Dawn Kairns and Maggie the Dog: BSPCA

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Marky the Rescue Dog Update

I have two kinds of news about Marky. The difficult news is that Sheree's (Marky's next foster mom and potential adopter) sister has been in and out of the hospital the last week with a dangerously low white blood count due to her chemotherapy. Her chemotherapy was rescheduled for Wednesday, yesterday, the day Sheree would have picked Marky up after his neuter surgery. Needless to say, she couldn't pick him up. Sam (Sheree's sister) is currently living with Sheree, and Sheree is trying to keep her isolated from any potential bacteria AND trying to incorporate Sam's animals into their household. So she can't take Marky this week. My heart goes out to Sheree, Sam and their family in their time of crisis. Incorporating a new dog at such a stressful time, as we all know, would be so hard on all involved, including Marky.

The great news is that a different BSPCA foster mom, Cindy, picked Marky up from his first foster home a few days ago to be sure he made it to his surgery yesterday. If you remember, the first foster mom missed Marky's first neuter appointment along with a couple of other dogs, and neglected to get her 3 foster dogs to PetSmart on 2 potential adoption days. Given her unreliablity, BSPCA arranged for Marky to stay with Cindy, and this is where he'll stay until Sheree is ready to take him. At Cindy's we learned that Marky is good with Cindy's several cats. I hear that Sheree likes this idea. What amazes me is that Sheree still plans to pick Marky up next Wednesday! I have to say, she is a bigger woman than I am. Of course I want Marky to go with her, but I don't know that I would be capable of doing it if I were walking in Sheree's shoes right now.

Marky does seem to be food aggressive and Laura from BSPCA tells me that Sheree is aware of this and has dealt with this issue with a couple of her own dogs. Is it any surprise that he is food aggressive right now given that he was out fending for himself as a pup, starving, with ribs protruding, and being eaten alive by fleas? Other than his food aggression, Cindy reports that Marky is a very sweet and friendly dog. That's the boy I met on the road!

Marky came through his surgery very well yesterday and tested negative for heartworm! The wait for his forever home continues, but I'm happy that progress is being made. I am relieved that he is now neutered, safe, and with a reliable foster. What will next Wednesday bring? Even though it seems so overwhelming to me for Sheree to foster or adopt Marky right now, perhaps somehow Sheree, Marky, and Sam are all part of each other's healing and support during this crisis. My hope for the best for all of these wonderful beings remains, and I owe a huge debt of gratitude to the wonderful volunteers of the Brownsville SPCA.

Let's all send healing energy in Sam's direction ...

Posted By:

Dawn Kairns
Author of MAGGIE the dog who changed my life A Story of Love

2009 Indie Book Awards Finalist
DWAA 2008 Merial Human-Animal Bond Award Finalist

Website: www.dawnkairns.com

Blog: Dawn Kairns and Maggie the Dog
Twitter: www.twitter.com/themaggiebook

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"There are only two ways to live your life: As if nothing is a miracle, or as if everything is a miracle." -- Albert Einstein

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Dog Rescued Near Border is Adopt-a-Pet's Pet of the Day: Update on Marky

Marky, the dog we rescued near the US/Mexican border 2 and 1/2 weeks ago, did not make it to

his scheduled vet appointment to be neutered or vaccinated on February 9 that I wrote about in my last update about him, unfortunately. Nor was his foster mom able to take him to PetSmart last Saturday for adoption exposure due to health issues she was having. I learned he could be in PetSmart without being neutered, but of course he had to have his rabies vaccination, which he did not.

Laura from the BSPCA gives me the phone number of 2 vets they work with to take Marky to for his rabies vaccine before he can enter PetSmart for possible adoption through BSPCA, and tells me they are open on Saturdays.

So last Saturday, Tom and I race for the second time to try to find the foster home in the country, about 40 minutes away from where we are staying. With more specific directions from a BSPCA board member, we find it this time. I can't reach the foster mom by phone as her cell number is disconnected. We can only park at the locked gate to their driveway and honk. No response. As we begin to drive away, a familiar white pick up truck comes up the street and pulls up to their gate. It's 2 of her teen kids. Thank Heavens! After explaining to the daughter that we are there to pick up Marky for the BSPCA to take him to PetSmart, she goes into the house to tell her mom. Several minutes later we see Marky trotting with the daughter towards the gate. It is really good to see him again.

Wow, he has changed already! His tail is up. He looks happy. He grew! And is filling out -- his ribs are less prominent. That makes me really happy! He clearly recognizes us and greets us with his chin licks, but is just as hesitant to get in the truck. Tom lifts him in to me.

I ask the daughter & son about his "aggression" with dogs.

"He's never attacked another dog, he just barks," says the boy. "And it's just with the male dogs."

I bet neutering will help that significantly! Now the 45 minute drive now to Brownsville to find the vet. Once again, Tom's GPS phone helps. We still get lost, and when we call at 12:05 p.m., the vet's receptionist tells us they closed at noon. I tell her Marky's story and what we are trying to do, and beg her to take us for his vaccination.

"The vet has already left," she says. We call the second number and get only an answering service. They were already closed. We are crushed to think Marky will miss a day of seeing potential adopters.

I call Sybil, another BSPCA board member, who is also on her way to PetSmart. Luckily, I get her, and luckily she has the phone number of 2 more potential vets. " We don't use them because they are too expensive," she warns us. Had we gotten in with one of the first 2 vets, the cost would have only been $10.00. We don't care -- we just want this first crucial stumbling block out of his way.

We dial the closest vet. It's 12:22 p.m. "We close to walk-ins at 12:30 p.m.," she tells me. Again, I tell her the story.

"Please, I beg you to see him! We are on our way & so close!" But the traffic is too much, and we are crawling, it seems.

We walk in their door at 12:30 p.m. He weighs 47.5 pounds. We pay the $35.00 for his rabies vaccine and are on our way to PetSmart, where we spent the next several hours with Marky before driving him back to his foster home in Bay View, Texas. What a sweet and precious little soul. So responsive & loving. Maybe next week end will be the one when Marky finds his forever home.

These are pictures of Marky in PetSmart that my husband took so BSPCA can place him on Petfinder.com and AdoptaPet.com. Here are the respective links to Marky's page on each of these sites:

http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=15760101

http://www.adoptapet.com/pet3466815.html

And I am just notified as I am writing this post that Adoptapet.com just made Marky their Pet of the Day! Thank you! Ironically, Adoptapet.com also posted my guest post about MAGGIE the dog who changed my life A Story of Love today on their blog ... http://blog.adoptapet.com/maggie-the-dog-who-changed-my-life/

If you missed the first 2 posts about Marky, the dog we rescued in S. Texas, here are the links: