Zsa Zsa~Adopted

Zsa Zsa has been renamed Molly Jo! She was adopted by Nate and Kelly of Windermere! Molly Jo now has a tiny Poodle, named Honey to play with!

Last Friday night, we came home from dinner expecting to relax.  It was very late, and very dark.  I asked Sarah to tidy up the kitchen, and like a typical 11 year-old, she blew me off and said she was going to take a walk first.  Typical!  Just a few moments later, Ryan and I heard Sarah screaming for us.  I ran outside, and Sarah said she saw a dog.  Again, typical.  Loose dogs always find Sarah, but this time, the dog wasn’t just loose, it was a bonafied stray.

Fortunately for us, the dog found itself trapped between our house and the neighbors, and surrounded by fences.  Sarah and I approached the dog, and it growled.  It desperately tried to escape, but the narrow cap between the fence and the house was too small.  It turned toward us and growled again.

I called animal control, and asked for assistance.  I was told that unless someone was bleeding, they were not going to help.  That’s when I wished I would’ve asked for a catch pole for Christmas instead of a new toaster.

I sat down and pondered if there was anyone in my neighborhood that could help.  Sadly, the answer was no.  We were on our own.  Even though the dog was small, and if bitten, I knew that the bite would not be too bad, I did not want to put my kids in a situation where they would be bitten – period!

While I examined my options, I kept telling myself to stay calm, and breathe!  I am a very impatient person by nature, and pushing the dog was not an option.  I sat leaning against the house behind some rose bushes, slowly inching myself closer to the dog… again, it growled.

My son arrived with his cell phone camera which provided the lighting that we needed, but it also brought the 20 pound mosquitoes that we didn’t need.  It was a poodle!

Every time my son’s camera flashed into the dog’s eyes, I saw a reflection and thought maybe this was a very old dog, whose vision is not that great.  This would explain the dog’s incredible fear, right?

Ryan vanished for a moment as I continued to give the dog cookies, which it was not interested in.  When Ryan returned, he brought turkey bologna with him!  Now we’re talking!  The dog inched forward and started to take the bites of turkey.

We had a crate ready, and positioned it to block the dog from escaping.  Part of me wished that the dog would be scared enough to just trot into the crate on its own, but I couldn’t possibly get that lucky!  We used towels to lay over the rose bushes hoping to create a wall.  We knew that the dog would bolt and wanted to decrease the number of exits it had available.

I continued with the turkey, but needed more.  Sarah complied!

While all of this was happening, Ryan, trying to be helpful, bombarded me with a million questions, while Sarah focused on trying to do as little as possible… after all, she found the dog!

The moment was right, I inched closer, and dragged the leash on the dog, just so the dog could feel it.  I backed way, delivered more turkey, and it was time.  With a large piece of turkey ready for delivery, I put the bite inside of the slip leash.  If the dog wanted it, it would have to put its head through the loop, and it did.

Remembering Brittney’s Mystery, I didn’t use a flat thin leash, I used a triple braided nylon leash!  I was prepared for the dog to go into a gator roll as I pulled.  Every time the dog resisted, I relaxed the tension, and delivered more turkey immediately after it relaxed.  We did this a few times, until we talked to the van, and this time, the dog trotted happily with us.  We called Newman and much to my surprise, once I opened the van door, the dog hopped in!

The dog sat with Sarah, and happily walked to the vet, even hopped up the stairs!  Once into the brightly lit reception area, we really got to see what we had rescued.  What a cutie, but what a hot mess!

It’s a Girl!

No microchip was found so now what?  The works!  All shots, heartworm test, fecal, shampoo and grooming, a complete examination including teeth and ears, microchip, and possible spay.  After a closer look, we saw a spay scar!  The kids were disappointed that we weren’t bringing her home with us, but she needed to be checked for ticks and fleas.

 What a Difference a Day Makes

We went back to the vet Saturday afternoon.  Heartworm Negative, Fecal Negative (dodged that bullet), fleas a plenty, skin infection, multiple boo boos, terribly infected ears – but besides that, she’s a doll!  Estimated to be about 2 years old, and weighs about 15 pounds!

We named her Zsa Zsa!  Much to my surprise, James took the time not only to give her a bath, but he groomed her too.  The matting was so severe, she had to be shaved.

 

 

Zsa Zsa is enjoying being “home”.  She is very tired after being on her own for at least a month.  She cries a bit in her crate, but not for long.  She is very friendly, curious, and needs to stay on a tight leash until her urge to bolt resides.  Once adopted, she will bond with her owners quickly!

You can see more photos of this cutie on Facebook.

Again, because we needed light, Ryan video taped my dysfunctional family attempting to capture this fearful creature, and watch carefully for you will see for yourself those twenty pound mosquitoes!