A sweet, sad little Black Dog...

A little Black Dog has wandered into our life and hearts this week. My mom found her wandering around our neighborhood about 5 days ago, and when I heard her describe this starving, dehydrated, sweet little runaway, my heart broke and I ran out the front door with a leash in hand. Some neighbors and I spotted her about a block away from the house, but she was too timid and scared to come to any of us. I finally just sat down in the grass at a park near our home, and quietly called to her. I finally got close enough to her, to get the leash on, and slowly walked her home. She is a little mixed breed girl, and appears to be a bit on the older side, but is ever so sweet and gentle. She was covered in mud, with a matted, filthy red collar, and no I.D. tags. We gave her some water and food, and just let her sleep quietly on a pile of towels in the laundry room for the first night. 

The next day consisted of a bath, tick removal, and introducing her to our two rambunctious younger dogs, Bo and Lilly. We fed her puppy food to get some extra nutrients in her, let her drink more, and gave her lots of love. The third day was uneventful, and anyone had yet to reply the the barrage of craigslist postings, newspaper ads, and found dog reports that we put up every day. Husband and I knew we really can't afford to have another dog here for much longer, but I couldn't bare the thought of bringing such a sweet ole gal to the pound, especially considering we had just rescued our youngest dog, Bo, from the pound 6 months before, and had seen the overrun conditions. Then tragedy struck, last Friday night Black Dog (which we've deemed her in honor of Treasure Island), collapsed in our hallway, and began having convulsions. I thought the poor baby was dying, and just sat by her, petting her and talking gently. I realized she was having a grand mal seizure, and after about 10 minutes, seemed to recover. The next day she went about her business like nothing had happened, before collapsing and seizuring again on the kitchen floor at dinner time. We of course had called the vet, but they were full until the following week, and we just cannot afford the pet emergency room for a dog we do not even own. 

I emailed a local rescue pleading for help, but got no reply, as I'm sure they are also overrun. I talked to the vet office again, and they said if she had another seizure, they would fit her in ASAP regardless of their schedule or our ability to pay. Thankfully there are still lots of kind souls out in the world. Well, our little Black Dog had a third seizure last night, so we are in to the vet today to find out if they can try meds, or if our sweet lil peanut has to be put down. It's bittersweet for all of us. On one hand, we are so thankful she could spend this time here with us, surrounded by human and furry friends that have smothered her in love and affection, and on the other hand, if she needs to be euthanized, we will all miss her little timid yet affectionate soul running about our house, begging us for treats, and pawing at our hands to pet her or scratch her ears. No matter what happens at the doctor today, we love her. 

*Black Dog is still with us, and doing well for the time being. She has either Epilepsy, or Valley Fever, and is being treated for both with meds, and just enjoying her life!*