you..." This guy had been tied outside for most of
his life. When neighbors complained of his barking, his owners tied him in the basement
and muzzled him! When confronted finally by the concerned neighbor, the owner said
"sure find him a good home. I've used him as a stud twice and gotten my money
back." Maxi had never been cut or bathed, carried two pounds worth of mats
on his far flaps. Pat E. came here to bathe and groom him. He had a severe case
of worms and needed shots. Several days after his makeover, as we walked across
the street, he turned in the middle of the road, ran right to me and jumped into
my arms, big happy smiling face and tail wagging! Maxi now lives with two other
cockers - his career as a "stud" is over. His new Mom is a vet tech who
drove two hours to see him.
Broch. You may recall my black/tan boy at our October show. Broch started
out as a rescue. We received a call from a local Animal Control Officer who had
two young black boys. I had to put her off for several weeks. She didn't take the
two to the shelter because they were so emaciated she knew they would be put down
immediately. I picked them up several weeks later when room became available. The
other black was ill and on meds. Unfortunately, he died the next morning. The vet's
first guess was parvo. PANIC on my part. Lab tests confirmed - parvo! The remaining
black (Broch) was placed in isolation at my local vet hospital. I visited him daily
for 7 days. He was frightened, horribly matted and had a cherry eye. At the vet's
the techs cut out the mats with a #40 blade. The doctor said that in a few more
days, his ears would have become infested with maggots. Both dogs, although in poor
condition, had been vaccinated by the ACO days before I received them, and apparently
the other dog succumbed the virus instead of building up an immunity to it..
When I brought Broch home finally, he crawled in on his belly. My girls were very
accepting. He guarded his crate and had to be fed privately. He was place in a
home with a young working girl and her parents. When I called to check on him, I
was told they kept him in the basement, tied him outside, tried to bathe him with
a garden hose. I got him back and did not try to place him again .. hence my "Broch".
This fall, his eye was tacked and his "personals" attended to. I'm still
looking at two rear knee replacements - "patellar luxation" caused by a
bowlegged rear from poor puppy nutrition. Broch and I are currently in beginning
obedience - no more belly crawling! He has learned to walk properly from Kelsy,
Brandy and now Derry! My vet says Broch doesn't know how lucky he is (P.S. Broch
means "tower" in old Scottish tongue.)
Lilly was a summer rescue. Her mom had purchased her as a puppy while their
dad was away on business. Puppies are cute and little, but dogs are bigger and in
some cultures it is not permissible to keep a dog in the house. Lily was tied with
a 6 ft. lead on her back porch. She was fed Mighty Dog and Cheerios. This was the
first orange poop I have ever seen! A neighbor called me to ask "could you...
The owner wants $750, she paid $900." $75 later, Lilly was with me. When I
tried to bring her in the house, she cringed and wouldn't cross the doorway. I carried
her and she clawed and scratched to stay away. Several days later with a Pat E.
bath and haircut behind her, she was running up and down the stairs and out the door.
A little trust goes a long way. Lilly now lives with her single mom. Her new mom
missed out on two previous rescue dogs and was very anxious for Lilly. When they
met, Lilly and her new mom were on the floor of my family room giving hugs, kisses
and puppy belly rubs. A perfect match. Thanks, Reggie!
Cocoa was a doll! She found her way to me via Karen P of CSCNJ. She was
a cute perky B/T 1 year-old girl, badly matted with a cherry eye. The evening Karen
and I picked her up, we were in contact with a prospective owner. Cocoa was such
a prize the woman offered to pay ALL the vet bills! Upon our trip to the "Deerhill
spa" Pat uncovered a little girl close to show quality. Speculation abounded,
"whose breeding produced this beauty and how did she end up in this situation?"
Cocoa's family came out two weeks later and fell head over heels for our darling.
Cocoa now lives near the United Nations in Manhattan, has her personal dog walker,
gets groomed every six weeks, and spends weekends and vacations in upstate New York.
I want to come back as a Cocker Spaniel in that family!
Not all endings are wonderful, but the sorrow I feel for a dog with no future is
eased by knowing the numbers that we can save. I have learned to trust my instincts
and judgment not rely only on my heart!
Coming up next time - the saga of Mimi, Mannie and the "party of five".