This sweet old girl arrived yesterday, although I've known her a bit for a number of years. Pirate was brought to the shelter in 2005 by the same musher who dumped Anvik. She was nine at the time and the options for old sled dogs are pretty limited. After a couple failed fostering attempts, Pirate ended up at my neighbor's place.
We used to be friends with these people and I thought they were a good home for Pirate. They have other dogs and lots of horses. They built a beautiful new home last year--that was when they quit talking to us mostly. We aren't rich enough and our house isn't nice enough. Over the weekend, they called the shelter claiming Pirate was a foster dog after over 2 years with them. Said she was crippled, incontinent and "unsuitable" to be allowed inside their new house. They suggested that she needed to be euthanized immediately. They dumped her back at the shelter yesterday morning. I picked her up a couple hours later. We had decided there would be no new additions for awhile. I certainly don't need anymore dogs, but there was no way I was letting Pirate die in the shelter!
What Pirate really is, is depressed, confused, a little stiff and stone cold deaf! You can see in the first picture that her eyes are cloudy, but she sees well enough to get around. She hears nothing though. She has no startle response; didn't react when 20 or so dogs starting barking at my truck; no response to loud voices, clapping ect. She's either deaf or she takes husky selective hearing to a whole new level!
She's also quiet, gentle, a little shy and very sweet. She settled in quite nicely last night. I crated her in my bedroom. She went in with no trouble, although she didn't like walking on the lino much. She spent almost 8 hours in the crate without making a sound. She also didn't make a mess--no feces, no urine. She ate and drank plenty last night. She obviously has some control of her bodily functions! I think the problem, besides callous people who are more concerned about their floor than their dog, is that Pirate isn't housetrained. She's always been an outdoor dog; she may have some old dog leaking problems, but she's not incontinent! Her back end is stiff and likely causes her some pain, but she is by no means "crippled"! Sleet is stiffer somedays. This morning when I walked her to her pen, she had a little wiggle in her stride and tentatively wagged her tail. Not sleeping outside in -25C temps for one night already helped!
I have a vet appointment booked for Thursday morning. She's going to get a senior blood panel, a complete check-up and hopefully pain control medication. I think a soft, warm bed and a little Metacam will make a world of difference for Pirate! She may not have long left on this side, but she is not ready to go yet. Age has it's privledges at my kennel so she will spend whatever time she does have left getting pampered and spoiled.
Welcome Home, Pirate.
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What a lovely dog. I'll never understand that type of situation.
Originally Posted by gemini9961
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