SAVING DOBBY

Dobbins (affectionately known as "Dobby, the House Boxer," after the Harry Potter character), is a boxer pup who came to From the Heart as a referral from Animal Emergency Center.  He was covered in mange and his feet were so swollen they looked like catcher's mitts.  He was unable to walk because of the condition of his feet and his emaciation.  Our hearts went out to him.

Over the years, many people have asked what it takes to rehabilitate a dog -- emotionally, physically, and monetarily.  We decided to take you on Dobby's journey back to health, so his foster mom and dad have created his Blog. 

Please come along with us on his journey back to health and eventually to his placement in a loving home -- two months to the day from when he came to us on the brink of death -- and (as of May 11th) his return to rescue, second rehabilitation and continuing search for a home ... and his joy at a new home (June 2010), and the devastating news of more health issues (July 2, 2010)...

This is a long blog, but it has been a long journey with Mr. Dobbins, please take the time to read it all the way to the end to see what we started with, the bumps in the road, and the ultimate ending for this wonderful boy!

11/23 PUPDATE  (Foster Notes) I think we all cried when we first saw Dobby. I crawled into his cage at the vet's office with him and couldn't decide where to pet him - he was an open, oozing sore from end to end. I finally put a blanket over my lap to protect my clothes and wrapped a clean towel around him and hugged him.  The whole time, his tail was banging into the back of the cage.  He finally leaned into me, relaxed and went to sleep with his paws in my lap.  I could only find one patch of fur to pet - the white one on the back of his neck.  I spent over an hour in the cage with my legs slowly going numb, but he had finally gone to sleep, so I couldn't just dump him onto the floor of the cage.  When the staff told me that his treatment was finished and he could go home, I went home to talk to my spouse.  We are already bursting at the seams with foster dogs and our out-of-town guests were arriving within an hour. 

I thought I was OK, but I cried again when I told my spouse about Dobby's condition.  Within a few minutes, we were both headed back to the vet to pick up Dobby and bring him home.

On the drive back from the vet, the aroma of rotting meat that permeated the car made it apparent that Dobby had another immediate need - a thorough bath.  He went from the car, past our arriving guests and immediately into the tub.  Our guests are also dog people and were happy to converse from the bathroom door while I was up to my elbows in the bath.

In about 30 minutes, the bath water was tea colored and I fished an oozing and shaking Dobby out of the tub and wrapped him in warmed towels.  We already had the heater blasting , so I left him wrapped up and went to prep a place in our laundry room.  After he dried, I carried him in to his new, warm and soft nest next to the dryer and fed him.  Dressed in a clean t-shirt, with his teddy bear reward for being good in the bath, he fell asleep and was dead to the world.

DAY TWO:  That morning, I was startled to see a skinny, scabby Dobby standing up in his pen and wagging his tail.  The swelling in his face and neck was down, his back paws were normal size and his front paws (that had looked like softball mitts) were substantially reduced.  All of the open sores had scabbed over.  He made it clear that groceries were the first order of business.  By lunch, he was up and around enough that I let him out into the warm sunshine.

Every time I returned him to the laundry for a rest, his head would pop up over the baby gate and he would stand there, resting on his forearms, to see what was going on.

Day Three:  Dobby was shaking and limp in the morning, even after eating his breakfast.  (He is eating 5 - 6 small meals a day to bring him back up to condition).  He was minutes from going back to the vet's office.  I mixed nutrical, rice, chicken in hot water and he slurped it up.  Within a few minutes, he was back on his feet. 

Yesterday, I told him how clever he was when he went to the bathroom outside, so immediately after being dressed, he went outside to do his stuff - he had held it all night.  I left him outside to grab the camera and 'poof' - there was Dobby behind me in the kitchen - he learned the dog door in one try. (Since learning the dog door, he has consistently let himself out to do his business.) 

During morning play time, a large male puppy got rowdy with a smaller, more delicate puppy.  On hearing the smaller puppy cry, Dobby went to her, pulled her under his body with one big front paw and crouched over her to protect her.  I've never seen a dog do that.

He had his holiday bath and got a little shaky during the drying process.  I dosed him with Nutrical and he came right back.  He looked much better, with even more dead skin and scabs coming off and pink, healthy skin showing through, but darned if he didn't still smell funky.  I finally checked his ears and sure enough... He actually enjoyed the ear cleaning, which tells me how  bad his ears are.

Dobby was a wonderful host at dinner, greeting everyone and getting loved on.  He wore his new hoodie and appeared to enjoy it, with one wardrobe malfunction.  The hood ate his head at one point and he had to be extracted.  He took it with his normal good grace.  Dobby sez, "Turkey and gravy good!"

He howled when he had to go to bed in the laundry room, away from his puppy friends.  He snores.

Day Four:  Amazingly, Dobby was even better this morning.  He was alert and awake, after the addition of a late night meal to his feeding schedule and was up and ready to go.  He is also maintaining his body temperature well.  His medication/procedure schedule is extensive enough that I'm keeping a chart on him. He has been in and outdoors all day, putting himself out when he felt he needed it. 

His frequent naps are in a puppy pile with his puppy friends.  He had a big grin on his face today when he got scratched in the right place.  His only bad habit is his continuing attempts to crawl into people's laps.

The swelling in his front feet is almost completely gone.  He has a lot more fur than we originally thought, he looks almost normal (if still skinny) from the back.  He got an extensive rub down with all natural lotion, that was unfortunately lavendar scented.  He didn't like the foo-foo scent, but the relief from itching and dry skin was wonderful.  I stopped after he almost toppled off his feet, asleep. 

His eyes are much less red and the thick, nasty discharge has disappeared. He even turned down some food today; he finally felt full!

Day 5:  Dobby had a runny nose this morning, so we put off his bath.  He has pink, healthy skin appearing all over his body as the scabs drop off!  Since it is supposed to snow, Auntie Brandy stopped by with a cold weather wordrobe for His Handsomeness.  

I left Mr. Personality in the laundry, in a pen, to go work out.  I got back and there he was, standing at the back yard gate.  This means he got out of the pen, over a baby gate and hey, the dog door is a piece of cake!

Day 6:  Dobby still has a runny nose, so we will switch him to another medication to cover the possibility he might be developing an upper respiratory infection.  He isn't coughing, just has boogers (sorry!). 

We had another quick bath today.  His facial scabs are almost entirely gone and his feet are now covered in pink, heathy skin. His undercarriage is almost free of scabs and also has lots of pink, healthy skin.  His skin and fur are now very soft and he enjoys the lotions I rub into him - as long as they don't smell girly! 

He is wearing his 'snow outfit' today as the temperature drops.

Day 7: Dobby probably has Kennel Cough. He sounds like a California Sea Lion. He's not feeling too badly though, since he was running around the yard this morning.

He played with his lunch until I hand fed him the best bits. I'm hoping he's just not really hungry - if he can't smell food, this could be a tough go with the Kennel Cough.

Day 8:  Dobby ate last night's dinner and this morning's breakfast with great enthusiasm.  When I did a t-shirt change on him, I noticed that his spine no longer sticks out of his back and his ribs don't look like a xylophone.  In other words, Dobby is no longer Knobby! This must mean that we can now go down to two (enormous) meals a day.  I'll try it and keep a close eye on his weight. 

He has responded very well to the medication and is no longer barking like a seal.  His nose has even dried out.  I think I'm now tracking 7 different meds on him - this is why I have a chart.

Dobby does not approve of snow.  While the other dogs were gamboling through the white stuff today, he gingerly made his way to an appropriate spot, did his business, and went back inside.  Later in the day, he met me with one sleeve on his 'HO HO' shirt dragging underfoot and wet.  He wasn't happy until I got the wet shirt off and got him into a clean, dry outfit.  Of course, we had a good full body scratch in between clothing changes.

Dobby actually started to play with the other puppies today. He also learned to sit for treats - his fave being sweet potato fries for dogs.  

He still thinks he's a lap dog.

Day 9:  Dobby still has some boogers, but is very improved.  He ran in the yard today to play with the other dogs.  I've also seen him exploring toys.   He is trying to chew on nearly everything, but stops immediately when told 'no.'  This is puzzling for me - he also knows 'leave it' and can sit.  Someone clearly spent time with him and he was definately an owned dog.  I hope he got out by accident.

I know I've talked about all the medical procedures with Dobby, but there are behavioral aspects to working with rescue dogs.  It is fortunate that Dobby has remained sweet and biddable as he has gained strength.  He was exhibiting a tendancy to guard his food from other animals (not people) so I nipped that in the bud as soon as I saw it.  He stopped right away.  I have also cuddled and petted him every place on his body - there are certain spots, like the inside of the back legs, that dogs can be reactive to - he hasn't shown any tendancy towards that.  He did play a little rough with the other dogs, but after only a few corrections, he plays very gently.  He will make an amazing pet for someone. 

His ability to incorporate corrections very quickly and without any resentment indicates a high degree of sociability and intelligence.

Day 10:  I have been distinctly under the weather - perhaps I got KC from Dobby? Mark picked up the slack, cleaning the pen and feeding, with a minimum of swearing.  He came back to report to me that he couldn't figure out which medication on the chart was for which dog.  When I rasped, "They're all for Dobby", he looked very non-plussed.  (It's 9 meds, not 7 like I guessed before)  I had to convince him that bathtime is a required procedure, not just an optional Dobby de-stinking.

Dobby is quite nice about taking his pills in cheese or hotdog bits.  He will also put his paws in my lap for his eye and ear meds, both of which are unpleasant (he squeezes his eyes shut and endures the procedure for a hug and scratching session).

Every dog has a 'trigger' or 'tell', something they will respond to as a reward.  My lab will turn herself inside out to get her toy, my pitty (typically) will do anything for food.  Dobby will do nearly anything if I tell him what a good boy he is.

Dobby's silly 'grin' shows up more and more often these days. He was bouncing and prancing in the yard this morning, convincing my lab to play with him.

He still has odd lumps and bumps from his massive skin infections - playing with his dewlap is like holding a bag of marbles and he has a cyst feeling lump on his back leg.  Pustules are erupting here and there, too, but his improvement is remarkable.  He now looks lean, instead of being the doggy skeleton we got in 11 days ago.

Day 11:  Dobby, King of the Bathtub Ring

Mr. Dobby has had yet another bath.  He has hardly any scabs left.  When Mark asked me if I needed help getting him out of the bath, he promptly got out by himself.  What followed was an enthusiastic rub down session which removed even more dead skin and scabs.

After being dressed in two layers to combat the cold, Dobby went out for a play session with his partners in crime, Marlon and Petey.  He doesn't seem to care about snow anymore - it's old hat now after the second snow fall. Marlon got a little rowdy and Dobby put a half nelson on him and laid him on his back, with me laughing (until I coughed).

He's currently passed out in front of the kitchen hearth, snoring away.  The sound seems to soothe the other dogs, since everyone else is asleep.  His paws are all lovely pink skin with a dusting of white peach fuzz.  I actually found a few spots with hair on his front legs.

Follow up with his Vet on Monday - she is going to be so happy!

Day 12:  Home Alone

Since it's adoption day, Dobby spent the day with one other puppy and the big dogs for company.  Wonderfully, everything was pretty much as we left it, with some additions.  Somebody had a funky tummy and had a large amount of diarrhea.  Since everyone is eating and active - I won't worry too much unless I catch someone at it.

Dobby's main homeys went to forever homes, but I brought him a new playmate, a little spaniel named Cisco.  Cisco may be the best toy I ever brought for Dobby.

Day 13:  It was a nice warm day in between cold fronts today, so Dobby got to run in the yard all day NEKKID!  He really enjoyed it.  He has played continuously with Cisco (aka Crisco, since he came back to us a teensy bit overweight). 

I'm just realizing that it has been a normal day with a pretty darn normal - if hairless - boxer puppy.  Having seen Dobby in his altogether with his lack of fur, I think I can predict that there won't be a big demand for a breed of hairless boxers.

I did spend a lot of time at adoption day yesterday admiring healthy boxers, and picturing what Dobby will look like eventually.  He will, of course, be more handsome than any of the other dogs.  However, he is doing very well ...check out his before and after pictures:

 

Day 14: "That's Better?"

Dobby went for his 2 week check up today.  The waiting room at the vet was very full, so I sat in a corner and played with Dobby, who was alternating wagging his tail furiously at everyone with trying to 'sneak' into my lap.  I kept feeling eyes on me and would catch glances when I looked up, but didn't think much about it.  I was glowing with pleasure at how fabulous Dobby looked and how excited everyone would be to see him.

The techs started sneaking peeks out the exam room doors and grinning when the news about Dobby made it to the back.  By the time we were in an exam room, the word was out.  Everyone was 'ooh'ing and 'aah'ing about his progress.  That was, until he went for a weight and one of the Docs who had been on vacation when he was in said, "That's better?" in a shocked voice.

I took another good look at Dobby.  There he was, wiggling all over, with no t-shirt on and smelling a little gamey.  Well, yeah, I guess he has more skin than hair, he's still a little scabby and lumpy, but he's beautiful to me.

He's also beautiful to his vet, Dr. Barbara Crews, who crowed over his 11 pound weight gain and  amazing improvement.  The mystery of his 'gamey' smell was solved - he has a yeast infection of his skin.  With a new and fashionable medicated shampoo, we were on our way.

Dobby tried to greet a pretty girl boxer on his way out of the vet, but she just looked at him kinda funny - pretty much the way everyone in the waiting room was looking at us.

We've all had that experience in rescue, walking one of our foster dogs through PetsMart on a socialization trip or at the vets for a follow-up.  People look at us with an expression that says, "Lady, why are you smiling?  Your dog is SCREWED UP!"

Maybe, but you should have seen what I started with...

Days 15 and 16: Dobby is such a sweet dog that he allows Cisco to hang off his ears and bite the wrinkles on his face.

Dobby has earned 'carpet privileges'- that is when I can trust a foster dog to come into the den, and not wet on the carpet.

He can entice every one of my 'owned' dogs to play with him.  He won't retrieve, but he will race around the yard and bark during playtime.  He plays with the other puppies, but always gently.  He's getting a bit peeved with wearing clothes, all of his sleeves are tattered from being chewed, but he still gets cold without them.

I've had him on my lap for TV time in the evening.  He's pretty small, around 40 pounds, so it's easy to put him on my lap and cuddle him.  Once he stops wiggling in delight and bopping me in the nose with his big front paws, he settles down to a moderate snore, which makes me laugh.

His physical progress is incremental now, no big leaps, but steady improvement.  His feet get better every day and his face wrinkles are disappearing - he doesn't look like a shar-pei.

Every once in awhile I scroll up to the 'before' pictures to remind myself how horrible his condition really was.  Mostly, I just keep an eye on his sniffles and eye discharge, which are almost gone.

In the back of my mind, I know that we aren't out of the woods for an exposure to distemper, but he has passed the incubation time for parvo, influenza, rabies and we handled the kennel cough with nobody else getting infected (we vaccinate to prevent its spread now, after a couple of bad runs of contagion leading to pneumonias).  He's had one multi-vaccine (distemper, parvo,adenovirus, canine influenza) and his immune system is mature, though under stress, so chances are good that he can complete his recovery and be a normal dog.

Day 16:  Peach Fuzz

Dobby had another treatment bath for his bacterial and yeast skin infections and mange.  He left a few stray hairs on the bottom of the tub, but nothing else.  Quite a change from his first bath.  I was rubbing him with a sponge when I noticed that he has an overall coating of fine white fur on his chest! Yea!  He cruised the yard, soaking up some Vitamin D after his bath.

Continued Improvement:  Dobby has sprouted a slightly prickly and sparse mustache.  I can still feel his peach fuzz,  but it isn't terribly visible yet.  I have taken to telling people that he is a Mexican Hairless Boxer.  Interestingly, even people who know me well are taken in by this explanation.  Another bubble bath for Mr. Dobby today.  He spent most of the day out in the sun, enticing the other dogs to play with him, which was a really noisy process.

Dobby also snored his way through a plot-free movie last night.  It doesn't distract me, but Mark found it annoying.  I spent most of the movie looking for an angle at which I could hold his head to stop his snores.  If his nose parallels his neck, he stops snoring, but of course then I have to hold a hairless, slightly drooling boxer by the chin for an entire feature.

Week Three:  Dobby, hearing one of the volunteers was going to be going away for Christmas, has announced his intention to spend his Holiday Vacation in SoCal, the San Diego area, specifically.  He has several new outfits, suitable for the beach and will be taking his sunscreen and sunglasses.  I have been tasked with locating a suitable beach towel.  Pictures forthcoming, of course.

Puppy Again:  Dobby has quite suddenly become an actual 6-month old puppy again.  He is silly and playful and continuously involved in some kind of mischief.  We had to have a talk today about the new orthopedic foam bed not really needing to be taken outside, through the dog door.  I looked over and 5 minutes later, the dog bed was headed toward the door again, at a fairly respectable speed.  Substituting a rawhide chewy seemed the best course.

Tubby Time with Dobby:

Dobby now gets a bath every two or three days to treat the yeast infection he has in his skin.  Since he prefers to be in a tub full of warm water and we have to run the vent/heater, it has become a well-oiled production. 

First: make sure nobody wants to use the desktop computer in the office, as the heater draw will trip the breaker with anything else loading the circuit. 

Second: start the bath filling, add some shampoo to make bubbles (not just gratuitous, the medication works on the submerged Dobby parts). 

Third: start the heater to get the room warmed. 

Fourth: round up clean, dry towels.  If I put them up on the shower bar, under the heater, they are nice and warm when he gets out of the tub.

Fifth: Make sure that the correct shampoo, moisturizers and conditioners are available.  Locate Dobby's bath scrubby (yes, really). 

Sixth: round up Dobby.  Trust me, he knows it's bath time.  He goes into non-violent resistance mode and must be carried.  Since he has (wonderfully) put on at least 15 pounds, this is now Mark's job.

Seventh and etc:  plop Dobby into the filled bubble bath, soap up his scrubby and rub enthusiastically until he grins. I go over all the areas that are still a little flaky looking thoroughly (his face, head, neck, 'waterline', undecarriage and legs).  Try to keep him in the bath for the five minutes the shampoo requires. Rinse, repeat as required and if you can hold him still long enough.

Pull drain plug, get Dobby to put his feet on the edge of the bath and capture him in a warmed towel.  Start rubbing!  Usually I get most of him dried before he slithers out of the tub.  An application of Nutrical may be necessary if he's shaky. 

Apply moisturizers and a layer of conditioner while he's still damp, then towel vigorously some more.  Cuddling and smooches during this process are required.  When he is dry, capture him to put on a clean t-shirt and warm shirt.  Turn him loose to play.

Clean swath of destruction in tub, on floor and get all wet towels picked up.  Do yet another load of laundry.  Locate Dobby for playtime.  When he is thoroughly warm, if it's nice and sunny, he can run naked in the yard.

Dobby has grown actual fur on his front legs! ( See his intake photo for why this is exciting...)

Dobby, the Bowling Ball:  In anticipation of his long-awaited trip to SoCal (at least in his mind it has been an eternity), Dobby transferred over to Auntie Brandy's at Rehab Ranch.  Being used to the little monsters at Auntie Janet's & Uncle Mark's, he was a bit taken a back when he ran smack dab into the three mastiffs!  Dobby wiggled and giggled and tried to get them to play with him ... and play they did!  Dobby became a bowling ball for their enjoyment!  He would run up to one mastiff, who would bowl him over, he would then jump up and let another one do the same.  By the end of the game, Dobby had had a mud bath because they dumped him in the water bucket before rolling him again ... I guess he heard mud was thera-putrid (I mean therapeutic!)

12/20 -- Christmas is coming!  We decided to thoroughly embarass Dobby today and took him to our Meet-n-Greet at Petsmart.  He was Mr. Social Butterfly, that is, until we decided he needed his picture taken with Santa Claus.  Poor Dobby ... he is such a pleasant guy he patiently allowed us to dress him up as Santa Paws and, well, judge for yourself...

Dobby was also VERY excited to meet his two sponsors -- Angel Rebecca and Angel Rod.  He did his best to charm them and convince them he really is Mr. Handsome!  I think they learned why his nickname is Dobby Wigglebutt!

Dobby the Convict (phone report):

Dobby has been imbedded with the mobile unit of From the Heart, currently on location in San Diego, Ca.

Dobby enjoyed his drive from El Paso to San Diego, mostly looking out the back window to see where he had been.  His first road trip went smoothly until shortly after the California state line.  Upon reaching the first Border Patrol check point in California, Dobby activated his recognition lights, to be sure they could see him (he managed to turn on the lights installed in his Christmas sweater and was flashing merrily).  His partner in crime, one of the mastiffs, began barking, to alert that the car was owned property and was being guarded.  Oddly, upon seeing flashing lights and a barking mastiff in the back of a car, the driver was waived over to the secondary inspection line.

Previously, Dobby had received a black and gray, horizontally striped hoodie to protect his skin and keep him warm.  When wearing the it, he lookied like he ought to have numbers stencilled on the hoodie; it looked like old fashioned prison garb.  I received a request to ship the hoodie to California, since it seems like he might need prison stripes.

Upon further investigation (and the production of a valid ID and the driver's badge), the car was released from the inspection.  Dobby was not detained for questioning, although he did have to extricate himself from the fully packed car to meet everyone (he is such a social butterfly), and to have his recognition lights turned off!

Personally, I think the incident may be the responsibility of the person who made him wear the red sweater with applique Christmas tree and flashing lights.

Unpack and Stay Awhile: (phone report from embedded unit)

Dobby, having been left alone with his and the mastiff's suitcase, decided that he would make himself at home and get unpacked.  When his Auntie Brandy came in, she found the contents of the suitcase strewn liberally around.  To his great delight, Dobby found the container of sweet potato fries and shared them with his partner in crime, the mastiff.  After the overindulgence, someone had been sick on the chinese carpet.  After placing all the blame initially on Dobby, Auntie Brandy discovered the next day that overindulgence in sweet potato fries brings a certain - shall we say - intestinal distress.  This is how the other culprit, the mastiff, was discovered.

"Blueberry pancakes iz Num Nums!" (phone report from disgruntled unit)

Auntie Brandy made an elaborate breakfast of blueberry pancakes for the human segment of the family.  After delivering the first batch to the table, she came back in the kitchen and was amazed to find that the rest of the pancakes had vanished.  As she reports: "Dobby is a problem solver.  The mastiff KNEW he wasn't allowed to cruise the countertops, so Dobby got him into just the right position and put his feet up on his buddy to access the countertop."  The Partners in Crumb then shared their ill gotten bounty.

Dobby was also caught in the act of decorating for Christmas - he thought that the hibiscus flowers were just bee-you-tee-full and pulled every one he could reach off the bush.  This had been happening for the last two days, but today we got photographic proof:

Both boys were going to go for a trip to the beach today, mainly to make sure they were worn out and therefore too tired to get up to any more highjinks:

Charming Dobby:  Dobby went to a SoCal Dog Beauty Parlor for his scheduled bath.  He received a bath with natural shampoo and some wonderful conditioner.  After meeting Dobby and hearing his story, the staff put together a care packet of Almond based conditioner, a special skin spray for mange (that they said is very effective) and a new, pretty red collar.  Auntie Brandy had to buy another new collar for Dobby's buddy, the mastiff, so he wouldn't be jealous.

After Dobby's beautification experience, Auntie Brandy asked: "Is there anyone Dobby can't charm?"

Christmas Angels:  Christmas for Dobby was a magical time -- lots of paper to shred, ribbons to strewn about and a big bone upon which to chew. 

But ... rescue is not all fun as Dobby life has become.  Yesterday and today, Auntie Janet & Uncle Mark (who usually foster Dobby and write this blog) lost over half of a litter of puppies they were fostering.  Not each one can be saved, we know, but is it exceptionally hard when it is due to someone else's stupidity and lack of care.  These puppies came to rescue already sick, and despite herculean efforts by the rescue volunteers, these precious souls -- who barely knew life -- are angels in heaven on Christmas morning.  Three still survive and Dobby is hoping for a Christmas miracle ... won't you hope along with him too?

Polter-Dobby:

Dobby is definately acting like a puppy now.  He keeps rearranging dog beds and furniture to suit himself, startling his humans, who come in to find the room rearranged. 

We are having to curb his desire to be a lap Dobby, since he is now the normal size for a 7 month old Boxer.

He had an unofficial visit with his Doctor, Dr. Barb, who 'Ooohed' and 'Aaahed' suitably over how handsome he is. He has white paws now, all covered with fur and I was startled to see how much fur he has on his legs and head.  He could be mistaken for a pretty normal guy, now.

Reflecting on Dobby:

There are Life Lessons everywhere, aren't there?  I have the privilege of writing Thank You letters to people who have taken the time to donate to From the Heart.  In the email version, I always use an up-to-date story of one of our special angels.

I was writing a capsule of Dobby's story and realized how far we've come together and how much he has come to mean to me. 

During the holidays, as noted above, I was fostering a litter of 10 Malinois mix puppies.  These poor little guys were undersized to start with, then contracted a huge parasite load of round worms, a viral upper respiratory infection and finally, canine distemper.  We have one puppy left. 

During the trips to the vet to humanely stop the puppies' descent to a terrible death, I got pictures and texts from Mr. Dobby (Auntie Brandy typed the texts for him, since he doesn't have thumbs).  The thought of having made such a difference in his life and giving him a second chance is what sustained me through having nine puppies, who were only six weeks old, euthanized.

Rescue work certainly does offer the opportunity to make a corner of the world a better place and change people's life in a small but meaningful way.  What I hadn't fully appreciated is how much it has sustains me; how when life gets dark, the fact that there is a wonderful soul out there playing in the sun and bringing light to the life of their human, who wouldn't be there without my care and assistance.

And somehow, it all balances out.

Dobby Takes Art Classes:

Mr. Dobby, hearing that we were going to have a watercolor art show here in El Paso, really wanted to participate.  He apparently was disappointed that I didn't offer my watercolors and paper to him.  Being 'Dobby the Problem Solver' he appropriated some Ultramarine paint and shared it with the other foster puppies; Aileron and Tater Tot.

I was foolishly catching up on laundry.  I figured it was safe, since I put all the big dogs, including Dobby, outside.  I thought that the puppies were being very good and quiet.

Here's what I found when I went into the den: 

        Blue Aileron                                     Blue Tater Tot

So, who thinks Dobby should win a prize? It is pretty original.   (We should note the perpetrater was caught and temporarily jailed while the crime scene technicians cleaned up!)

Dobby is Available:

So here we are, at the end of the beginning of Dobby's story. Dr. Barbara found only one dead mite in extensive skin scrapings at Dobby's last checkup, so he had two more weeks of Ivermectin and antibiotics to make sure - and now he's done.

He is ready and able to go to a forever home. He will need lots of exercise, discipline/training/boundaries and, of course, love. Anyone who is willing to spend an hour a day training and exercising him will have an amazing life-long companion.

Not to mention his distinctly unmusical snores to keep you company.

Dobby is Adopted:

Dobby attracted a lot of attention at his first PetsMart showing.  He was smiling that goofy smile at everyone and giving kisses.  Some very nice 'boxer people' came along and when I told them about his tendancy to take possession of anything available and test it to destruction in the back yard, they laughed!

I told them his story and all his good and 'bad' traits; they signed the paperwork and took him on a sleepover.  They were going to call us by the end of the weekend if they didn't want him - they haven't called ... So, Dobby has gone to his forever home with people who really get him.  This is a good thing, since he was starting to think his name was Dammit Dobby.

Two months to the day from when Dobby came to us, he is in his forever home. 

It was quiet in the house for two days, then the next batch of new foster dogs came in, two pomeranians from a puppy mill bust down in Austin - they are heartworm positive and must be treated....

That's how it goes, we finish one case and are on to the next.  It would be easy for me to look at this as an endless process and get discouraged by the sheer volume of the need, but I have always liked Mother Theresa's approach.  We change the world one being at a time, a modest contribution, but it does make our corner of the world a little better.

PUPDATE (5/11/10):  IT STARTS AGAIN ...

Things don't always work out the way we planned, as so it goes with Mr. Dobby.  On May 11, 2010, From the Heart got a call that the adopter's needed to give Dobby back due to more medical problems requiring treatment  They also informed us Dobby had a problem with one of his legs.  On intake, we too noticed his back leg was swollen to twice its normal size!

Mr. Dobby was running a 104 fever, but when I crawled into his run, he climbed into my lap and banged his tail continuously against the side of the run until he fell into a fever doze.  I snuggled him and petted him, thinking it was just like the bad old days ... and so it starts again with him.

Auntie Brandy was there, and we asked to see his x-rays, wondering what on earth was going on with his leg.  The head vet tech asked, "Which boxer?  Oh, you mean the one that got shot?"  We exchanged puzzled looks and said, "Shot?  He's been bald, sick and had infections, but shot?"  Sure enough, we looked at the x-rays, and there it was, a scattering of bright white circles.  Our Dobby had been peppered with buckshot at some point, probably when he was out in the desert east of El Paso starving, before he even came to rescue in the first place.

Dr. Mark Lenox at Crossroads Animal Hospital, found a massive infection in his leg.  He drained Dobby's knee several times and finally allowed him to go home after three days in the hospital.

We also discovered the reason for Dobby's loss of appetite; he had a linear ulcer on the side of his tongue and an inflammatory tumor under it, which Dr. Mark lasered off his tongue.

How much more can this dog go through?

Dobby has been convalescing at the Rehab Ranch.  His new girlfriend, Kelcie, is helping him with his physical therapy, which consists of athletic games of tug of war, in which several unfortunate toys have already perished.

PUPDATE (5/19/10): 

Dobby went to see Dr. Mark today for a follow up on his leg.  The vet pronounced he was doing well, but that a medication change was in order.  While Dobby is starting to use the leg, there still is a great deal of inflammation .

We have now held a funeral for several of the dogs' toys, or at least the reminents of toys, have been sent to "Toy Heaven" where they will be restored to their pre-Dobby/Kelcie state of having all parts and stuffing!  The two dogs continue to play, which is probably the best therapy for Dobby's leg, but we are still finding 'toy guts' in nearly every part of Rehab Ranch (it's been a windy spring.)

If you have a stock broker, buy stock in dog toys!  The demand for dogs toys will definately increase as Dobby and Kelcie continue their campaign of mass destruction.

PUPDATE (5/22/10):  ANGELS TO THE RESCUE!

Dobby had a wonderful surprise today after we returned from adoption day ... Angel Helen and her sidekick, Diego (also a FTH dog) stopped by with a "We Care Package" for Mr. Dobby, full of new toys and treats!  I think she took us seriously when we said 'buy stock in dog toys!' He got a new rope bone, a Horsey, a squeeky toy and a cow that goes "Moooooooo."

Of course, Dobby got upset when we wouldn't let him have all of the toys at one time, but after cleaining up the carcasses of the last set of toys, we are determined that he has to conserve at least one new 'Angel Helen' toy to take to his new home (when the time comes)!  We have put the moo-ing toy aside (since that seems to be his favorite).

Dobby was a gentleman about sharing the treats from his basket -- everyone got a Beggin' Strip, although Dobby was convinced he should have two as the host.  There is just no reasoning with him when it comes to Num Nums.

His tongue is healing nicely from the laser surgery to remove the ulcers and he eats normally. However, we are still concerned about his leg.  While he will use it, he still hobbles around like an old man -- and he's only just turning one year old next week! 

PUPDATE:  Memorial Day Weekend

We got a call that (yet) another dog was in need of our help at Animal Emergency Center.  We thought this the perfect opportunity for Dobby to show off "His Handsomeness" to Dr. Pete Koplos, the vet who originally called us to help Dobby.  So we loaded up and across the mountain we went ....

Dobby, the seasoned traveler from his trip to San Diego over Christmas, loves riding in cars.  To him, it is a great adventure as the scenery passes by, although I do wonder what goes on his little pea-brain sometimes.

When we got to Animal Emergency Center, Dr. Pete came out to say "howdy."  I hadn't told him I was bringing Dobby, and his first remark was "What a beautiful boxer!"  Dobby, of course had to give him a big sloppy kiss in return for his compliment.  I then asked whether Dr. Pete remembered that nearly-dead, more mange than fur, skeletal pup he gave us for Thanksgiving?  He was flabbergasted!  He wasn't sure at the time Dobby was going to make it (neither were we sometimes), but it warmed his heart to see a healthy, happy boy wagging there.

As Dobby proceeded to make friends with and charm all those in the waiting room, I thought back to his first vet visits ... when the smell would proceed him into the vet's office by a good 10 feet, and everyone would look at us with the "hey lady, your dog is really screwed up" look because we were smiling about the fact he was, at least, walking!  But the six months of stange looks, treatments, vet visits, bathing, medications, surgery, and bruised legs from a never-ending wagging tail was worth it.  A beautiful boy emerged from the cocoon ....

Now let's hope we get good news at Dr. Mark's next week about his leg ...

PUPDATE:  Flag of Truce?

One of Dobby's great thrills in life is helping to clean (or should I say trash) the house ... For instance, he will take the tissue paper from the trash can and shred it ... however, today, he took his "helping" a bit far.

Bad foster mommy wasn't watching him while sorting and doing laundry.  Dobby grabbed a bra from the pile of dirty laundry off the floor and headed out the door.  He was a good 1/4 acre away when I caught up to him.  Of course, he turned and looked dutifully sorry with it hanging out of his mouth like a flag of truce ...  it reminded me of a recent "Draw the Dog" cartoon .... it was about then I realized Dobby had RUN across the Ranch!  Yes, RUN ... woo hoo, me thinks his leg is finally getting better!

Dobby's Independence Day

All of Dobby's Friends will be delighted to know that he has found an extremely loving home with pretty girl Pitty to play with.  His new forever family really loves him and he looks fabulous, his coat shining and soft.  He has put on nine pounds since his illness and he can 'bounce' all the way across the back yard, also run and play all day.

Recently, we got to meet up with Dobby and his new family.  Unfortunately, where we met Mr. Dobby and his family was at the vet.  After some initial blood and urine testing, it seems the unsinkable Mr. Dobby has kidney insufficiency of 75%, although his kidney values are stable.  He does have hypertension and is on medication (Enalapril).  Everything goes back to when he was dumped in the desert.  While, it is likely this kidney trouble will shorten his life, to what extent we don't know.  If he stays stable, doesn't get dehydrated or overheated and stays on a special diet, he could be all right for years.

This time, though, Dobby is not getting sent back to From the Heart!  Although, his new loving home is a young couple without enormous financial rescources, despite all of Dobby's previous trauma and this new diagnosis, they truly love him and want to keep him, whatever may come.  It warms our hearts to see people who are willing to take on a dog with medical issues like his - of course he is a fabulous guy, too!  Because they are so willing to give him the unconditional love he deserves, From the Heart has said we will help cover the costs of his medications and special food.

Dobby is doing well on his new diet and the meds!  He continues to be loved and to play with his pitty sister.  To look at the boy, you would never know he has a life-threatening condition.  He's doing so well (fingers crossed!), the vet said he didn't need to see Mr. Dobby -- other than for "cuteness" visits -- for a whole 6 months!  Here is the latest from his new mom and dad:

we just wanted to give y'all some new pictures and a heads up on how Dobbins is doing, he is doing so well -- he is taking his meds and eating like a champ.  He is now 62 pounds and still going up. He is also filled in more!  We are so happy that he stayed with us. When you come back to petsmart in our area well bring him by so he can visit you guys -- I know he will love seeing everyone.:)

PUPDATE: August 7, 2010 

Dobby and his girlfriend Mallory visited Adoption Day at PetsMart Yarbrough yesterday. I think he's going to be hired as the official PetsMart greeter. He alternated greeting everyone through the door with trying to start a wrestling match with Mallory the (NOT) scary pit bull. JoJo also made an appearance..., but had to leave for hair and makeup for her appearance on the Humane Society Telethon.

We got wonderful news from Dobbins' mom who said it was doing great and had actually gained weight!  He is up to 66 pounds!  He still is in love with his sister, Mallory, and they love to tussle.  They adore him and can't imagine life without him.