When I saw this terrified, confused little face I knew immediately. I couldn’t just look the other way. I took a picture and sent it to my husband, Paul. “To be euthanized if no one claims her.” Okay. I admit it. I used emotional blackmail, and I’m not ashamed.
Well, obviously there wasn’t much of a decision to be made. We would foster her and find the money somehow to get her all fixed up. We just didn’t know at the time how bad things really were.
The Diagnosis
Because no one was there to pay the big bill that was sure to accumulate, we hadn’t done any diagnostic tests yet. So when we took responsibility, an x-ray was the first step.
Many times in this profession I see the ultimate kindest part of the human spirit. But far too often I see a darkness, a cruelness that is far beyond my comprehension. This was one of those days.
We took multiple views and saw that this poor dog not only had a terrible pelvic fracture, her left hip out of place with the “ball” fractured, and a completely displaced right femur fracture, but she had also been shot. Twice.
But those weren’t the only problems that this frightened little dog faced. Further testing revealed a heavy hookworm burden, leading to anemia. She also had an infection with the tick-transmitted disease Ehrlichia. Then came the devastating news that she was heartworm positive. The expense and risk of the heartworm treatment alone were daunting, not to mention the surgery and long rehabilitation that lay ahead of her.
Any smart person would give up at this point. Obviously, this was too much for one little (underweight) 18-pound dog to overcome. And how on earth could we pay for all that for a stray? Every intelligent and reasonable person would elect to euthanize. Fortunately, Penny had found a spectacularly stupid veterinarian.
Treatment and Recovery
I was committed. The stubborn part of me came alive. Human cruelty and neglect did this to her. I wasn’t going to let it end like this. The monsters who shot her, those who left her on the road for dead, they were not going to get their way. This dog was going to recover. She was going to show the world that she was a survivor.
So we named her Penny. We dewormed and began treatment of her tick disease. She had surgery to repair the fractures. We spayed her at the same time. Shortly after, we began the long and difficult process of heartworm treatment. She had to be confined to a small room for just over two months. She was not house trained or leash trained and had apparently never been inside a house before.
After months of rehab, sweet Penny began to show her true colors. She is a lively, energetic dog that has a palpable joy for life. Her bossy, comical, and clumsy personality really keeps us entertained. She still walks with an awkward, uneven gait. But after all she has been through, she is one of the most gentle, trusting little dogs I’ve ever met. Somewhere along the way she shifted from foster dog to family member.
Overcoming the Odds – Nothing is Impossible
Leash walks, running in the yard, or just cuddling on the bed with the other dogs would have seemed impossible not very long ago. We had to teach her how to walk on a leash, how to even walk again. Just over a year after we got her, after her frail and sick little body was left to die on the side of the road, she did the impossible. Our darling Penny went on her first of what will be many backpacking trips on the Appalachian Trail.
We went lighter than usual for her sake, but we found ourselves trying to keep up with her! Our toughest day was a 15-miler (much of it level or downhill), but we also had to tackle the VERY steep and difficult Albert Mountain. With anxiety, we approached the arduous trail. The veterinarian in me was hesitant. I monitored her breathing and her paw-steps with paranoia. And yet, with not even a stumble, Penny took every step with that adorable, goofy grin on her face! And she conquered Albert Mountain.
In her short life, Penny has had many mountains to climb and trials to overcome. But she has done it with patience, hope, and joy. Fortunately, she doesn’t know the word “impossible”. All she knows is that every step of the trail, both the fun and the painful, is a blessing. And she will get to the top somehow. Just like always. Just like Albert Mountain.
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