The call!

Super bowl Sunday started off slow. I overslept and had a ton of house work and yard work to do. I started with the mounding baby clothes I had just washed. Separating, folding, hanging, organizing, chasing my dog as he steals tiny baby socks and I get a call. Not the call you’re thinking of but another call. A call from a dear friend who works at the animal shelter. They received a very sick dog. She sent me a picture and I felt something. I felt his spunk and his heart. Shortly after his picture came a video. He is crippled from valley fever. It’s hard to tell if its permanent damage or temporary but all I could see was a precious soul given up on. Well, I’ll just go look at him. As I was getting in the shower, I ran it by a few brutally honest friends, expecting the normal “are you crazy” and “what are you thinking” or even “you have too much on your plate right now.” Instead, I heard “he needs you” and “it’s meant to be.” I went down to meet this precious pup and fell in love immediately with his little wiggly body. I could count the ribs and couldn’t differentiate between long bones and joins due to swelling. I knew I wasn’t leaving without him. I got a brief history but the more I discovered, the angrier I became. I just wanted to get him home. 

 

Let me take you back a few to my dogs I have at home. I have two little dogs, Maggie and Flower, and two large dogs, Merle and Morgan. I use to take my previous dogs to the dog park all the time. I stopped when one of my older dogs was attacked. I was fearful. My dogs have never been around other dogs. I had no reason to be worried about their reaction but also every reason to be worried about it. I was bringing home a dog that reeked of filth, who needed to be carried most of the day, required hand feeding, and constant attention into my home with two very hyper goldens and two very bratty little dogs. Did I fail to mention, I also have my mother’s dogs at times…. I’m looking back and feeling the craziness ooze out of my eyes. 

 

I didn’t get out of the animal shelter until close to 11. I took him straight to the PetSmart to get a collar, leash, and tag. I got lots of dirty looks in regards to this bag of bones that could barely walk sitting in the cart with me. We then went off to the groomers. Did I fail to mention I’m terrified of doggy germs? I can handle getting sick, but cannot handle it when my dogs are sick. I scrubbed him up and found a shiny little pup under all that filth.  I had been calling him by his name for a few hours by this point. Each time I did, he didn’t acknowledge me. I tried a new name and after two times, he responded. Mason it was. On the way home I picked up some food for me. I was starving. I tried sharing and he wouldn’t touch a bite. 

 

Once home, Mason hobbled around the backyard, taking many breaks before finally going potty. First came Morgan. She ran out and kissed him all over and sang him the song of her people while bringing him every toy, stick, and ball she could find. I locked Merle inside, or so I thought I did. He came bounding out and sniffed him all over. He knocked Mason over with his excitement and Mason yelped. Merle got it. He’s hurt and he learned he needs to be calm. The little bratty dogs didn’t care one bit, just another thing to look down on. 

 

It’s been almost a full week. I went into this saying I was not adopting Mason, I would only be fostering him. I had to take him in for a checkup yesterday at the animal shelter and continued promising him I would not leave him there. I had to walk through the shelter, rows and rows of dogs with Mason. I could feel his body tensing with each row as we neared the back where he was left. It took about an hour before he calmed down. Mason had stopped eating the day before.  They asked for me to leave him overnight and I panicked. I let them know I would wait and he’s not staying anywhere. Turns out the pain medicine was upsetting his belly so we were able to switch some things around and he’s back to eating today.  Mason may not survive this or he may. It’s hard to tell at this point. He is very sick but has already started making progress. Mason is home. He can consider himself adopted. I will be making it official soon. As we drove out of the shelter, I got the call I had been waiting for. This is it!

 

-K