April 20, 2003 (Easter Sunday)
And thus begins the journey. The trip to Florence Kentucky was uneventful. We met up with Melissa Ellis with no problems at all. Melissa filled us in regarding the night before (all three dogs spent the night in one of her kennel areas before being brought to our arranged meeting place). It was pretty obvious that Melissa had already grown attached to these babies!
The female was indeed the mom, and looking at her I had to agree with the estimated age of 3 years. As Karen took her from Melissa's vehicle, I couldn't help but notice how confused she looked; also, that she had gotten sick en-route. Karen went to clean her up, but the poor little dear didn't want anything to do with that. So I tried, with much better results. It isn't abnormal for a Samoyed to warm up to one gender before another, so this was one time when it happened to be me. I snapped a few photos, and then gently picked her up and placed her in a crate, inside our van.
The first of the male pups got to stretch his legs while I took some pictures. He had an obvious eye infection, and his fur seemed patchy. Extremely shy, he loved being picked up and hugged by Karen. Once in a crate inside our van, he seemed happy and was actually playing with the treats we gave him. This one looked like he would be the easiest to save.
Finally came the most feral of the dogs. Karen carefully removed him from Melissa's van, and thinking he might need to "go", she set him down. Oops.... he wasn't about to be led on a leash, and let her know it! She went to pick him back up, and his teeth grazed her arm (not a bite, but more like a warning). I grabbed a small towel and took the leash, playing with the pup by dangling the towel in front of him and gently covering his eyes momentarily with it, talking to him the whole time..... Finally leaving the towel over his eyes and scooping him up with my hand under his chest. He was fine with that, so I placed him in a crate with his brother.
We said our goodbyes, and thanked Melissa for her help. Without her, these dogs would never have gotten this chance. If there is a hero here, it is Melissa. Thank you for saving three little lives.
On the way home, we decided names were needed. Being fans of the JAG television series, we chose "Sara" for the mom (the unselfish one who puts the others ahead of herself), "Tyler" for the pup with the eye infection (he is the most outgoing and adventurous of the group), and "Gunny" for the feral pup, because he keeps to himself and avoids others... the "tough" pup. Once home, Sara and Tyler were transferred to an isolation pen without incident. But Gunny put up a fight, and tried everything he could think of to escape the van. Finally, human creativity won out over puppy determination, and Gunny was once again with his brother and mom. That evening, they ate like food was something from Heaven. Unfortunately, we also discovered that Sara is in season! The bad thing about that is she could have tied virtually at any time, anywhere, and we have no clue with what. Which means as soon as she is out of heat, she'll be off to a Vet to be spayed.
April 21, 2003 (Day 2)
Monday morning brought loose stools from at least one dog, which Karen brought to the Vet during her break. The sample showed the presence of hook worms, so we will treat all three for the parasite.
Tyler is trying to use the newspaper instead of the tile floor. At first we thought it was a fluke, but no, he is actually showing preference!
The new bowls seem to satisfy the dogs, and for the most part they eat their meals from bowls they have chosen. Yes, there is a little bit of sharing, but not that much. None of the dogs will take a treat while we are present.
We still cannot approach the dogs without them shaking in fear. Poor Gunny is the worst, and seems to have suffered the biggest emotional trauma. He cowers behind his mother, and just trembles.... it is enough to make a grown person cry.
Everything considered and in spite of not being able to get close to them, progress is being seen and we will take even the smallest of steps as a sign for hope.
April 22, 2003 (Day 3)
Morning meant fresh newspaper, and soon after, wet spots from Tyler, most likely. It also seems like more than one might be using the paper, so our guess would be Sara. We might actually get these kids housebroken before they are out of isolation! Well, maybe paper-trained, anyway.
Tyler has started with a dry, hacking, unproductive cough. The poor dear sounds like his lungs are going to come out from the strain. Coupled with his eye infection, he's a sad, pitiful sight. The others seem healthy so far, and since the cough started in the evening, we will see about getting him to a Vet tomorrow.
All three dogs are eating their meals with Karen present, and while Sara and Gunny tend to swap bowls a little bit, Tyler seems to prefer one specific bowl... the one closest to the crate which is in their kennel run. They will even eat treats with Karen nearby, as long as she isn't too close. Usually, it is while she's cleaning up the kennel run, which Tyler seems to like.
As for the human touch: Tyler gets a serious look on his face when Karen pets him, but as soon as she is done, he gets a mischievious look on his face, and a big smile. It would be nice if he'd smile WHILE being petted, but this is at least progress. Sara does not smile at all for Karen, but when I approach her, she takes well to having her ears rubbed and the spark in her eyes seems to start flickering when I talk to her. Sadly, Gunny still hides in a corner and shakes with fear. He is going to be the difficult one.
April 23, 2003 (Day 4)
By this morning, Tyler had stopped eating. We knew he needed a Vet, and managed to get him scheduled for late in the evening. Tyler received medication for his eye infection, and bordatella was the suspect for the cough. We were cautioned to watch his temperature and look for a sudden change for the worse, because distemper could also be the cause. We are hoping this isn't even a possibility.
Interestingly enough, Gunny is so bonded to his brother that in spite of his extreme fear of us, he tried to follow Karen out of the kennel run when she took his brother Tyler. This means that his fear CAN be overcome.
Tyler LOVES to use the newspaper! He waits for Karen to replace it, and then initiates it again when she is finished. He is a good boy! Sara appears to also be using the paper too.... more progress!
This evening, Tyler allowed Karen to give him a pill manually. He still won't take a treat from her yet, though. But on the good side, Tyler started eating again tonight so there is plenty of reason to believe he'll be ok.
April 24, 2003 (Day 5)
As expected, Gunny started coughing today. Karen chased him into the crate so she could give him medication without the others stealing it. On the bright side, Tyler is sounding much better, and Sara has yet to catch their bug.
Amazingly, Tyler took cheese from Karen's hand this morning! And Sara took cheese from Karen's hand this afternoon! Both Sara and Tyler appear to be gaining recognition of their names. That just leaves Gunny..... somehow, we will reach him. He's shown no progress at all, other than trying to follow his brother.
April 25, 2003 (Day 6)
This morning, in the early moments before dawn, we woke to the sounds of puppies playing. As we listened to Gunny and Tyler romping with each other, we had to smile..... Yes, there *IS* a spark of hope within them still. We just have to encourage it to come out.
Gunny actually walked right past me! Ok, so he was on his way to his little corner, but in the past there was no way he would have gotten even remotely that close to a person! And he's using the newspaper, just like his mom and brother! Could this be progress?!!
Tyler and Sara show more interest in attention. Sara has a favorite itchy spot she loves to have scratched, and Tyler seems to like having his ears petted. Interestingly enough, when I went to leave the kennel run this evening, Gunny actually left his corner and followed me. I turned to acknowledge him, and -scoot- off he went back to his safety zone. I couldn't help but smile.....
With the good news, there comes some bad. Tonight, Gunny stopped eating. He won't even take a treat.... not even cheese. Cross your fingers and light a candle for him, because this is not a good sign.
April 26, 2003 (Day 7)
Just under the surface of these dogs resides the curious, fun-loving heart of the Samoyed. How do we know? Take today for example. The pups now play with newspaper when we are not in the area, and they have begun inventing games to entertain themselves. You should have seen their eyes when I brought them the first "stuffie" they had most likely ever seen! at first they had to make sure it wasn't real.... but curiousity got the best of them, and when we checked later, it was right in the middle of their play area.
Gunny still tries to hide in his little corner, but tomorrow I'm going to rearrange things a little bit to try and encourage him to move around more. Sara loves attention but she's still afraid to let go and trust. This is only day 7, so we can't possibly expect miracles already!
Gunny is eating again, and it looks like they are all on their way to good health. So far, we've only had to treat for the worms and kennel cough. The worst in that department is yet to come, but we shall cross each bridge when we arrive at it, so the saying goes.
Week 1 (Summary)
This ends week 1. We have come from dogs that were scared stiff, shaking uncontrollably from fear, to dogs that are paper-trained, will take cheese from a human hand, and to a small degree, will allow us to approach and give them attention. I'd say this week has seen some amazing improvement. While not every week will probably be like this, we will cheerfully take each small step, one at a time.
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