A Sad Day at the Park

Posted by on March 1, 2009 in At Home.

So today, on my daily romp at the park with my dog Kenzie...a strange Dalmatian that I have never seen before in the 3 years Ive lived in this neighborhood came up along side its owner. I proceeded to ask her if she was new to the area? Which she replied "no, Ive lived here for about 4 years." Confused (because I am at the park everyday with my dog and I have yet to see this dog here) I said "Oh Ive never seen your dog before." As I got closer to her dog I immediately noticed something horribly wrong with him. Slouched over, his head hung low, unstable as he walked ... I asked her if he was always so lame. She said he didnt feel well. I dug a little deeper and soon found out that the reason for his odd behavior wasnt just because he was a an older dog, but because he had gotten into some wire in the backyard and had made a meal out of it !! She continued to tell me that he eats everything and this is no different than what he does every day. From blankets to wires, leather car seats to shoes if its not one thing its another. She also said he had not eaten or drank anything in 4 or 5 days. By the looks of things this was very apparent! His rips were very prominent ,his side sunken in, his hip bones protruding out and his poor tail tucked far between his legs. It was quite obvious "Barren" was in some major pain. This was no ordinary snack.
I asked her what she planned to do about it, and she hesitated for a bit, then said "Nothing?" as if she was asking a question. "Hes such a bad, bad dog! He eats everything!" I said, I think you should take him to the vet. It was pretty clear to me from the short conversation we had had that she didnt have the money to spend on this dog. Nor did she have the time. (She has 3 dogs, a cat and a new baby) All the while she is moving from one house to another and leaves the animals at the old house to tend to themselves until she comes by for her daily visit. Not to mention Barren keeps a muzzle on him to avoid any unnecessary chewing, which as you know doesnt allow for any necessary chewing ie.food/water.
Long story short, I persuaded her to get him to the Vet asap. Upon our arrival, the Dr. immediately called for an x-ray.
Well this is where it get emotionally difficult. The woman had to get permission from her husband to spend any kind of money on this dog. From what she told me, he was never too fond of the dog to begin with, not to mention he had eaten everything they own. So he was upset that she had even gone to the vet for his problem. He said "I do not want to spend anything on that dog!" And therefore she was forced not to. She denied the xray (knowing that 98% likely that he was going to have some sort of obstruction which would then lead to surgery- causing more money to be spent and in turn a very upset husband), but she also did not want to put him down. Dilemma right?
Well the dog was signed over to the vet in hopes that the right thing would be done. Ill end it at that, because honestly I do not know what actually happened to Barren from there on. I do wish him the best!
The point of my story is as an owner of a "pet" it is important that you make sure you have enough time and money to care for this animal. Your pet did not choose you as a life partner, you chose him/her. Therefore give it your best to give them the best life possible. There are never bad dogs, only bad owners.

*TIP TO STOP CHEWERS FROM CHEWING*
Spray Apple Bitters on a cloth and hold it in the dogs mouth (about 30 secs). They will hate the taste of this but will never want to taste it again!! Now go spray it on the things they chew that you want to deter them from chewing. This should keep them away from those items. They will smell that smell and remember how horrible it tasted.
Goodluck!

<3
Dana




THIS IS NOT A PHOTO OF BARREN. *NAME HAS BEEN CHANGED

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