Rescue

I know that to a lot of people this will seem so "Typical Michelle', and to others this may seem like "too many animals", and to others, "Oh my gosh!" But, I just have the biggest heart for animals. They have no voice or means of defending themselves. Ever since I was a little girl, I have always had a soft spot for under privileged animals and have always wanted to "rescue" an animal in need. I watch Animal Planet's "Animal Cops", "Animal Rescue" and other related shows probably way too much. So here is the newest addition to our family. Don't be scared, and don't roll your eyes. This little girl really did need a good family. Kyle, Melanie, and I went with Brownie to the Plano Animal Shelter on Friday to look at and play with what we thought was a young,female Cocker Spaniel dog. When the worker brought her out I immediately said "This is NOT a Cocker Spaniel." The worker said they didn't know what to classify her as due to her extreme hair loss, and lack of body weight. 3 weeks ago a man brought her into the shelter claiming she was a stray. The shelter scanned her for a micro chip and the information that came back was that of the man who dropped her off. At the time of her drop off this dogs weight was 50% below what her ideal body weight should be. And she had extreme hair loss-they thought due to mange. I was shocked at the sight of her, my heart filled with such sadness, and anger at the thought of someone neglecting their "pet" like that. Although when we saw her she had obviously put on a couple of pounds-she still looked like HELL. Despite her condition and inhumane treatment, she greeted us with a wagging tail, and slobbery kisses. She interacted well with Brownie, and Kyle & Melanie couldn't have been more excited. She didn't jump on Kyle or Melanie, bark, growl or cower at my presence. We weren't planning on adopting a dog, or a cat, but I could NOT turn this dog away. While our paperwork was been processed, we walked around with her and Brownie for an hour. We played, gave Brownie and her "cookies", and played some more. The longer I spent with these two dogs, the more I knew I was doing the right thing. This dog is absolutely SWEET, & has a FANTASTIC DISPOSITION. In fact, while were were walking around the shelter, Melanie tripped and fell down. I sat in a chair trying to calm her down and this dog came right up to us and started licking Melanie's leg-as if to say "Hi there. Everything will be OK. You just had a little fall." Still, I had to bring her home, introduce her to my 4 cats, and explain to Duane why we had ANOTHER pet. When we arrived at our house we kept her on the leash and walked her through our home. At first Harley ran out the back door, but Rascal stayed, blew up his fur, and the dog coward down, and walked a different direction. I introduced her to Smokey and she gave the same reaction. I said to Kyle "She's afraid of cats!" THANK GOD! Well, since then she ignores the cats, and they ignore her. She did get a little too close to Smokey while in the back yard and he smacked her a good one, she cried and ran away. All is good now though. Duane was a little "bothered" at the thought of "another animal". But I explained her situation to him and after thinking it over,he actually wants to keep her.
Her name is Brandy. Her sweet disposition, and the color of her hair brought us to that name. She already knows how to use the cat/dogie door, is house broken (no accidents in the house), can sit, down, wait, stay, shake, walk on a leash well, & "go lay down" on her OWN blanket. She sleeps in Kyle's bed at night and during the day hangs out in the living room, computer room, dinning room & kitchen. Wherever I we are she's there. Her first 48 hours here were solemn. She just slept, ate, slept, went potty, & slept. We gave her a bone to chew on and tried to play with her but she didn't know how. Now she has become more lively and has devoured her bone. She tries to interact with Brownie but Brownie isn't quite ready. The animal shelter said she was about 6 months of age by the look of her teeth. Our vet said she is definitely NOT 6 months-more like 2 years old. Her teeth are broke possibly due to chewing on anything and everything to get nourishment. Our vet said possibly fences wood and metal, bricks, etc. She doesn't have mange. She has severe hair loss, and saggy skin due to neglect, and being left outside to rot. She weighs 23.9 pounds. Her ideal body weight should be 35-40 pounds. Our vet also can't tell what breed of dog she is and calls her a "total mutt." Since Friday she has eaten very well. Consuming dog treats, wet/dry cat food (I don't buy dog food-Brownie refuses to eat it), cheese, hot dogs, turkey, lasagna, Sloppy Joe's, french fries, just about anything we give her. In the last 4 days, I bet she has gained more weight with us than she did 3 weeks at the animal shelter. Here are a few pics of her. She looks like she was hit by a train. But, I know that as soon as she gains weight, and her hair grows back she will be absolutely breath taking. By the way, I PROMISE THAT THIS WILL BE MY LAST ANIMAL.