We just received our first foster dog yesterday! He will most likely be a 'foster until he passes.' Besides being old, he is in very rough shape. He came into Richmond Animal Control as a stray in such a crappy condition that they were going to charge the owners if they showed up. Danny is matted to the skin (they had to shave a portion), has rotten teeth, has sores, is emaciated (getting to the point of 'starvation'), and very weak (his back legs start to shake after walking around the back yard). Poor guy. Judging by his condition, the best guess is that he lived his life on a chain. AND they forgot to feed him. Why have a dog if you treat it like that?
Danny is very sweet and gentle. So far, he is getting along great with Baby. Even though the cats are in hiding for now, he sniffed Eva and couldn't seem to care less about her. The pound thought he was ~15 years old, but we guess that he is probably younger and just seems older because of his poor condition. Well, he came to the right house! We are good at fattening our animals up, and I have already started him on glucosamine and fish oil for his joints (and fur and skin). We fed him 4 small meals yesterday plus treats and he seemed happy to gobble everything up.
The rescue place is great! Some only help animals who are 'easily adoptable' and care about numbers, but these guys (Big Heart Rescue) are helping animals who are really down-and-out and as such, would need more time before being adoptable. They will pay for all his expenses until Danny passes - mentioned I could take him to a groomer when he feels better, will cover any vet requirements, pet sitting etc. He is getting a complete vet check Tuesday. They just want the animals to be in loving homes until adopted or, in this case, until passing away. They would rather an animal who had a crappy life have a nice ending rather than have it end in a shelter then be euthanized.
Hopefully with some good food and a stable home, he will recover nicely...
