September 27th 2008

Today brought more animals…but no adoptions. Yesterday, we did have one of our dachsund mix puppies go home to Indianapolis, but the yorkie did not work out, so he is still with us. He is soooo cute, so I know he will get adopted quickly. We also have a family coming back on tuesday, they liked two of our adult shepherd mixes, and are going to take some to think about them. That is always a good sign- it shows that the family is not rushing into getting a dog, and wants to make sure whoever they adopt is a good fit. Just as I was getting ready to leave this afternoon, I got a phone call from someone wanting to bring us a dog because they could not afford dog food. I explained to them that we could help with some food until we could make room, and asked if she could hold it over the weekend. She said she could, but that if we didn’t take him, she didn’t know what else to do then “take him out in the country and shoot him.” She said he was depressed from not eating, and he was very skinny. She didn’t know if something was wrong with him, but didn;t have the money to buy dog food for him, let alone take him to the vet. I asked her just to bring him in immediately, which she did. While waiting for her to bring him in, I wasn’t sure what to expect. She arrived quickly and had a very, very skinny chihuahua. He is about 3 years old, and about 5 pounds under weight (when you only weigh 8 pounds, those five pounds are a lot.) He should easily weigh 13-14 pounds, and weighs 8. His ribs are clearly visible, and his spine and hip bones are beginning to show. Another two weeks and he would be emaciated and near death. His name is Mikey, though I have started calling him “Miquel.” He is very sweet, and has quite the appetite! Although we will still have him checked by a vet, I doubt there is anything medically wrong from him; it appears he just hasn’t eaten for a while. He ate a whole can of dog food, plus a plate of boiled chicked breast, and was working on a bowl of dry food when I put him away in his room. While I am glad this owner sought help, I just can’t imagine how she could let it go this far, or how rather than somehow get him food, she would take him out and shoot him. Times are tough right now for people, and I am glad she called us for help, but when you adopt or buy a pet, you are responsible for providing food and care for them.

In other news, ARF’s 2008 Mutt Strutt is October 11th and I hope to see everyone there! This will be a good chance for recent adoptions, past adoptions, and supporters and their 4 legged (and a few 3 legged) friends to come out and have a good time and raise some money for ARF.