The Best News!!

Guess what!?!?!?  There is a signed adoption contact for me!  Yes, that is right!  A wonderful couple have stepped up and chosen ME out of all the dogs in the world who need a home!  

How about that?!?!  I feel so special, and so loved. 

In early October, I will be going HOME.

In the meantime, I am enjoying sniffing around the yard here at my foster home. And trying to be patient!

This will be my final post. Thanks so much to everyone who has been reading my blog and caring about me.  It has meant a lot!

And the Blind Dog Rescue has many other great dogs who need a forever home. Right now their website is not functioning correctly, so check out their Petfinder page:   

https://www.petfinder.com/pet-search?shelter_id=PA689

Thanks again!!

Steps!

Here I am going up the steps on the front deck here at my foster home, and then back down.  My foster mom is pretty terrific in many ways, but she is not so good when it comes to getting a video clip of me on the steps from her phone to this blog.  So, you will have to trust me that I zipped right up, walked across the deck, and zipped right back down on the other side. I can handle these steps very easily!  But I would be a little concerned about a long flight of steps.

There have been some questions about my age!  That seems a little personal, but I can understand why those who are interested in adopting me would wonder how old I am. The paperwork from the Texas shelter says around 12 years old. That guess was made when I was in very, very rough shape and in poor health.  I get many comments from those that know me now that I could not be 12 because I don't act like a 12 year old dog. I don't know what a 12 year old dog acts like, but I can share that I have a spring in my step and a song in my heart.

That is the thing about adopting a rescue dog.  Our pasts are almost always a mystery, and there are things that just won't ever be known. What I do know is life is so much better now for me than it has ever been, and I am excited about my future. 

Another update:  Right now I am being treated for a mild ear infection, and my foster mom has noticed I seem to be hearing a bit better!  How about that? I am not hearing everything but am hearing a few more things than I was.  

But I am a happy boy no matter what.

And that is it for today.  Check in again soon for another blog post.  I will keep blogging til I head on to my forever home.

Waiting!

Hi! Here are a couple photos of me!  My foster mom said I can post all the pictures I want of myself because, after all, this is MY blog.  :)

I am waiting for my dinner!  I love to eat!  But I am being patient.

I am also waiting for the right person to put in an adoption application for me! 

And just like I can be patient about waiting for my dinner, I can be patient as I wait for the right person.  If you are the right person, please make sure you first read all my blog posts so you know all about me, and then fill out this adoption application:

http://fs8.formsite.com/blinddogrescue/form758585118/index.html

And now it is dinner time!

I am a Good Dog Looking for a Good Home!!

I have finished my breakfast and am settling down for a nap.  But it is a little hard to sleep because I am FINALLY ready to be adopted! My heartworms are gone and my cough has almost disappeared!  I cough a cough every few days, maybe.  But nothing like before!  And I am not on any medication for my cough right now!  The vet said yesterday I am ready for a forever home.

So, here is a summary about me, for those of you out there who are looking for the best little dog there is.

I am mostly a Westie. Maybe 100% Westie. The vets and the groomer think I very well might be. But my foster mom and the Blind Dog Rescue won't promise I am a purebred.  But, really, could I be any more handsome?  :)  And, really, does it matter whether a dog is a purebred or not?  

I am 17 pounds.  I have cataracts in both eyes but I can still see pretty well.  I can't hear but it doesn't bother me at all. And a bonus is I can sleep quite well when the other dogs are barking!  :)  I have some arthritis in my hips, so my gait can look a bit stiff (hardly noticeable), but I still enjoy going for a walk and sometimes I even break out into a short bit of a run.  My knees are great (no luxation!). My teeth aren't so great, although I just had a major dental procedure and right now they are squeaky clean.  But I only have thirteen teeth left.  My foster mom brushes them every night and I am so good about it!!  I begin to lick my lips when I see her coming with the toothbrush because I like the toothpaste!  I will need another dental in six months, so anyone who adopts me needs to be ready to take care of the few teeth I have left.  I have a few tiny (tiny!) bumps on my face that the vet said are no worry, and then a small lump on my side, about the size of a lima bean, that was biopsied and is benign. Because I had heartworms, I may cough from time to time.  And some dogs who have had heartworms can have issues later on with their heart or lungs, but many do quite well. 

The bottom line is I come with some medical baggage, and the future for me is unknown. Anyone who might want to adopt me needs to understand that.  But the future is unknown for any dog or cat or person!  Right now, today, I am doing better than I have been in a long, long time.

I am housetrained and cratetrained.  I walk on a leash and every once in a while decide I want to go my own way but I do pretty well.  I rarely bark (maybe once a month?).  I enjoy attention and also enjoy a nap on a dog bed or even on the floor.  I don't chew things up. But I do eat well, and enjoy meals and treats. I should be in a home that doesn't require going up and down a lot of steps, although I can very easily do a few (like from the deck to the yard) quite well - just not a whole flight. I get along just fine with the other dogs and the cat in this house. I have impressed the staff at the vet clinic and also at the groomer's with my good manners and gentle personality.

And I am ready. I am ready for my forever home.  Please read all of my blog posts and then decide if you have room in your life for me.  And, if you do, fill out this application:

http://blinddogrescue.com/adoptionapplication.html

Right now, I am resting up for my trip to my forever home.  Will it be yours?

More Sofa Time!

Hi there!

I was relaxing last night with my foster mom on the sofa. Here are a few pictures.

And, some promising news!  I continue to step down on my dose of prednisone, and I have hardly been coughing at all!!

Stay tuned!  We are keeping all paws crossed here that the cough is going away!!

The Rug

This is my favorite spot to sleep.  By the air conditioning vent! I like it to blow on me; sometimes my hair is even blowing around in the breeze!  But, before I relax and nap, I like to arrange the pad, as you can see. I move it here and there, here and there, and then, finally, the pad wins, it flattens back out, and I fall asleep.  :)

An update on my coughing.  I have dropped down my dose of prednisone, and am continuing to do well!  There is still a small bit of coughing - I may always have some coughing - but it is a lot better.  Keep your paws crossed, and stay tuned!

News to Share!!

                             

I have a lot of news to share!  First, check me out!  I went to the groomer today to get a trim, and the groomer told my foster mom I was such a good boy!  I feel great with my hair cut, especially with the hair away from my eyes.  Of course, I am always handsome, but I am extra handsome now!

As you know, if you have been following my blog, I am now heartworm negative! That is the BEST news!  The treatment was long and hard.  

Once my heartworms were gone, I was scheduled for a dental, and I went for that last Wednesday. My teeth were in such bad shape when I came to Virginia from Texas. I had seven extractions, and now only have thirteen teeth left. The vet told my foster mom that my teeth must be brushed every night, and he said I will need another dental in about six months.  The vet also said one of the infected areas of my mouth came really close to the jaw bone, so I cannot be given anything hard to chew on, like a dog bone. Anything too hard could crack my jaw because it has been weakened. But, if I don't eat anything too hard, I should be fine.

My foster mom has been brushing my teeth every night, so I am already in that routine!  I didn't like it when she first started, but now, sometimes, I come right up to her when she gets the toothbrushes out.  I am such a good boy!

And my cough, which had disappeared when I was on the prednisone for the HW treatment, is back. :(  Sometimes I cough off and on during the day, and sometimes I even wake up to cough. The vet put me back on the prednisone to see if we can find a dose that controls the cough but has minimal side effects. So we are experimenting with that now.  The vet is thinking it is not trachea collapse, and we know it is not kennel cough or anything contagious. It could be chronic bronchitis, or the result of those darn heartworms, which sometimes can cause long-lasting damage to the heart and lungs.  The good news is all my bloodwork was within normal limits, and my chest x-ray was OK too - it was unchanged from the x-ray taken in April.

I am a little worried, though, because some of this news is not the best news.  I know other dogs have better teeth than I do, and I know other dogs don't have a cough. But I also know there is a home out there for me, with someone who can see beyond my cough and my teeth.  I know there is someone out there who doesn't mind a dog who can't hear and who has some trouble seeing. Someone who wants a well-mannered dog who is housetrained and crate trained.  A dog who enjoys a short walk, and who gets along with other dogs, cats, and people.  A dog who is happy getting attention and also is happy stretched out on a dog bed, taking a nap.  A dog who sleeps through the night and rarely barks. A dog who is quite handsome.  And a dog who deserves a chance to be loved just the way he is. 

Not just anyone is that someone. In fact, maybe most people are not that someone. But I know someone is out there who is looking for a dog just like me.  So, if that is you, I hope you will stay tuned to see how things work out with my cough and the meds.  Feel free to email the BDRA Adoption Team if you have questions about me - they will contact my foster mom, and get you the answers.  

Here is their email address:  adoption@blinddogrescue.com

And I will keep blogging!  So please check back here! 

I am heartworm NEGATIVE!!!!

Just a very quick post with the GREAT NEWS!  

I am now heartworm NEGATIVE!!

YAAAAAY!

The treatment worked!

Rain!

It is a rainy July 4th here at at my foster home in Virginia.  My foster mom just took me out, and you can see she had an umbrella for us.  :)  I will go out in the rain to do my business, but then I am glad to get back in.  

I went right to my favorite spot as soon as we got inside.

And, guess what! This coming Friday, July 8th, is Day 120 for my heartworm treatment. I am going to the vet and will get the test to see if I am heartworm negative now.

Please hope and pray I am!

And I am doing just fine!

My Dog Friends and Me!

Here I am, with (counterclockwise, starting at the cabinet door): Jenny (beagle), Mango, (Blind Dog Rescue forever foster), Hubble (BDRA adopted dog - in a belly band)), Linus (he is black and white - BDRA adopted dog - Linus is my foster parents' granddog - they fostered him, and then their son and his wife adopted him), Chesney (a blind and deaf long-haired doxie; my foster parents are dog-sitting her this week), me (!!!), and Tilly (three legged pom mix).

You can see I am one of the big dogs here, even though I am only 18 pounds.  Jenny is also 18 pounds (her short hair makes her look smaller), Tilly is about 10 pounds, and the rest are about 5 to 7 pounds.

We are waiting patiently for breakfast. I love to eat!

And I am doing quite well!

I Think I Look Pretty Good!

Here is quick update for those of you who are reading my blog and wondering how I have done this week.  On Monday and then also on Tuesday, I had a powerful shot in my abdomen to kill adult heartworms.  So, two shots this week!  Ow!  I have been sleeping a lot and a little sore, but have been on Tramadol to help, and look at me! I have just come in from a quick walk outside.  I think I look pretty good!  :)

So my foster mom talked to my vet on Tuesday, and here is the current plan.  Right now, today, we are at Day 93 of the Heartworm Treatment protocol. On Day 120, I will have another appointment for a test to see if there are any baby heartworms in my body. I will also be checked out to see if I am ready for a dental as my teeth need a good cleaning and probably one or two need to come out.

Then, maybe, maybe, hopefully, I will be ready to be adopted!  I have heard some people have inquired about me already!  How exciting! I love my foster parents and they really love me, but what I would love most of all is to get settled down in a forever home.

Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers!!  Thank you!

Bath Time!

I get a bath about once a month, whether I need it or not!  Today is a special day, day 90 in my heartworm treatment process, so I will be extra clean and fresh when I head on in to the vet in just a little while.

I am pretty good in the bath.  Every once in a while, I think about jumping out, but otherwise I do just fine.  You can tell by my face, though, that taking a bath is not my favorite thing!  :)

Day 90 of the heartworm treatment means I get a heartworm preventitive tablet plus a shot. And then, tomorrow, Day 91, I go back in again for another shot.  Wow!  I know my foster mom is a little nervous, but I am not.  I am tough, and I am ready.  

But, still, it wouldn't hurt to have you say a prayer for me, and to keep me in your thoughts.  So I hope you will! Thank you!

Such a Good Dog!

Here I am, enjoying a morning walk before it gets hot.  

I don't know if I have told you what a great dog I am.  So let me take a few moments to share some of my best qualities.  My foster mom said I am allowed to brag because soon I will be looking for a forever home, and my new family needs to know all about me!  

I walk well on a leash (but I like the chance to stop and smell the smells). I am housetrained (only one accident since I arrived a few months ago, and that was because my foster mom forgot how long it had been since I had been out).  I am crate trained.  I sleep quietly through the night. I get along with the other dogs and the cat.  I don't jump up on people.  I don't beg for food, but I love to eat.  I rarely bark.  I would never think of snapping, and I have never growled.  I am a little big for laps, but my foster mom likes to hold me, and I am enjoying it more and more.

So, I think I am pretty much a perfect dog.  

Please keep checking in!  On June 6 and 7, I get my next round of heartworm treatment and then I wait one more month for a test to see if the treatment worked.  All paws are crossed in my foster home for good test results! And then I will be about ready to find a new home. Maybe it could be yours?

I Am Doing Well!

I am continuing to move through my heartworm treatment.  I spend my days resting (mostly resting) and taking very short walks outside. And eating!  I love to eat.  

Here I am in a dog bed, peeking out for a picture, and then settling down to take a nap. It is exhausting business, killing off these heartworms, so I rest a lot, but I am doing well and looking forward to the end of the treatment process!

And one more thing. If you are thinking about getting a dog sometime soon, why don't you think about me? It won't be too long now until my treatment is finished, and then I will be ready for a forever home.

Thank you for checking in on me!

Snuggling!

Here I am, snuggled with my foster mom on the sofa.  I am on Day 68 of my heartworm treatment and am doing pretty well!  I am being good about staying in my crate and am doing a lot of resting as the medicine kills the heartworms in my body and makes me better. I am glad to get out of my crate, though, for a short walk in the yard to do my business, to eat, and to do some snuggling!

Prison :(

Well, I had my first heartworm shot yesterday.  My leg was a little sore for a while, and I slept a lot while at the vet's, but I am doing OK today.  And this crate is where I have to stay for the next 6 to 8 weeks!  I can go outside on very short walks to do my business, and I can move around the house, but I have to walk.  And sometimes I get the spirit of Tigger in me, and I want to bounce around!  My vet, Dr. Bailey, said no bouncing allowed.  So my foster parents have to keep me in this crate unless they are right beside me, to make sure I am keeping calm and moving slowly.  This is because the adult heartworms are dying now. That is a great thing, but I can't move around much at all because bad things could happen to me if I do.  I don't even want to think about that.  So, here I am, Day One of life in the small crate.  :(

But once the heartworms have been treated and I am better, I will be able to move around again just like any other dog!  I can't wait for that.

And then I will be about ready for someone to adopt me.  I love it here at my foster home, but I want my very own forever home.  I hope someone will think about making me part of their family.

Looking Dapper!

My Texas foster mom got me this nice-looking sweater to wear in the cool Virginia weather!  I think I look pretty good!

Please keep me in your thoughts this Friday, the 6th of May. I will have my first shot that will start the process to kill the adult heartworms.  I am strong and I am ready!

Relaxing

My body is busy chasing away heartworm babies right now, and I need my rest.  Luckily, there is an assortment of dog beds in my foster home.  I like all of them!  Here I am on the orthopedic mattress dog bed. I can really stretch out!  And look how cute I am with my tongue peeking out just a bit.

I am doing well, and am looking forward to Day 60 of my heartworm treatment, which will be in early May.  That step involves the first shot that will begin to kill the adult heartworms.  I will be needing lots of positive thoughts and prayers!  

In the meantime, I am resting - but also enjoying the spring weather, the other dogs and cat in my foster home, and my foster parents!

The Sofa!

This is the first picture my foster mom took of me, soon after I arrived in Virginia.  I am settled into the sofa.  My foster mom says I am still getting used to being a sofa dog.  I can take a short nap on the sofa but, when I wake up, I need a little space, so I get off and find a dog bed.  

But she keeps putting me on the sofa with her, and I am staying longer each time.  I stay the longest when she rubs my head and my back.  :)

I am doing well!  Day 39 today of my heartworm treatment.

Thanks for checking in!  I will post again soon, so please stop by!

On the Transport!

Many people don't know about "transports."  When rescue folks talk about transports, they are usually talking about getting a dog from Point A to Point B using volunteer drivers. Good-hearted individuals who love dogs sign up by email to drive a "leg" (each leg is about an hour of driving) to help a dog get where he or she needs to go.  

So, BDRA set up a transport to get me from Houston, Texas to Fairfield, Virginia.  They shared information about my transport on Facebook and by email, and asked for volunteers. And about 20 people signed up, each offering to drive a leg, and they got me halfway across the country!  One person signed up to have me stay over at her house Saturday night, at the halfway point.  It is so nice of everyone to help!!!

So I left my wonderful temporary foster home in Texas on a Saturday morning and got into a car and rode for about an hour.  Then I had a ten minute break to stretch my legs while my stuff was moved from the first car into the second car.  And then I was put in the second car, and off I went on the second leg, heading toward Virginia. And so on, leg after leg after leg. And Sunday night I was at my Virginia foster home!

Sometimes, in some cars, I would be in a crate (see my picture above) and sometimes I would be in the back seat, fastened in. I am pretty good in a car, so I did all right, but I have to tell you I wondered where I was going and if I was going to spend the rest of my life going from car to car to car!!

Without volunteer drivers, dogs like me would not be saved. I would have been stuck in Texas, and likely euthanized.  Transports get shelter dogs to foster homes, and foster dogs to forever homes.  Every weekend, there are dogs going up and down the interstate near you!  If you have never driven a leg, sign up when a transport comes near you!

And I am doing well!  I am on Day 31 of my heartworm treatment.  More on all that soon! Thanks for checking in.

Wrangler George in Texas!

Here are some pictures of me when I was in my FABULOUS foster home in Texas!  Back in Texas, my name was George.  Because there has already been a foster dog in the Blind Dog Rescue named George, my name was changed to Wrangler (this helps with the Blind Dog Rescue record keeping - to try to use a name only once).  But, when these pictures were taken, I was George.  I can't hear very well, so I am good with whatever you call me!  :)

And look how happy I am in these pictures!  By this time, I had been cleaned up and groomed. My worms were gone (intestinal worms - I still had the heartworms) and I was being treated for kennel cough.  I had a little lump on my eye removed, and was taking eye and ear medicine.  I really needed a lot of medical care when I was sprung from the shelter!  

And my Texas foster mom, Nicki, took such good care of me.  She even stayed up at night with me through the worst of my kennel cough.  Once the kennel cough was over, she packed me up with all my stuff, and sent me on a two day transport to my Virginia foster home. 

I miss Nicki, and she will always have a special place in my heart for everything she did for me.

And thanks for reading my blog!  Please keep checking in as I will be posting blog updates just about every week. Next Friday I go into the vet for the day for the next step in my heartworm treatment.

If you are interested, follow along on my heartworm journey!  Go to this link on the American Heartworm Society webpage: 

https://heartwormsociety.org/images/pdf/Canine-Guidelines-Summary.pdf

(if the link does not work for you, google the American Heartworm Society, and then go to Veterinary Resources, then Heartworm Guidelines, then Canine Guidelines Summary, then scroll down to page 6 of the Summary). 

Next Friday is my "Day 30."  I am strong and in very good spirits, and am doing well so far!