Dorothy's Home for Decrepit Dogs has Just Gotten Crustier (this was not part of the plan)

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

Since my elderly dog died in December, I’ve taken a series of foster dogs and cats. I wasn’t ready to commit to another “keeper” and wasn’t sure I would ever want one again.

My last fosters went home on Tuesday and, as usual, I was going to take a break before taking another. And I was quite solidly looking to foster just one large female dog. Nothing little. No pairs. No puppies. A nice middle-aged lab mix or something.
But… day before yesterday, someone called the shelter. Her mom had died unexpectedly, leaving a 16-year-old Jack Russell terrier and a 17-year-old “maltipoo”. Nobody in the family could take them.
My shelter wasn’t going to take them. No shelter was going to take them. Dogs that age are not adoptable, especially in pairs, and nobody wants them to spend their last days in a shelter and nobody wants to take on the expense of two dogs who are not going to find homes.

So… long story short, I now have two new dogs. Meet Louise and Einstein. Yes, Louise is even more ridiculous-looking in person. Like a Jim Henson version of an elderly angora rabbit. They’ll see the vet tomorrow and then Louise has a grooming appointment in a couple weeks (the soonest they could get us in). They look about how you’d expect for dogs who were loved, but whose owner has not really been able to take proper care of them for a few years: nails so long they were nearly in the paw pad, lumps and bumps, terrible teeth, and poor Louise had what I’ve just learned is called pseudocoprastsis… which is just that she had so much poopy matted fur on her butt that it “blocked the exit,” making her unable to poop. We’ll find out from the vet tomorrow what else they need.

These are keepers, not fosters. They’re mine til the end. They’re not backed by my shelter or any other shelter or rescue, so this is all on me. Probably not the wisest thing I’ve ever done in my life, but where else were they supposed to go? So far, they’re getting along surprisingly well with my other dog and cats. They’re friendly, cuddly dogs who seem to like everybody. Their whole lives have been turned upside-down, so they’re still getting used to things, but we’re building a routine. I adore them.

So… welcome to the family, Einstein and Louise! I hope you like it here!

2

Damn, you’re awesome. You just proved they’re adoptable.

3

They both look so trusting! How lucky they are to have a trustworthy person like you to care for them.

4

I think it’s wonderful. They’re so cute!

5

Many years ago, my sister and BIL, who were in no way looking for a small dog, came across a very small and probably genetically disadvantaged dog starving and abandoned in the street.

They named him Mitzvah.

You, also, are doing a mitzvah. Thank you.

6

Awww.

I’d take them both in a heartbeat.

I hope the crusties ease up as grooming and proper care get in the routine.

7

We’ve had two senior dachshunds over the years…and the dachshund I grew up as a kid was middle-aged by the time I could interact with her. But seniors are the best. You might (or might not) have higher vet bills, but I’ve never felt as much satisfaction with adoptions as I did with the seniors.

8

Plenty of wisdom in your actions.

9

I can see in their eyes those two little darlings are so trusting of you! Do all three of you like to snuggle together?

10

I’ve driven on a couple of “dog relays” to get dogs from fosters a long way away to their forever homes (usually TX or LA to South Florida - we do about 3 hours from Tally to Ocala).

I tired fostering once (a cat). I ended up her forever home for 4 years before she passed from feline leukemia. I’m not emotionally suited to fostering, but have all the respect in the world for those who can.

Dorothy’s Home for Decrepit Dogs sounds like a great idea for a Go Fund Me. If you get more than you need just give it to the local shelter/rescue.

11

“Whoever saves one life saves the world entire.”

12

My gf has a retirement target date in March 2025. We’ve always had 3 dogs. She mentioned we could definitely add on one foster on an as needed basis once she retires. She’s also set up a tentative schedule for teaching basic obedience at the dog club where we belong.

13

Solid description.

14

You are a saint! :innocent: Those babies will have the best life!!

15

Bless you.

16

Love it. That’s a great name for a dog :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

We’re getting there. Louise is a cuddly little thing and Einstein is still a little more aloof. He’s showing signs of starting to like me more and get more comfortable, though. Both new dogs sleep on the bed with me (my other dog sleeps in a crate because he’s a criminal and can’t be trusted) and like being on the couch. Louise has really taken to my young human house guest.
The best thing, though, is that my pre-existing dog is okay with them. I had thought, based on his behavior with fosters, that he didn’t really like male dogs. But here he is with Einstein!

We just got back from the vet. Both dogs appear to be in pretty good health overall. We should get the results of their senior blood panels back tomorrow, but so far, so good. Well, mostly.

Here’s where it becomes a problem that I didn’t really think this whole thing through before I jumped in. Both dogs need dentals. They ballpark-quoted me about $1,000 for Louise’s and more like $1300 for Einstein’s.

Louise’s is pretty urgent. Her teeth are rotting out of her mouth and it’s clearly painful. If you pet her on the face, she flinches and pulls back. You can smell her mouth from across the room. I had thought they might not want to do it because of her age, but, pending the blood results, they think there’s no question that she’s in good enough health to handle anesthesia and recovery and this would have a big impact on her quality of life.
Einstein’s can wait a little. They said within the year, for sure, but he still has functional teeth and doesn’t seem to be in pain or have any abscesses or anything.

My next step is to check with one of the vets who works with the shelter. She has a clinic that’s about an hour away from where I live and tends to charge less, especially for some of this big stuff. And after that… I’m not 100% sure. I’ll have to figure out how to make it work. I can paint pet portraits and offer commissions (maybe a raffle?) to cover some of it. I can cover some of it out of pocket just by really tightening my belt.
And I am sort of considering a GoFundMe. I’m on the fence. On one hand, that’s just not usually my style. It was my choice to take these dogs, they’re my responsibility now, and that’s all there is to it. If someone were to go out and get a puppy and then immediately start begging for money to cover puppy-related expenses, I would think it was tacky. On the other, I fundraise for my job all the time. If these two had been taken in by the shelter, I wouldn’t hesitate for a second to ask the public to donate to their care.

Either way… I’ll figure it out somehow! I’ll know more after I get blood results back and talk to the shelter vet about their prices.

17

It was certainly a great name for that one. But he lived quite a while, and appeared to have a pretty good life.

– I think you very much deserve to do fundraising for this. I wish I had anything I could afford to give.

18

Those aren’t bad prices, at least around my area (central CA). Can you ask the vets to let you pay off the bills in installments?

I just cringe when I remember how bad my 5 yr old cat’s teeth got before I finally realized he needed serious dental work, and how much happier he is now without the pain in his mouth. His bill was almost $2000.

You are a hero!

19

Dorothy,
I would very much like to donate to the cause of these 2 doggies and their teeth, whether by GoFundMe or whatever works. I lost two kitties last year (bro and sis) to cancer and both of them were just about ready for dental work, so I would like to donate in their honor. Let me know what works for you.

20

I do too!

And yes, you are a hero of the first and best kind.

And you are another hero of the best kind! Honor and thanks from the windswept prairie grasslands of the Great Plains.