It was Easter four years ago. My daughter was home for the weekend and got the call from her hubby who was working in the Arctic North. "Now, don't be angry with me but I got us another dog." I watched Rochelle's mouth tighten and the air was tense. She had three dogs and a cat and certainly did not want another one. They argued about it for a few minutes. When she got off the phone, it was clear she lost the battle and I had to agree with her.
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| Willow and Lily, the Intimidator |
Willow was her name. It wasn't clear what mix she was and she had one blue and one black eye, kinda spooky. She was rescued from near death as she had been chained to a dumpster and shot at, along with other dogs. It was heart breaking to hear her story. We weren't sure how a big dog, especially an abused one, would fit in the family of Louie, Lily, and Lola.
When Thomas arrived home with his new pet, Willow took one look at Rochelle, walked up to her with the softest look in her eyes and laid her head on Rochelle's lap. She was smart enough to realize she had to win Rochelle's heart and she did, instantly.
Rochelle realized how great it would be to have a large "guard" dog, especially when she was home alone most of the time. She decided to test Willow's reaction to someone breaking in the house. She had a friend of hers climb through the kitchen window to mimic a break-in. When Willow saw the guy climbing through the window, she quickly got her teddy bear to present it to the stranger -- along with many wet kisses of welcome.
Willow was comfortable in the Arctic North with her thick coat
Two years ago they arrived home after such a trip, Thomas fed the dogs and then he jumped into the shower. Within minutes, Thomas heard a terrible cry and ran outside to see Willow in utter distress. He wasn't sure what was wrong but had a pretty good idea.
Sometimes, when large, deep chested dogs eat too fast, it can cause a food bloat from the large amount of air they take in during eating. The chance of the stomach twisting while they are bloated is possible and this cuts off blood supply to the stomach. It is life-threatening and must be treated immediately. The pain is off the charts.
Do we save her or not......she's old
Willow would require emergency surgery if there was any chance of saving her. It would be cost prohibitive but Thomas felt a bit guilty and wanted to give Willow one more chance on life. She came through the surgery, but the next seven days would be crucial and she would need 24 hour care. She was not allowed to walk and would have to be carried outside to pee. I flew up North to help my daughter as she also had a baby and the other dogs. We saw improvement every day and after a month, she was given a clean bill of health. We still do not know how old she is or what breed she is but we do not have any regrets for saving her life and she knows Thomas did that for her.
If you or anyone you know, has a large chested dog who has a tendency to eat too fast, please take precaution. You can buy dog food dishes for fast gulpers at any pet store. The dishes have small compartments in them, so the dog can only take a bit of food at a time and has to work at getting it out of the dish. Pure genius!
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| Willow and her special food dish |
I am participating in this year's A to Z Challenge 2014 and am sharing 26 dogs stories - one for each letter of the alphabet.
A is for All the Dogs B is for Babe C is for Charlie
D is for Dyeing Hair E is for Emergency F is for Flying Snake and Flying Dogs
G is for Galloping down the road H is for Hiding behind the tree
I is for The Intimidator J i for Just Dream Big
K is for Babe is Killed
L is for Louie Vuitton
M is for MercedeZ
N is for New Addition Chiweenie
O is for Old Fart and Other Cats
P is for Perky
Q is for Quincy
R is for Rusty and Rex Black Dobermans
S is for Sheba on the Yellow Line
T is for Texas Poopy Pants
U is for Unique Pictures and Upside Down
V is for Victory in Puppy Birth
It
would be awesome if you would visit other blogs in this challenge.
There is a wide range of subjects posted every day and my fellow
bloggers would be honored to have you drop by.
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