Friday, December 5, 2014

Rescue a Dog. Adopt, Adopt, Adopt.


Patricia Guthrie shared World Animal Foundation's photo.
It's pretty obvious I got this off Facebook. The stoy of Toby is a tragic one. At least, it could have been a tragic tale. Fortunately, the Collie Rescue of Greater Illinois.  
On January 29, 2010, Toby was found in the fields, in Livingston County, Illinois He'd been running loose according to the people who brought him in. They'd (and the farmers in the area) been trying to catch him for months and finally managed to corner him in a humane trap made for dogs.  He was extremely fearful of people-of life. When he got to the Livingston County Animal Shelter, shaved down to get out all the matts and burrs that collected in his coat, while living the homeless life. Nobody knows where he came from, where he'd been, or made him so fearful. 
He was transferred to the Midwest Animal Hospital, where they did a bone biopsy.for lumps on his front leg. Results were negative, and given other tests that are given to stray dogs. 
There he was rescued by the Collie Rescue of Greater Illinois and where he found his first foster home. 
I was looking for a rescue--I had been fostering; had lost my previous four collies (ages 10-14) who were obedience dogs and companions and my writing partners. The loves of my life. Lack of dogs brought me ti the Illinois Collie Rescue where I helped with the transporation of collies to new homes. I was warned how shy, nervous and scared he was. I found him in a lovely house with a fenced in back yard, with compassionate people caring for him. He was huddled against the door, shaking--looking everywhere but at me. I spent the afternoon with him, walking him around their large yard, getting to know him. Fearful as he was, he never tried to bite. He did get tangled up around the leash. I don't think he'd ever been trained.  No, I'm sure he'd never been trained. He was a year and a half according to the shelter, but my vet thought he was closer to three. 
The foster parents told me he'd been traumatized and they couldn't guarantee he'd ever get over it. The animal shelter in Livingston could have put him down, but fortunately, didn't.  It didn't take me long to decide that Blake (that was his name, now known as Toby) and I could heal each other.
I set about doing just that. Luck of the draw, I discovered that Midwest Animal Hospital in New Lenox, Illinois is owned by the same vet who is my vet at Forest South Animal Hospital. 
We're not sure what the lumps on his legs were--perhaps his knees, very low down. Strange. He has perfectly set natural ears, a collie owner's dream and then to have his leg conformation set so strangely. It's never affect him though. 
Toby lives a quiet life. This is not a dramatic story Not really. It could have been. It probably was before he was rescued. Nobody knows what happened to this wonderful dog. He's now my companion and friend. He still has issues with going down to the park unless nobody's down there. Going out on the front lawn is a challenge for him. He's a house dog all the way. His safe place is my bed and his crate and the patio in the back. 
The end of the tale? Another rescue boring story? Well, not quite. For Toby is the reason of that picture above. He's what happens when a dog is thrown from a car in unknown territory, when a dog is born in a puppy mill with no socialization or friends, when a dog is dumped because, perhaps he was the runt of the litter and maybe came out wrong. With bones that didn't set quite properly. Toby is the story of all strays. God help them
Yes. Rescue, rescue, rescue. My first collie was an obedience dog with several titles in two countries and many kennel clubs. There are so many things you can do with them. 
My story ends here. Toby is safe. Toby is loved. Toby never goes hungry. Toby will never be the outgoing dog he should have been. 

Pat G


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