Cookie
Cookie was our first puppy mill rescue and boy, he made me learn so much about trauma! He was hiding, growling, biting before he came to us, nobody could handle him, a pet behaviorist even advised euthanasia, saying he would never be a normal dog (and prescribed drugs to knock him out). So we were his last chance and for some reason, he chose me as his person and gave me his trust (you can read more about him in the magic of rescue blog post). He was then able to come out of his shell, but only in his sweet bubble. Still today, he has trouble handling new situations, steers clear of most people and will only be at ease if I’m in sight, otherwise he freaks out. Even if he has come a long way and is close to a normal dog in a safe environment, his trauma shaped him for life and I have to adjust so that he remains balanced. He is my heart dog and so lucky he somehow ended up with me!
Bonnie aka Schnouf
One day we got a call from our vet who didn’t know what to do with a tangle of fur someone had just dropped at their clinic after having found her wandering the streets. An hour later, I was in my bathroom, grooming the mess that was covering this little mama. I finally discovered an almost lifeless and old Shih-tzu, with a punctured eye, huge warts (one of them on her eyelid), crooked legs, super skinny, eye ulcers and ear infections. She had obviously been through hell while being homeless and didn’t let anyone mess with her! She would growl to keep others at bay and bite if she felt the need to. At first she kept sleeping on the floor and hiding under the car in the yard, what had obviously been her everyday life for a while. She was one of the few with an identification, so I discovered that she had been given away by her owners (because she kept escaping they said) to an old lady, then spent some time in a shelter and either escaped or got adopted since she ended up in the streets. Anyway, she chose our home as her last one, never tried to escape and eventually chose comfy beds to rest. She had not been spayed (quite irresponsible from the shelter to say the least) and surprised us being in heat just a few days after her arrival. So once she plumped up and finshed her cycle, she got spayed and her warts removed, together with a much needed dental. She remained quite independant, but showed us her gratitude by occasional scratches on the leg and rollings in the grass. Her years of neglect took a toll on her body and she later had kindey and heart failure. She left without a sound, in her sleep, discreet until the end.
Baboosh
Baboosh was what I called a personal rescue, mostly because he was not really old enough to be a “fair” member of the organization (he was 6) and was bought (for a ridiculous amount) from a breeder. Being a stickler for integrity, none of the money donated to the organization went to him (read more about “rescue or not rescue” to better understand my point), when on the contrary, most of our savings went to the rescues of the organization since we had so little sponsors. Anyway, he came from a licensed breeder who was proud to say she always passed the state inspections with fyling colors. Yeah, I guess they did not look closely enough. The little guy was cute and fluffy, but a mess on the inside. He was shy and kind of extinguished, could stand in a corner looking lost, not even reacting with food under his nose, had a loose jaw, rotten teeth, many missing, was of course not neutered since she had highlighted his breeding feats (one of the reasons why I wanted to get him out of there, he was bound to end up with another tainted breeder, his price tag was lowering each week to get rid of him), had a heart murmur, wonky rear legs and a broken tail. When I genuinely asked what might have happened to the tail, she went berserk, saying he was fine, I was making it all up! Again, I was not suprised of this lame denial, it was just so common for breeders to disguise the truth and let themsleves off the hook. I was pretty sure he had been kept in a small cage all day long (he would turn in circles), not at all the perfect care she pretended to have provided. But we were going to try and repair all that neglect. He became more confident once rid of his private parts, was the sweetest platonic lover ever and got supplements to ease his damaged joints. Over time, those years of confinement took a tool on his mobility and his heart ultimately let go.
Toy aka Funky
Toy had once been adopted by a loving couple from a shelter (he came from a hoarding situation). That was until the lady had a baby and he became a burden after 7 years of companionship. He was said to pee on her stuff and was just a jerk (those were her words!). She also mentioned he was eating snails in the yard, which made him sick… He actually had rotten teeth and couldn’t eat his kibble anymore (she didn’t even think of soaking it or give anything soft), so he tried to find anything else that could do! But she had no money to spend on a dental and just wanted him out. He was surrended on the day of his 11th birthday! The poor guy had been so neglected that he was super skinny, had indeed horrible teeth that made his kisses smell like death, his ears were full of scabs with no hairs, his claws were dramatically long and curved, one toe was missing, as well as part of his tail (that dated from his past) and a severe cough due to his weakening heart. He had never been neutered (again weird from the shelter) and one testicle was undescended, which can cause cancer, especially after such a long time. Anyway, after a much needed dental and neutering despite the risk with his heart failure, he made it through the surgery and was finally able to eat again properly and gain the lost weight. He spent his retirement taking long naps in a plush bed, lying in the sun on the terrace, sprinting in the yard from time to time, and making his weird dance moves with those long legs he had, very often backwards, which is why we changed his name to Funk(y)! And, he never peed on our stuff, even if he was not fully trained in that department. His heart eventually let go when he was almost 15.