Nookie

[aly]

I'm having such a rough day. Early in the morning, the shelter manager told me she needed to talk to me before I left for the day. I asked her to tell me at that time but she said it really needed to be after the shelter was closed. So after we closed up, I went into her office and told her I didn't want to know what she had to tell me because my stomach was hurting and I was scared at what she was going to say. She then told me that Nookie, my boy who I've been taking special care of, is going to have to be put to sleep. She named a list of diseases they found out he had but I couldn't hear anything she was saying anymore. It really feels like my heart has been ripped from my chest. I ran out of work and got home as soon as possible because I couldn't even talk. I wish I had stayed because I want to know when they have to put him to sleep. I really want to be able to take him home for a few days and show him love and comfort before he leaves for Rainbow Bridge. I love this dog so much and everyone knew it. I guess thats why she had the consideration to tell me ahead of time. I hope to be able to take him home and show you guys pictures. I really really really hope they'll give him those extra days. He is so endearing. He's missing teeth and has a long tongue that is always hanging out of his mouth. He's my sweet boy.

I'm so devastated and there's no one here to talk to except cats and dogs so I guess I just had to tell someone about all this :(

I just read this post and most of it probably doesn't make sense but I'm having a hard time making sense right now.

[Pam]

Aly it does make sense and you have come to the right place. We are so sorry that you are going through this. As I have said many times, I admire people such as yourself who give themselves 100% to animals that have no homes. I think it was very thoughtful of the shelter manager to warn you ahead of time. I will be looking forward to seeing pictures of Nookie although it will be sad, knowing that he has such a short time left. I know that you and Reece and Lolly will make his remaining days as happy as possible.

[lizbud]

Aly,

I'm so very sorry to hear about Nookie. His life, though not
long enough, has meaning . He is loved, he is cared for &
I'm sure he knows that.Time is not the same to a dog.These
days when you've cared for him are what he'll remember.
If you can talk about him, tell us what he looks like, age,
personality, etc. I'd love to see a picture.Please hang in
there Aly, there are so many pups & kitties who love and
need you too. :) Liz & Buddy.

[sammi]

Aly I am sorry for the pain you are feeling tonight. It sounds like you have been giving Nookie loving attention - so you have already helped make his days better. I hope you will be able to spend some more time with him. If anyone can show him he is loved you can Aly.

[anna_66]

Aly, I'm so sorry to hear about this, it must be very devistating for you, seeing you loved him so much.
Like Pam said, you came to the right place. Not sure I have any inspirational words for you, but I do care and hope you get to spend some time with him before he leaves us for the rainbow bridge. If you do, I'd love to see some pictures of the sweetheart you care so much about.

Anna

[sasvermont]

Aly, the amount of attention and love you have already given Nookie is enough for him I am sure. I know it must hurt so much to see a bud put to rest, but if he is so sick, there is not much else to do. A picture of the pup would be good. Think of all the other sweet animals he will be joining when he does go. He will be at peace. Bless his soul and bless your heart.

((((((((((Aly))))))))).

[Dixieland Dancer]

{{{{{{HUGS}}}}}}

I hope knowing we are here for you helps a little! I'm sorry you have to go through this. :(

[jennifert]

Oh dear dear Aly....I'm so sorry.

Love, hugs and kisses from me to you...

[Cincy'sMom]

I am sorry you have to go through this Aly. I am sire you have made his time with you the best of his life and he appreciates that. And at Rainbow Bridge, there are no diseases and he will feel no pain.

[Rachel]

Oh our dear sweet Aly, I know how devastating this news must be. Are you sure you can handle bringing him home and won't make yourself sick in the process? It makes me sick just thinking about this sad sad circumstance and how much you care for this dear little creature whom you must let go. God bless you Aly and may He be with your Nookie on his journey to the Bridge.

[tatsxxx11]

Oh Aly. I'm so, so heartbroken for you and for Nookie. You hurt so deeply because you love so deeply. I too am amazed at those who have the courage to face the possibility of such loss and sadness, day after day. But then again, your precious charges, as well as yourself, are reward every day with all of the good that you do for so many. I understand you wanting to take Nookie home so that he may know the love and comfort of a real home. I only pray that should you decide to do this you will not make yourself sick. You are such a sensitive soul and we can't bear to see you hurting. When you see Nookie, please give him a kiss for me, ok. Oh, this is so heartbreaking, and I want to cry. God Bless you Nookie and Aly.

[ramanth]

God bless you for all you do Aly. (((((HUUUGGSS))))

[aly]

I'm on my way now to go pick Nookie up from work. I'm planning on talking to them and seeing if there's any way he can live with his conditions. If so, I'll adopt him. If not, he'll have 3 days to rest in a home where he is loved before he has to leave.

[Presley]

Tight Hugs!
Aly you are such a strong loving person. I wouldn't be able to handle doing the work that you do. I have lost animals that i have saved and i just can't do it anymore. You are such a sweet loving person. I do hope you get nookie. He will be in great hands with you.. Huge Hugs!

[aly]

I have him here with me. I talked more with the shelter manager about his health issues and its all still a big blur in my head. The good news is that his heart, lungs, and kidneys are fine. It sounds like he has possible Addison's disease, possible liver shunt, liver too small, crystals in urine, stones, and neurological damage. I am going to call the vet who saw him tomorrow and see what options I have. I will definately need to put him on a special diet and he'll need surgery to get rid of the stones (they are small still). She mentioned it'd be best to prolong the surgery until I can get him stronger. I can feel all of his bones when I pet him, he's so skinny. This is going to cost a lot so I think going to New York for that internship is going to have to be put off for awhile.

He went after Reece a couple minutes after I brought him home. I knew it was coming because he randomly attacks the dogs at work when I have him with another dog. Its weird. The shelter manager thinks it has to do with his neurological damage. Who knows. I'll post pictures and the story of how he and I became so attached later.

Thanks everyone for your kind words. No matter what happens, I always know I can come here for comfort. Please keep Nookie in your prayers. I hope when he does go to Rainbow Bridge, that it will be due to natural causes.

[tatsxxx11]

Bless you dear Aly. All my prayers and best wishes are with you and little Nookie. We will be hoping for the best. {{{Hugs}}}

[sammi]

We might have different opinion's on somethings, but one thing we all agree on is our love of animals. I hope it all works out. I want to hear the rest of the story......

[aly]

Ugh, Nookie went after one of my kittens earlier. I am going to call a dog behaviorist tomorrow to try to get an understanding of this. He's perfectly fine with the dogs and cats except for those random attacks which happen for absolutely no reason.

I'm too tired to type out the whole Nookie story right now - its almost 3am :eek: Its not that interesting anyway. I will show you guys a picture of him though. He's the cutest little thing. His pics actually turned out good. He doesn't look quite so pathetic in the pictures as he does in real life.

[DoggiesAreTheBest]

Aly,

So sorry to hear about Nookie. Any news on his condition?

He is a sweet heart.

[jennifert]

He's a cutie Aly. I'm sorry to hear he is going after the kittens and poor Reese.
I hope and pray that everything will work out.

Love - Jennifer-

[aly]

So far we've just had those two incidents. He slept on a pillow by my bed because I didn't want to risk him sleeping so close to my dogs and cat on the bed. They move around a lot and thought they might spook him in his sleep.

I'm taking them all to the dog park today if its not too hot. Nookie will stay on a leash even though he follows me around everywhere. I can just see him attacking some huge dog :rolleyes: He did attack a Pit Bull at work but she's so sweet, she just stood there.

I haven't called the vet or the behaviorist yet. I will update you guys when I do.

[Sudilar]

Oh Aly, you don't know how much my heart goes out to you. With all those medical problems, it will be difficult and expensive, but maybe not impossible. In the area of the liver disease, that's an up and down fight and the kidney stones are treatable, so in those cases, you might be able to help him. The possible liver shunts and small liver are what Killian is plagued with. So in that area, you know Nookie would have his ups and downs. The neurological problems can be related to liver disease. The toxins poison his system so as soon as you can, you'd have to get him on that special diet. What an uphill battle you would be taking on, but it is something that a lot of us here on the BB would do. Do they have an idea as to what is causing his neuro problems, such as injury, or no clue? Then look to the liver. I pray that you will have the strength to make the right decision. I know that you will. The random attacks worry me. Try the diet, get the toxins out of his system. He can live with liver disease, but eventually it will do him in, but that may be a long, long time in the future. This will be a challenge to you, dear Aly. Only take it on after much consideration. If you should decide to fight these diseases, I will be here for you all the way in the liver department. There is a wonderful liver BB that will give you all the best advice every step of the way because we have been there and done that. Some have won, some have lost and some are still fighting. My heart goes out to you. We need a BIG miracle here.

Thinking of you and Nookie constantly.
Sue

[zippy-kat]

Oh Aly! He's a cutie!

Good luck with him!!

{{hugs}}
Tonya

[aly]

Thank you so much Sue. Your words have given me some much needed strength. I'm still sitting here with the vet's name and number in my hand. I need to call ASAP.

The shelter manager did tell me that the vet said the neurological damange was related to the liver. She explained a lot and it took like 15-20 minutes for her to tell me everything that is wrong. That is why its sort of blurry to me. The random attacks scare me too. He corrected Lolly today but didn't go after her like he did to Reece and Moby. I'm just using the "Back off" command to my dogs when they get too close to him and I'm keeping CLOSE watch on the kittens while they are near Nookie, but mainly keeping them seperated for now. Shiloh did bop Nookie on the head when he kept sniffing her butt and then he ran away.

I think I am going to call my internship and tell them to fill my position. I am almost positive I am going to choose to fight for Nookie's life... and that means spending the money I had saved up for New York. Thank goodness I had all that saved. The internship was going to be expensive so I hope I will be able to cover most of these bills. My parents sometimes help me out financially if I'm in need but I know they are going to be mad at me for this one so it looks like I'm on my own.

I'm going to want to talk to you about the diet Sue. I've been doing some research but need to do more.

[aly]

Oh my gosh, this is so overwhelming.

[Sudilar]

Yes, it is. Be strong, Aly. You are fighting for a life. I know. I fight for Killian daily. On the good days (which seem to be quite often for us right now) it's wonderful on the bad days, it's scary.

OK, so the neuro signs are probably from the liver. That should be able to be remedied. You'll have to get those toxins out of the system. When you ask the vet about the diet, ask about a high fat, low protein diet. Many of the liver disease board members' dogs are not on Killian's diet. It is controversial over at the board. Ask which way the vet would like you to go. I can get you their recipes, too. Killian's works so well for him. Let me know if you want it. Maybe over the time you have Nookie for now, you could try it. I'll pm it to you. It is very simple!! If he'll eat it, then he will gain weight. Killian is at 98, which is a whole lot better than he was before, but not at his top weight before L-D. Hang in there. It IS hard, but it is a fight well worth fighting. You must act quickly to get those toxins out.

On a side note, I hope this recipe doesn't interfere with the kidney stone problem. I don't think it will.


On the money note, last year's trip to Disney World was postponed till this year so I could save up enough money to go being that I used it all up on Killian's diagnosis and detox. I couldn't leave Killi last year anyway because he was so deathly ill. So I know what you are going through. :(

Sue

[mugsy]

Nookie is worth it I'm sure Aly. I would have done the same thing for any of our dogs. If Mike and I can do anything, please let us know...I don't know what it would be, but we might be able to come up with something.

[aly]

DOH!!!!! One of my fosters just erased my post when I was almost done writing it. He is walking on the keyboard trying to eat my fingers, hehe.

Anyway, I talked to Nookie's vet today and he was very encouraging. It is a very nice vet office and they are going to do some extensive tests at half price for me. Great news is that he won't have to have surgery for the stones. They are small enough that it can be fixed by diet. He said there is a slight possibility in the future that he'd need surgery if the stones blocked his something-or-other (sorry... talked a LOT to the vet and all the terminology is still new to me). 44444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444 4444444444444444444444444e

Haha, Moby is still walking on the keyboard. EEk! And he stepped on the remote and just turned on the vcr and played a movie.

Ok back to Nookie.. We are going to do the more extensive tests to find out exactly what he has. Right now there's just a lot of possibilities of what he has. The stones are the only thing thats for sure.

Nookie came to work with me today in his 4th of July bandana. He was very cute. At exactly 8:00 he knew it was time to leave and he got up from his nap and ran to me and kept saying "Woof wooooooof Woof woooooooof!!"l

I am very happy and filled with hope after talking to the vet!!

[Sudilar]

Great news!! I've been too scared to ask how he was doing! Now I'm relieved. Whew! Do they know his liver enzyme levels? Did they do an ultrasound to know that he has a small liver and a shunt?? That was soooo nice of the vet to cut his price for you. Good luck and keep us posted!!

Moby is doing a wonderful job learning all the electronic components! LOL

Sounds like Nookie had a great day today; all because of you, Aly! Wonderful!

[aly]

He has an appointment for an ultrasound and some more blood tests on Wednesday. He'll have to stay there the whole day :(

He went after Lolly for the first time today. I was sitting up against the couch and he was laying by my side. Lolly was approaching so she could jump on the couch and he jumped up and charged at her growling. She sort of backed up then tried to jump on the couch again and he did it again. She was an angel and just walked away. I'm hoping Nookie will cut this out. I'm going to work on getting the toxins out of his system and hope he acts better.
\\\\\\\\\\\\89999999999999999999999999999999999999 9999999999

Yes, Moby had to talk again :rolleyes: This kitty is ALWAYS underfoot and won't let me eat or sleep in peace either, hehe.

[Sudilar]

Moby's typing is improving!! :)

Does Nookie have those attacks after eating? Maybe it's not liver related. Maybe it has something to do with his past or disposition. Do you have any knowledge of his past history? Was Lolly going to jump up behind Nookie and over his head or behind him? Are they just warning growls? Sometimes you can't tell the difference, though. I'm so glad you decided to work with him.

The ultrasound took Killian all day. We dropped him off at the specialist and had to come back for him in the late afternoon. He was fine after that. Sometimes they want to go ahead and do an ultrasound guided needle biopsy at that time, too. Good luck and please keep us updated. He is such a cutie!

Sue

[aly]

You guys would not believe how bad today was. I am still shaking.

Some of you might remember last year when my shelter had its annual telethon and I worked myself ragged that weekend. Well this weekend was the telethon and it was high, high, high stress between cleaning the shelter during the past couple weeks, getting all of the tv spots planned out, worrying about all the problems that go along with live tv, etc etc. Anyway I was supervising the phone banks again this year (meaning I was on the actual tv set). Yesterday went pretty smoothly and then today happened......

I had Nookie at work with me both days in a crate behind the desk (he couldn't run loose behind there because we were SO busy, I didn't want him to get stepped on or anything). When I was at the phone banks, I would swap out puppies and kittens for the phone volunteers to hold while answering calls because it looked really cute. I got the (really stupid) idea to go get Nookie and let them hold him so he could be on tv. I cleared it with the shelter manager and my supervisor. I thought it might cause some problems if a lot of people thought he was up for adoption and started calling in for him (that happened with Reece last year). But they both said it would be fine. Then after he'd been at the phone bank for a little bit, a volunteer raised her hand and flagged me over. She told me a woman just called and said that Nookie was her dog and she was on her way over.

I freaked. F-R-E-A-K-E-D!!!!!!!

I slipped off the set and ran and told some of the adoption counselors that if that woman came in to play dumb and say they didn't know where the dog was. Then I went back to the tv set but I was stressing so bad, I went to go find the shelter manager. I told her the situation and she kept telling me not to freak out and when the woman got there to just try to appease her until tomorrow because we didn't want some big commotion on our busiest day of the year. She told me we weren't going to hand her over the dog today and I didn't need to worry and it'd be okay. So then I go back on set (I'm not really supposed to be leaving at all) and a short while later I see someone behind the camera flagging me down. They told me that the woman was there.

So I go up front and she shows me their missing poster. The picture had to be from a loooooong time ago because he looked really young and a lot different. I knew pretty much right away that it was him, especially after reading "LOST DOG WITH LONG TONGUE". She didn't know at this point that I'd been fostering him. I told her the dog was not available to be seen and we were really busy with our telethon, but that she could bring back vet records on Monday to prove the dog has been taken care of. Then it comes out that he's not really her dog, he belongs to a man who's in Japan right now and they were watching the house and dog. Later in the conversation she said the owner was in Florida though. Well where is he, Florida or Japan!?!?!?!?!! I asked her if she was aware of all of his health problems (she said no but later on said yes to somebody else). Granted its not her dog, but his medical conditions are painfully obvious to me after just a week. She's taking care of him for 4 months. Then the woman starts to go psycho yelling and accusing us of lying. My superviser came over and told her to lower her voice or she would be asked to leave. At this point I had to run back to the phone banks. About 10 minutes later, someone came to me and said they were filling in for me because 2 members of the Board and the operations director wanted to talk to me. They pulled me into an empty office and started right away telling me not to freak out. Well that made me start freaking out and crying. They told me that the woman refused to leave and to avoid a scene we needed to show her the dog to confirm that it is him.

(this is getting long so I'm going to continue it in another post...)

[aly]

So Judy from the Board of Directors comes with me to get Nookie while the Operations Director takes the people to her office. Judy let me watch from the hall while she carried Nookie in. The three kids that were with the woman said "yup, that's him" and the woman was nodding. Nookie kept turning his head to try to see me and he had no reaction towards them. Then all of a sudden the woman bursts out crying like a lunatic and Judy takes him out of the office. I talked to Judy further and she said we need to find out the exact day we took him in. They lost him on May 25th and we got him in NASTY condition. She said that if it was less than a week that he was lost before we got him, then there was no way in hell that they would get the dog back because that wouldn't be enough time for him to get in such sorry shape. We found his paperwork and we received him on June 1st, exactly one week after he had gotten lost. I honestly don't think he got in that bad condition from just a week. We had to cut this nasty bandana off him that was almost getting embedded into his neck. And we were pulling out hundreds and hundreds of weeds that looked like they'd been in his fur forever. We also had to cut off a good portion of hair.

So Judy told me we'd have to meet tomorrow (Monday) and figure out if its an abuse or neglect case and take it from there. I started crying again because I have his appointment on Wednesday that I was scared to death of him missing. She kept reassuring me. So I go back to the phone banks looking like crap. My eyes were filled with tears and a lot of the telephone volunteers were over consoling me and got in trouble because they got a live camera shot of the phone banks with a lot of empty seats.

So we were finally off air for good at 2:30 and I just walked around in a daze. We were so busy that I had to get back to work but I couldn't concentrate. All the volunteers and staff and people who I had no clue who they were kept pulling me aside and asking me if I was okay because they'd heard what happened. Then I heard they told the President of the Board the situation (he's a real .... I can't think of any word that describes him that wouldn't have to be censored). At first he said that I needed to give the dog back right away, but thank GOD the shelter manager talked sense into him.

So then at like 6:00, the shelter manager grabs me and asks if I have a minute. She told me as far as she's concerned, its BS that we'd have to meet tomorrow to discuss what to do. She said that he's my dog and its my choice and my choice only. She said he would be dead if it wasn't for me and I could tell the "owner" that. I got instant relief. I don't know why no one told me this earlier!!!! But I was so emotionally drained by then that all I could do was tell her thank you about 10000 times.

So this woman is coming into work tomrorow with her "proof" and I'm going to tell her my honest opinion which is that I've invested a lot mentally, phsically, and financially into this dog. I feel like I can give him much better care and I can't release him to someone who I feel won't give him the medical and emotional attention he needs. Besides that, he is legally mine. We followed the law and kept him 3 days and filed a found animal report. If you have an animal for more than 3 days here, it becomes legally yours.

[aly]

also, his name is Bubba but he doesn't really answer to it. He answers right away to Nookie. This just tells me that he was probably not given any attention.

Also, I have a STRONG feeling that the owner left him in the backyard and the woman who is watching him just came over to the house and put food and water in his dishes. I just KNOW that this is what happened although its not confirmed. I don't think he's lived in a house for a looooong time... maybe not even his whole life. He sure likes to poop and pee everywhere in my house and I know those people wouldn't let him in.

[Karen]

I do think that they need to figure out if it was abuse or neglect anyway, so that if the person whom she said "owns" Nookie comes back and tries to take legal action, you have proof, and legal ownership.

If that person is real, and really away and left his dog in the care of this person, he needs to know what happened, so it could never happen again. If that person really exists, this would be horrible for him, too. Is there any way of contacting him? (If he really exists, that is.)

[aly]

Well he is supposedly up to date on his vet visits and has records. If she shows me these and I feel like the real guardian will take care of the medical conditions, I'll give him back. But I am very doubtful they will be able to produce vet records.

[Karen]

Well, do keep us up-to-date.

If the actual owner can resume custody, that might be best - that and he never trusts this woman with another animal ever - can you imagine going away, thinking you are doing the right thing by leaving your dog with a pperson, and having all this happen? Every dog owner's nightmare!

If that can't happen, of course, then I think it's obvious (to everyone) that Nookie belongs to you far more than that woman.

[aly]

I have a gut feeling though that this owner is quite aware of the minimal care the woman is giving Nookie and I think the owner gave him minimum care also. Nookie's personality is that of an outside dog with little socialzation and training. There's a lot of subtle things in his personality that remind me of previous backyard dogs we've gotten in the shelter.

[aly]

Could someone help me find a website that would outline the 3 day law regarding strays in my area (Austin, TX)? I want to print it out and take it to work tomorrow to give the woman.

[zippy-kat]

Here's a link I found. I haven't found anything re: the law yet but I'm not familiar with it and there's a bunch of info to wade through.

Still looking....
http://ark4pets.com/thln/links.htm

[zippy-kat]

http://www.law.utexas.edu/dawson/cruelty/tx_cruel.htm

[DoggiesAreTheBest]

Oh, Aly! I am sorry to hear about this whole mess. And on a busy day like the one you had!

In Georgia shelters, owners have 72 hours to claim their lost pets. If the owners claim them after those 3 days, they have to go through the adoption processes if the dog is available in the shelter. I am not sure if the rules are the same in Austin. If they are, then there is no way Nookie can go home with them. Their adoption application can be denied!

You and Nookie will be in my thoughts today. Please post soon about how the meeting went.

[aly]

I'm scared. I dont know how this woman is going to react. I will tell you guys what happened when I get home from work this evening.

Thanks for the links Tonya.

[Stenograsaurus]

I'll be thinking of you guys today. I hope that everything works out.

[zippy-kat]

Good Luck, Aly!

We, too, are thinkin' of you today!

[Dixieland Dancer]

Oh Aly... I am so sorry you have to go through this. I hope and pray it all works out for your benefit. Please keep us posted.

{{{{{HUGS}}}}}

[ramanth]

Oh Aly, what a nightmare!!!

Please have someone with you as a witness when you talk to this woman. She sounds coniving.

If Kia or any dog I was watching went missing, the SECOND I find out I'd be calling all the shelters. All day, every day on top of looking around.

And Nookie does not look like the kind of dog that should be outdoors all the time.

How disgusting!!

I hope the previous owner does lose the rights to him. You've done so much for Nookie. He'd be dead right now if it weren't for you.

He's yours.

Case closed.

[Cincy'sMom]

I hope it isn't too late to send out postivie thoughts! I am guessing whatever has already happened. Hopefully the woman didn't care enough to even show up today! I am so sorry you have to go through this, but I have to think the law would be on your side. You have given so much time, love and money to this dog, you deserve him. I really hope all went well....

[sammi]

Oh, Aly I hope that today went ok for you and Nookie. I will be waiting to hear what happened tonight as I think lots of members are.

[aly]

Well the woman started calling the Operations Director at 7am this morning. She cussed her out and ended up hanging up on her on almost every phone call. She said the owner is flying in from Florida tomorrow and then leaving for Japan the next day. I am not sure if she's flying here for the dog or if she was going to fly here anyway. The woman said the owner is beside herself because she lost her husband and now her dog is "stolen". She is demanding a meeting with the Operations Director, Shelter Manager, and President of the Board tomorrow. I don't think she is going to get one though. She said the dog costs lots of money and is stolen "property". Legally, she has no grounds to stand on.

A lot of you might disagree with this, but as far as I'm concerned there is no way Nookie is going to anyone but me. Even if the owner cares about him, he was not cared for medically and he was a purely outside dog. He doesn't deserve to live the rest of his life like that... and it would be a very short life if he went back to her. The psycho woman claims they have vet records from March where Nookie got a clean bill of health. I can tell you there's absolutely no way he developed all these health problems since March. I would love to see these so called vet records. Even if I would consider surrendering him to the real owner, how could I when she's flying to Japan on Wednesday and Nookie would go back into the care of the maniac. No thanks. He's legally mine and is going to stay that way.

[mugsy]

I know I don't disagree with you. You have every right to Nookie. I would tell her to take a long hike off of a short pier and don't look back when she falls. I don't think the woman has a legal leg to stand on. She would have to produce some sort of proof that she was looking for him too, I would think.

[aly]

All they did was put up a few signs. They didn't even check shelters (they admitted this). I think even if they did prove that they were actively looking, the law would still be on my side.

Anyway this is a big sigh of relief for me. I am now afraid they're going to find out where I live though. Scary.

[DoggiesAreTheBest]

Aly, I don't think you have anything to worry about! Let her demand to meet with anyone and everyone at the shelter, there is no way she can take him from you.

So what she has vet records from March. Has she checked the calendar? It's July! Nookie has been in your care for weeks now. Didn't you say he was found in May or June?

Are you fostering Nookie or have you adopted him? Perhaps you had mentioned it before and I missed it. If you have adopted him, he is yours! And if you are fostering, he belongs to the shelter who can refuse to give the animal back to the old owner.

Keep us posted!

[Rachel]

Strange, very strange. A owner who is so beside herself but leaves her dog in the *care* of someone else for months on end. A *caregiver* who is hysterical yet didn't even bother to check the shelters when the dog was lost. Being loud and demanding seems like a tactic to use when the truth might fail!

Seems as if the law would be pretty clear in terms of the number of days that a owner has to claim a pet. If those days expired, the shelter would have custody and be able to adopt the dog out to whomever they wanted based on their procedures. Doesn't seem to me as if these people have any legal (or moral) rights in this case.

[Sudilar]

Good luck in your fight for Nookie. Present them with his vet bills. Then maybe they'll back off.

[ramanth]

Good luck Aly! I totally agree with you. :)

[anna_66]

Oh how I hope everything is going to go your way. I think he ought to be with you. Let us know what's going on!

[aly]

I just got a call from the Operations Director. She wants me to stay out of the situation because she said this woman is truly psychotic. She's received so many nasty phone calls then today she received some sugary sweet ones from her. She's demanding a one on one meeting with the Operations Director. She said that the real owner couldn't make it. We have a feeling that the real owner isn't even flying into town like she said she was. This weird woman is full of lies. We haven't even received one phone call at all from the real owner. If I was in the owner's shoes, I'd have called the shelter as soon as I found out.

But anyway, its decided. The Operations Director isn't going to give her a meeting. There's no need to have one and she doesn't want that crazy woman in the shelter. She's calling her right now to tell her that Nookie is adopted to someone else and there's nothing legal she can do.

I was originally just fostering Nookie but after this incident he's become mine I guess. At least all the higher ups at the shelter keep telling me he's legally mine. The ONLY worry I have is his food aggression and territory issues. He got Reece last night and it was scary. He didn't hurt Reece but scared him half to death. My dogs aren't used to any kind of aggression at all.

Ok, the Operations Director just called me again. She said the phone call went rather well. The psycho woman is housesitting and living in the owner's house and she was afraid she would be kicked out of the house if she lost the dog. She was actually very agreeable and admitted Nookie is much better off in my hands. She said the owner is never home anyway and is always out of the country. And that she did in fact leave the dog outside all the time because her carpet is expensive and she couldn't risk dog hair or urine inside. All she asked was that we talk to the owner and tell her psycho woman tried to get the dog back for her. So the call ended nicely. I have one thing to say: GET THAT WOMAN SOME MEDICATION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So little Nookers has turned from a lawn ornament to a companion and friend.... and his health is getting better even in this short time that he's been shown love and fed properly.

[aly]

His ultrasound and bloodwork appointment is tomorrow. Wish us luck!!!!!

[DoggiesAreTheBest]

Great news, Aly. Phew, what an ordeal!

Good Luck to you, Nookie! Hope your appointment goes well.

[zippy-kat]

(any Limp Bizkit fans out there?)

Congrats on the new baby Aly! We all know he has a wonderful home!!

[aly]

Hehehe Tonya, sometimes I call him Fred Durst :D

[ramanth]

LOL ZippyCat!!!

HORRAHH!!!!!! I'm so glad you get to keep little Nookie. :D :D

And best of luck tomorrow on your appointment! :)

[Sudilar]

CONGRATULATIONS!! Good for you, Aly and little Nookie. Also, I will be praying for good results in tomorrow's ultrasound and blood work.

Maybe the Nook-ster needs to be put in his place. He probably wants to be Alpha. What does Carrie think about this? If his actions are not caused by his liver toxins, is it a behavioral problem? Can it be both? Hope poor Reecie-boy is ok!

WooHoo!

[aly]

I've been treating him as alpha and my dogs are submissive to him but he still persists. I know a few tricks to help the food aggression but I don't know what to do when he's territorial. I'm meeting with my friend who is a canine behaviorst on Thursday to dicuss what all I can do to maintain peace.

I am praying that the behavior is due to the toxins but I have a feeling it isn't.

[lovemymaltese]

I am sorry to hear about Nookie Aly. You'll be in my prayers.

[mugsy]

Congrats Aly, it certainly has been quite the ordeal for you. Let us know how the vet visit goes.

[Cincy'sMom]

Great new Aly! I am so glad Nookie will be with you and get the love and care he deserves! Good luck with the tests tomorrow!

[aly]

This seems like small news but I have a gut feeling its a big improvment. When I first brought Nookie home, he couldn't jump on any furniture or on my lap. He really tried to but would not make it and fall down. Today he's jumped into my lap 4 times with ease :) I think he's feeling much better.

I am still really scared about his liver problems. I think that is the worst of what he has. Everything will be confirmed or denied tomorrow.

[zippy-kat]

Hey small steps are absolutely better than no steps at all!!

Way to go Nookie! Glad you're beginning to feel better!!

[aly]

More drama :(

The owners called CJ (operations director) and left her a message saying they have full intentions of getting their dog back. She also received a call from the husband who psycho woman said was dead. They want a meeting with her now.

I have Nookie at the vet right now getting his tests done. CJ said she's going to wait until his tests are done so we'll know for sure all his health problems because the real owners said they were not aware of any.

This sucks. I'm so sad. I wish they'd leave us alone and go away. They are going back to Japan tomorrow but said they wouldn't leave him with psycho woman again.

[K9karen]

:( :eek:

[anna_66]

Aly, I'm so sorry for all the drama in your life, how it must suck. Maybe they will come to their senses and leave you alone. And didn't they say Nookie was legally yours now? I don't understand why they are pursuing this.

[aly]

He is legally mine but they don't care. And yesterday it was the petsitter who finally admitted that he was better off in my care. Since we hadn't heard from the real owners yet, I figured we wouldn't hear from them at all. *sigh* This is gonna get nasty.

[zippy-kat]

OH GOOD GRIEF!!
Why do they need the dog back NOW if they're leaving tomorrow?!

[aly]

I'm not doing very good right now so I can't explain the whole story but I'm surrendering him to the owner's daughter who is my age and lives in Dallas. She is driving here right now and I'll meet her at 11am tomorrow. She grew up with the dog and is going to take care of his medical issues.

[DoggiesAreTheBest]

I know that decission was very difficult for you to make. I am certain that you have Nookie's best interest at heart.

[anna_66]

Your kidding. It must be so hard, I'm so sorry Aly.

[zippy-kat]

I'm so sorry you have to go thru this Aly!

[aly]

Jsut picked him up to come home for his last night and they todl me he might have prostate cancer.

[Sudilar]

Oh my goodness. Such horrible news. I am so sorry for all that you are going through, Aly. {{{HUG}}}

[aly]

He's been panting for 30 mintues and its not hot. I think something really bad is wrong.

[Karen]

Any chance his panting is a reaction to some medication or sedation they did on him today to diagnose him? Poor Nookie, poor Aly.

Maybe he feels the heat WE'RE having up here all the way down there?

If everything happens tomorrow, and you give him to the owner's daughter, will you tell her she should report in to Pet Talk and let us all (and you, most of all) know how the poor sick boy is doing? Tell her there's a whole community who wants what's best for him, and maybe, if she did grow up with him, she does too.

[aly]

This is really killing me. I don't think I've stopped crying all day. I went from thinking he was mine yesterday to finding out he's not mine today. Not only that, but he has health problems even more severe than I thought. I feel so sick.

He's not panting anymore. I was just about to call the emergency room.

[aly]

I'll try to tell the story from what I know. It turns out the woman's husband did actually die. The husband she's with now is her second one. The woman is beside herself with grief because she's had the dog so long and he was part of the family with her first husband and daughter. They supposedly had him inside and it wasn't until the petsitter started watching him that he became outside (really don't know if I believe this). They showed the vet records from March where he had 6 teeth extracted and he was neutered. The only reason they neutered him was his prostate was enlarged. Well, too little too late. The vet is almost sure he has the cancer. They were not aware of any of his other medical issues. It is on record that they told the vet about excessive urinating in the house and the vet told them it was territorial. That must be one awful vet. The people said that the petsitter was a liar and really hard to deal with. They kicked her out of their house and said they wouldn't allow her to watch him ever again. Their daughter from Dallas was willing to drive right down and pick him up today if I would surrender him back to them. I had to think about it and I asked CJ if she thought they were truly going to care for him. She said yes. She met them in person and believed that he would be inside with the daughter and she would get him treated medically. When the parents return from Japan in October, they will be done with traveling and he will probably go back with them. But they said he will be inside. If CJ feels they will take care of him, I trust her judgement. I started thinking of Dessi, my childhood dog, and what would happen if the situation happened to me. I decided to give them the benefit of the doubt, but I will make them sign a contract of ours. I'm going to add a clause about him being indoors only and that I may check their vet records at any time.

[zippy-kat]

Hopefully meeting the daughter will put the doubts you have to rest.

In all seriousness, it sounds like there are definately new clauses that need to be inserted for this special guy. Will you be reimbursed for today's vet expenses? After putting you through this, it seems like it's the least they could do.

Is the owner going to pursue any charges against the pet-sitter?

Good luck tomorrow--we'll be thinkin' about ya!

[aly]

thanks :(

I'm gonna stay up all night with him.

[Cincy'sMom]

Oh Aly! What a roller coaster ride this as all been. I think adding the extra clauses to the contract is a good idea. We will be thinking of you, Nookie and his family.

[mugsy]

Aly, I feel so sorry for you. These people certainly have put you through the wringer. I'm not sure I would be as nice as you are being. You truly are a sweet, good person at heart. I commend you...you're a better person than I am.

My heart and thoughts go out to you and Nookie.

[aly]

this has been one of the worst experiences of my life. those peopel were awful.

[mugsy]

Did the daughter show up?? I hope she weasels out of it so you can keep him. Is the cancer operable?

[aly]

the daughter wasn't with them when they met me. i have her phone # and address. they better not be lying to me. they weren't even happy to see their dog. they showed no emotion and he showed no emotion toward them either. they were so evil and stupid and rude.

[mugsy]

Did they take him?

[aly]

yes

after making me feel like @#$% on purpose

[mugsy]

Did you HAVE to give him to them? I thought legally he was yours. I'm sorry if I'm making it more difficult on you, I'm just confused by the whole situation.

[aly]

He was mine legally and it was my decision. From what I heard, they care about the dog and will take care of him so thats why Idecided yesterday that I would surrender him back to them. But I am extremely upset and hurt at the way they handled it today. I was a crying basket case and they didnt so much as tell me thank you for saving their dog's life and spending hundreds of dollars on vet bills after only having him a week. they did go out of their way to make me feel bad by saying comments on how much crap he's been through and how they're sorry he had to stay with me (yes they did say this to the dog).

i made them sign a contract with clauses that he has to be an inside dog and they have to fax vet records to my work every month. my vet told me that he has so many problems, there's probably nothing that can be done except making him comfortable and letting him live his life out. i dont think he's going to make it through the year.

i've barely stopped crying since yesterday. i have so much hurt inside that i really want to quit my job. i dont feel like i can handle this. i miss him so much. this whole situation is haunting me and i dont know what to do. i can't explain the hurt and pain i'm going through right now.

[zippy-kat]

I'm really at a loss for words, Aly! That was very rude of them to make that comment, esp. when you sacrificed so much to save him.

{{hugs}}

[mugsy]

Aly, I'm so sorry. I do understand how you feel to a point. If you remember Mike and I had a similar situation with Tobey and we never got him back. My thoughts are with you and if you need to talk please call.

[Sudilar]

{{{{{HUG}}}}}

[Dixieland Dancer]

And another couple from me! I am so sorry you are hurting so badly.

{{{{{HUG}}}}}

{{{{{HUG}}}}}

[Karen]

Aly, you don't have to explain the hurt. We all feel very sad for you, but don't think you should quit your job - not now. Maybe just take a day or two off for "mental health" reasons. The animals need you, they need someone who will love them no matter what! That's you! That's your strength, and it's also why it hurts sometimes. But the joy - remember the joy first. All the pets you helped place into good, loving home, the kittens you raise, the pups you rehab - look, for just one minute, at Lolly when she's being wild-snarling-playing-monster-Lolly*. There, doesn't that help a little?

(*At Pet Talk Texas, Reese was a sweetie, but Lolly more shy for most of the weekend, but toward the end, I was with Aly and the dogs, and finally got to see Lolly play! She was hysterical! And Aly said - "There - that's the REAL Lolly!")

[aly]

Thanks so much everyone for your support. I am doing better today due to several things:

1) I called and talked to CJ who had a 45 minute meeting with the people on Wednesday. She told me again that she was SURE they'd take care of him. She thinks they were in shock when they met me and basically felt like idiots for allowing someone so stupid to take care of their dog. But she said we will keep checking in on Nookie.

2) One of the phone bank volunteers from the telethon last weekend came in today with a card and a huge bag of candy for me. It made me feel so much better (even though I can't eat the candy cause I'm diabetic, heh). It was the effort she put into letting me know that I did a good thing that really made me happy. I don't even know the woman! Of course, I burst out crying right in front of her :rolleyes: Anyway, she's real cool and she's a groomer so I'm gonna send Reece to her. She even said she'd volunteer to come in once a week or month and groom our animals for free.

3) I got another old doggy to foster. He's a white mini Poodle. He was brought in today without an appointment and the person who works in Receiving said we couldn't take him in. The owner was in a dire situation (long story) so I said I'd foster the Poodle and find a rescue group for him. His name is Tyler and he's SO sweet with people, dogs, and cats. I looooove him. He's 11 yrs old. I already got him the signature leash and collar I buy all of my male fosters (the blue ones at PetSmart with the fake diamond studs). When I took him from that man this morning, we put him behind the desk with us. He was real scared and shy but he must have known I was the one who was taking him home because he stuck to my side like glue and was giving me kisses by the end of the day.

I think fate took over with Nookie and I feel like I did the right thing.

Thanks everyone for your support. I was at an emotional low yesterday. Sorry for my whining.

[Snowy's Mom]

Aly,

I have been following the story with you and Nookie since the beginning. I am so sorry that you had to go through everything. I am glad that you feel better about your decision and I am sure CJ also would have stopped you if she felt you were not making the right decision.

Karen is completely right--you make SUCH a diffference in these animals lives and have helped so many. Please don't ever think differently!

And you never whined about it! Give your babies at home a hug and try to relax to take your mind away from the awfulness of this week.

We are behind you 100%.

[anna_66]

They say everything happens for a reason, sometimes we just have to find that reason, even though it's not always easy.
I'm glad you have another dog to foster and take your mind off of the things that have been going on lately.
Take care of yourself and your new fosterbaby!

[aly]

Thanks guys. It means so much to me that you understand my decision :)

Tyler is a goofball. He looooves Reece and keeps following him around but if Reece turns around, he takes off and runs back to me. He's also a little scared of the cats. Moby went up to him purring and he was scared stiff. All he could do was turn his head to the side as far as he could so he wouldn't have to look at the C-A-T! There was a mean cat in his old home who bullied him so thats why he's scared of them. Lolly is glad to have a dog in the house who she can be the boss of. Little Nookers had her scared. When I got home yesterday without Nookie for the first time, she kept peering behind me making sure he wasn't going to pop out at her. Reece is also glad to have another Poodle in the house. He's strutting around trying to show Tyler the ropes.

[aly]

Yikes, Tyler is panting pretty hard in his sleep. Its not hot in here at all!! Maybe he's just nervous. Gosh, I get so scared around older dogs because I always think there's something wrong.

I'm going to attach a pic of Tyler. My camera is all of a sudden not blurry anymore. This pic was just a test pic. I'll take more later. (Doesn't he look like a little lamb?)

[mugsy]

Tyler is a cutie. I'll bet he's just nervous in a new place. Shawna and Billy do that everytime there is a thunderstorm. I'm sure he'll be fine. But I do know what you mean about older dogs. I get really hyper when Dudley doesn't react the way I want him to.

[zippy-kat]

awww!
give him a hug for me!

[Snowy's Mom]

Me too!:D :)

[Cincy'sMom]

Tyler is so cute!! he and Reese look so adorable to together!

As hard as it was to give Nookie back, you may not have been able to help Tyler is he was there. Things do happen for a reason, and now two pups will be taken care of intheir old age, instead of just one.

Add me to the list of people he is getting hugs from!!

[Sudilar]

Originally posted by Cincy'sMom
Things do happen for a reason, and now two pups will be taken care of intheir old age, instead of just one.

Wonderful!!! Give the cutie a hug from me, too!

[Rachel]

Wow...I miss a few days of this thread so much has transpired. Aly, I really think you made the right decision where Nookie was concerned, hard as it was. As much as you loved him and wanted to care for him throughout his illness, it didn't appear he was a good match for the rest of your family. If these people, nasty as they were, cared enough for him to follow thorough with being persistant to get him back there is undoubtably some affection for him. Sounds as if they have the means to continue his medical treatment as well. There are many more babies that need your love and help as Tyler appearing just when he did proves. Yes Tyler does look like a little lamb....Aly's little lamb.

[Pam]

Originally posted by Rachel
Wow...I miss a few days of this thread so much has transpired.
My thoughts exactly Rachel!!! And.........(GASPING FOR BREATH HERE..........) I am IN LOVE with Tyler! Oh Aly, the absolutely sweetest dogs cross your path. Tyler looks so very much like my toy poodle, Pumpkin (RB), although Pumpkin was a pale orange in color. Hey, 11 years old is still young for a poodle! :) My Pumpkin lived to be 17! What were the circumstances for Tyler being surrendered? Oh my, it certainly is good that you are halfway across the country. This is about the 10th dog that you have fostered and/or posted a pic of that made me weak in the knees. Please, more details about Tyler! He certainly is a precious one!!!!!!!!

[aly]

I'll start a new Tyler thread after dinner :D

He's the SWEETEST wittle lamb! (hehe you have to talk baby talk to him cause he's just too sweet not to).

[ramanth]

I get home from vacation and.....

Oh My God! Aly! I'm in tears here. I can't breathe. I cannot even imagine what you went thru. I'm so sorry.

(((HUGS)))

But I wanted to tell you that I understand.


And Tyler is so cute. :)

[aly]

I have great news. I talked to the daughter today who has him and she is VERY nice! She wanted to know every detail of how my vet said to care for him. And she let me know several times how much she appreciates what I did. I feel so much better.

[Sara luvs her Tinky]

YAY FOR GOOD NEWS!!!!!
This thread has been so emotional and I am glad to see that it is ending happily... like Cincy's mom said.. things may not have worked out like they did for Tyler if Nookie was therre.. and I am glad you are able to keep in touch with the daughter.. Tyler is an adorable "widdle wamb" :D *HUGS FOR TYLER FROM ME TOO*

[mugsy]

That makes Mike and I feel loads better aly, thanks for letting us know!!

[ramanth]

Originally posted by aly
I have great news. I talked to the daughter today who has him and she is VERY nice! She wanted to know every detail of how my vet said to care for him. And she let me know several times how much she appreciates what I did. I feel so much better.


That is wonderful to hear Aly. :D ((HUGS))

[gini]

I am usually on the cat side of things, but something made me read this entire thread this morning.

Aly, you have got to be the greatest person!!! How wonderful the world would be, if there were more people like you!

When all is said and done, and it was a long way from "there" to "here" - I am glad you received the call from the owner's daughter. What you wanted was for Nookie to receive the care and love that he deserved. It sounds as though the daughter now realizes all that has happened and wants to take good care of Nookie. I hope that you continue to get good reports about Nookie.

And now you have Tyler who looks like a real sweetheart.

In all of this, Aly, I hope that you will take good care of yourself. My niece is an insulin dependent diabetic and I know first hand, that stress is not a good thing for diabetics!

God love you for having the "passion" for animals and it is obvious they sense this right away. I will continue to send you all good thoughts for all of the animals that are in your care.

[lovemymaltese]

Tyler is such a cutie-pie!

[Cincy'sMom]

Glad to hear things are going well for Nookie.

[aly]

Funny you mentioned the diabetes Gini. I've been having trouble keeping my glucose level under control for the past couple weeks. And I keep eating things I'm not supposed to :(

Thanks for the words of encouragement!