Did I Succeed?

I want to tell you a story. It will supply part of the reason for why I have not been posting much recently. What I did, I did out of love for an animal, but also out of love to help homeless and suffering animals everywhere. Did I succeed on the last count? I'll tell you the story and let you be the judge.

One day I was looking at a myspace post of animals that needed to be rescued. One of them stole my heart. She was a 5 yr. old mutt, an Airedale mix. She was currently in a no-kill shelter that had to close. Homes had to be found for these animals or they would be sent to a regular shelter. Due to her age, her chances of getting adopted were slim. I did not want to see her put down. So, I decided to rescue Sadie. Transport was arranged. We agreed to meet her keepers halfway. So, one Saturday we got in the car and drove across WI, IL, and IN to pick up Sadie. After a 3 hr. wait her keepers finally showed up with her. I was surprised to find out that she was about 5 times bigger than I had been led to believe. Still, we loaded her into the car and headed home. The stench was amazing! I didn't know anything could smell that bad!

After a five and a half hour drive home we got her into the bath immediately. Her collar was encrusted with over half an inch of feces and had to be thrown away. A long bath later the smell was better, but not eliminated. The next morning I took her to the groomer who was finally able to get her smelling ok again.

As I looked at her I remarked to my husband that I thought she may have been taken away from a litter of pups as her teats were hanging really low. Since we were now busy trying to housebreak and train this very large animal I didn't think much more about it. Two weeks later, on Easter morning, my husband came home to find her giving birth to a litter of seven pups on our bed. A set of sheets, an electric blanket, a comforter and a mattress were destroyed in the process, but the puppies were adorable. So far, we have arranged for four of them to go to good homes when they are able to in a couple of weeks. When I went into this I was hoping my actions would not only help Sadie, but would encourage people to help others like her. Would this story make you want to rescue an animal?

Let's look at it from another angle. Sadie's normal weight should be between 60 and 70 pounds. When she got to the no-kill shelter two years ago Sadie was pregnant with a litter of pups and weighed 25 pounds. (All but one of those pups survived.) Sadie now has food addiction issues and must be closely watched as she will eat almost anything. Both of Sadies ears were black with infection when she got to the shelter also. As they healed, they thickened, causing her to now have ears that resemble wings. Her front teeth are all broken off and jagged, but I'm guessing the nerves are dead as it does not seem to cause her any pain. (It looks like she had a close encounter with a steel-toed boot.) She tucks her tail, cries and hides if anyone raises their voice around her. (This has made potty training difficult, to say the least.) The woman running the shelter was over 65 and had two heart attacks over the last year(hence the reason she needed to close the shelter). While she was in the hospital all but one of her volunteers quit. So, two people were now trying to care for 27 dogs and over 40 cats. When I got her Sadie was well-fed and all her shots were current. There is only so much a physically ill person can due with such a burden, and I think she did her best.

If any dog deserved a good home it's Sadie and I am so glad we could help her. She has been through hell and did not deserve a death sentence. There is a good chance that, had I not adopted her, not only would she be dead, but the seven pups would be dead also. There are still many "Sadie's" out there that need help. I really do hope others get involved in animal rescue to bring some love and light into their dark worlds.