Poor Pitiful Pia - Pia has gone to heaven

[Budsters Mom]

What a wonderful way to honor Pia and you! Your kids are keepers!
Happy belated Birthday Bonnie. you'll know when the time is right to add a new family member. Xxxx

[knitbunnie]

We have had some more sadness in our lives. Our little Maggie, our 15 1/5 year old Boston Terrier, crossed the Rainbow Bridge the day after Thanksgiving. We knew the day was fast approaching, but it is still tough. Looking at the dog beds and basket of dog toy, the water and food bowls, and everything else that belonged to our two girls was so hard, but I did not have the strength of heart to put them away.

To make matters worse, my husband had to go out of town, all the way to Ecuador for work, and he left Sunday evening, so I was home alone with all those things.

Last night, I knew I didn't want to be dog-less, so I started looking online, and I found a really cute puppy, a 3 month old Golden Retriever/dachshund mix named Doc, at the local SPCA. My husband called me this morning and told me he'd really like a boxer, but if I wanted the puppy, to go ahead and get it. I was headed out the door to get Doc when the phone rang and I got held up by two different phone calls, for about 45 minutes.

I drove to the SPCA and met Doc, who was sweet and adorable, and I headed to the front desk to fill out paperwork to take him home. I was nearly through with the paperwork when two women walked in with a pretty, thin boxer on a lease. They'd found her about 2 weeks before and tried to keep her, had had her to the vet (she's about 2 years old, spayed, shots up to date, and has a minor ear infection). They said she got along with their other dogs and cats, but their older cats were indignant and were doing their business all over the house. So, rather than turn her in to the dog pound, they'd arranged to bring her to the SPCA. The staff member at the SPCA said Doc was a very adoptable dog, and if I'd rather take home the boxer, we should work things out between ourselves. We did.

She and I went to the big feed store, got an appropriately-sized crate, fitted her for a Kelly green harness and collar, took home some dog food that will put on some weight (Taste of the Wild Wetlands Formula - 35% protein and no grain), and some bully sticks. She hasn't been enthused about getting in the car, but she was polite and well behaved. She sits on command, and she is so quiet. She came home, looked around, had a drink and a few bites of food, and found a dog bed (we have 4 of them). She's softly snoring.

When we were at the feed store, our new girl was compliant with the saleswoman's fitting of the leash and collar, and she was accepting of people who approached (I explained to each one that I had no guarantee of her temperament so no one made a huge fuss), but every time a man walked by, her little stump of a tail wagged and wagged and she looked so eager. I think she's going to LOVE my husband.

If not for those phone calls this morning delaying my trip to the SPCA by 45 minutes, I'd have missed out on this sweet boxer. My husband will be wild with joy when he finds out. I emailed him pictures. I have a strong notion that my dear little girls reached out across the bridge and sent my new friend to us. I haven't yet named her, but it will happen.

[molly muffin]

Oh Bonnie!! How sad that you lost Maggie, so soon after losing Pia. I cried when Pia passed and today I am very happy to say that I cried happy tears. We all thought and you too, that the time would come when you would want another dog to enter your life, but it wasn't right yet. Today, the time was right and so very right, just perfect in fact. It's like the stars all aligned and Pia and Maggie found the perfect one who needed to be in your home and sent her to you at Just the right time.
Your husband is going to be thrilled, she will love him I'm sure and you will have another friend in the house whom you will love and who will love you. That you will take care of and give her a wonderful life, that she so obviously has been missing. Poor thing, to be so skinny and not taken care of. It does seem though at some point, she had a home, and someone to teach her to sit and to be good around people. That is all good. Her lost soul has found her forever home.
I'm so happy that it worked out, that if you must say good bye to maggie and pia that at least something good has been sent your way.

We have our Everything Else section, and in it we have threads with the new furbabies who have entered the hearts and homes of our members. It would be great if you want to start a thread for your new furbaby. You know we will want pictures right and to hear all the stories about her.

Big hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

[addy]

That is really hard to have to deal with, losing Maggie, I am so sorry about your pup but so happy a shining light has entered your home.

Things are meant to be some times when we find a new pup who needs us so. They have a habit of turning up when we least expect it sometimes.

I hope your new pup will bring happiness and help ease the heartache for you have had more than your share.

Big hugs

[doxiesrock912]

Bonnie,

I'm so sorry about Maggie and I believe that things happen for a reason. Hence, the 45 minute delay and the fact that your husband specifically mentioned wanting a boxer.

What is the name of your newest family member? She sounds amazingly well behaved!

[knitbunnie]

We haven't decided on a name. I've tried a few dozen, hoping I'd stumble onto something that sounded familiar to her, but so far, no luck. Via email and Facebook, the family is making suggestions. We have an Irish last name, Riley, so a few Irish names are in contention. So far we all seem to like Kelly, Bridget, Rosie, and Penny.

KellyBridgetRosiePenny got very enthusiastic tonight when I warmed up a hot dog and cut it up. I have to give her ear drops, and I wanted it to be a good thing, so we did hot dog bites and ear drop massages. It went well, and her little stumpy tail waggled pretty hard. She's so skinny and so tired. It will be interesting to see her personality develop. As soon as we figure out a name, I'll start a new thread for her.

Tonight, for the first time this season, the "Santa, Baby" commercial came on the television. I used to sing it to Pia as "Pia, Baby", so I sang it to Pia up in heaven and thanked her for whatever she had to do with KellyBridgetRosiePenny's coming into my life. I miss Maggie, too, but I still cry every single day for Pia. No one will ever replace her.

[Trish]

Oh gosh what a story to read, so very sad to read about Maggie going to join Pia and then hang on.... we have a new KellyBridgetRosiePenny to welcome to the family. It was so meant to be, what a strange coincidence and good on you for rescuing her from the SPCA! Poor girl won't know whats' up with all the changes in her life lately. But I bet KBRP will soon realise she has struck the Doggie Lotto by ending up in your home!! You are well overdue some happiness and while KBRP is not ever going to replace your lost girls I bet she will go a long way to bringing some smiles back. Lovely to hear from you xxxx

[knitbunnie]

I still my miss my sweet Pia and my darling Maggie every single day, and I thank them every day for sending Kelly (yes,we settled on Kelly as her name) to us.

Our boxer girl is slowly coming out of her shell and learning that no harm will come to her. She is still pretty quiet, but her stumpy tail is almost constantly waggling back and forth.

We have no history at all on her, so we piece together what we can from our experience and some input from our vet. She was in pretty poor condition when we got her - skinny as can be, ear infections, and a horrific case of tapeworm. She has a generalized yeast infection - smells like fritos, chews and scratches feet, ears, and everywhere else she can, she's got a lot of blackish staining on her belly and hind legs, and her white feet are pinkish stained. She had constant eye goo, too, but that's pretty much resolved.

We've put her on a limited-ingredient diet, and we swab feet and ears twice a day with a vinegar wash. I just sent for Malaseb shampoo, too. I feed her yogurt with active cultures twice a day, too. Her ears have stopped producing black crap, and the white fur on her feet is looking a little less pink-tinged, so I think we're making progress.

I have no idea what Kelly has been through, but I don't think her past life was exactly fabulous. Kelly has no idea what a toy is for, or tennis balls. She pulled something from the trash can a few days ago, and I said, "Bad girl." It nearly broke my heart because she totally cowered and then creeped off to a bed in another room. I hugged her and kissed her and it was all better, but I could not believe how strongly and pathetically she reacted.

The vet thinks she may have been a puppy-mill mother. She has several scars on her body, including some that look like they're from bites. Something we've noticed is that Kelly is utterly silent except when she snores. We hav not heard a bark, a yip, a whimper, or a growl. We were at a dog park and one large dog was not so friendly, and I felt the vibration of a growl, but not a sound. We have a heavy-hearted fear that her vocal cords were cut. I hope not.

She is very well-known behaved, and she loves attention, but she doesn't demand it. She is pretty content to lay in her bed unless we call her to us, and then she seems so appreciative of the attention.

If anyone has any thought on treating yeast in a dog, I would love some ideas. I don't want to simply treat the symptoms. I want to get rid of the yeast. The vet suggested Benadryl, but that doesn't really treat the root of the problem. I don't know how long it takes for yeast to go away, either. Weeks? Months?

Next week, we have to go out of town for a week to a family event, and we can't take Kelly along. She is going to a kennel, and I hope we don't lose too much of the progress we've made with her. I worry that she will feel abandoned all over again. If I could get out of going, I would. Kelly has gone to San Francisco three times with me to visit our younger daughter, and she spent Christmas with us and our two sons at a cabin in Lake Tahoe, so she's getting well-travelled, but she just cannot go with us to Florida. We're getting together with our four kids and our extended family, and we've had these plans for nearly a year. If anyone has suggestions for making Kelly's time at the kennel less traumatic, I am all ears.

[doxiesrock912]

Bonnie,

Poor Kelly! I hate hearing stories like this and I can't even watch the ASPCA commercials. I cry and turn the channel.

Maybe the kennel will let you take Kelly in for a series of visits before you leave so that she doesn't automatically associate the place with being abandoned?

God Blessed you for giving her a loving home. She'll continue to come out of her shell.

[labblab]

Hi Bonnie,

You will see that I've moved your new reply about Kelly (and also Valerie's) here to your main thread. Our "Checking In" thread is not really set up to field multiple replies to questions, so this will be the better spot for folks to talk with you directly. If you'd ever wish to start up a new thread that is dedicated to Kelly alone, you can always feel free to do so on our "Everything Else" forum and we can again transfer these replies. But for the time being, we can go ahead and talk right here.

I agree with Valerie -- bless you for bringing Kelly into your heart and home ! And I also agree with you, in that I do worry that Kelly may feel really stressed by being taken to a kennel again . I think Valerie's suggestion is a good one. Maybe you could even arrange for a couple of overnight visits before leaving her for the full week. As an alternative, I know some folks can arrange for pet-sitters to come to their house multiple times daily for feeding, toileting, and socialization. I think some vet techs even do this as a side business to help owners who have to leave medically needy pets at home. But I don't know whether that would be any kind of reasonable option for you. I do understand why you are worried, though, because I would be feeling the same way and counting the hours while I was away from home.

Marianne