The Adoption Announcement
Linda, the leader of the SF Bay Area German Shepherd Rescue group, sent out an announcement about my adoption. I don't really understand the whole message, but it's not important. All that matters is that I am now in my forever home.From: Linda
Date: Wed Jan 19, 2005 3:30 pm
Subject: Sam/Ams is Adopted!!
Admittedly, I took a chance when I pulled Sam/Ams from the shelter. We knew he was 10, and that it's really tough finding a home for a dog that age. However, I've always felt we could have at least one old timer in our 'stable' without running the risk of becoming a sanctuary instead of a rescue.
Besides, he passed our behavior evaluation, and seemed easy going and healthy. And, at the time, we had just found a wonderful home for Lindsay, who was even a year older than Sam/Ams.
Also on the plus side, I knew that Cynthia was ready to foster just such a dog....in fact, she'd been waiting for a couple of months for an older male to foster, a dog that would get along with her senior GSD, Elsa. Sam/Ams was perfect for that situation, so Kelly made the arrangements and he came into the program.
That was some months ago, and it hasn't been a surprise that we haven't had much interest from Potential Adopters in this dog. Cynthia has certainly given him lots of exposure with his very own blog! Not many dogs can brag about that particular type of publicity! Lots of people learned of his exploits as Cynthia shared his adventures, and of course, they were HER adventures too!
At the last Redwood City Showcase Day, she told Kelly and me that she was worried about him, and we went around the side of the building so we could see what she had noticed. Yes, unfortunately, he was indeed somewhat wobbly and was sometimes turning his back foot so that the pads were facing up. Kelly made a vet appt and our worst fears were pretty much confirmed. It is most likely Degenerative Myelopathy (DM). Cynthia has poured so much love into this dog that she was in tears. But her absolutely instant response was that she wanted to keep him herself.
Wow! How lucky can a dog get?!? To have been surrendered at age 10 by a family that had moved and could not keep him, and had not even let him in the house for all those years, to a foster mom with a heart so big that he has found a permanent place in it.
There is no way of knowing how fast or slowly this disease will progress. The good thing about it, (if there IS such a thing) is that there is no pain involved and as Cynthia says, Sam is a very happy-go-lucky dog. She takes him to the park almost every day for his exercise and he has a great time even though he falls down now and then. He doesn't realize there is anything wrong with him, he isn't suffering. In fact, he is in a wonderful home, the best home he's ever had, and he gets to stay there for the rest of his life.
Personally, my hat is off to Cynthia. I know this is a lot harder on her than it is on the dog. I admire her courage and respect her commitment. I know everyone will welcome her and Sam when they show up at Showcase Days, and I am confident each one of us will do our best to provide all the support she could ask for.
Like Lindsay's story, this one is also bittersweet. But so far, Sam is chugging along, happy and stylish in the bright yellow raincoat Jackie gave him....and I know I look forward to continuing to hear about his exploits on the list and updates to his blog!
Good job, Cynthia! Go Sam!!
Linda
posted by Sam the black GSD @ 9:45 PM
1 Comments:
Hi Sam,
Congratulations on your new home, I know you must be very happy about that.
I read about your problems with standing upright. I've had that problem for a while. I'm a Lab, and I will be 13 years old in a few months. I fall down sometimes, because I have a lot of arthritis in my hips and spine. (I was kind of wild in my younger days and I guess it's catching up to me.)
I just get up again. Sometimes my mom has to help me up, but I don't let it bother me. So don't worry about it too much, just get up again and get going!
Mikey (Splash's older bro)
Post a Comment
<< Home