Rescue Journal

the circle of rescue

Carol  ·  Mar. 26, 2015

i tell you, the one thing that I can say for sure about saints is...we do not dick around. anyone who donates to us can be assured of one thing....we are going to help animals with every dime we are given. we took in 5 helpless, broken animals last week...we lost jerry and seely in the past 24 hours (rip) and sweet little tippy went home today with jenny, a previous adopter who also happens to be a brand new staff member...(yay jenny and tippy!)

5 in..3 out.

we are starting a new week with 2 new wrecked ones coming in tomorrow and 2 more sad sams hopefully in the next few days, if all goes well. it is a bit like a revolving door here...or..kind of like my working in the hospital days. as soon as a bed was empty, an hour later after it was washed and re-made.. it was full again.

cuz here is the thing..we are here to help animals. we do have our limits, there is only so much we can realistically and responsibly do..but geez, we are going to do it..day after day, week after week..year after year.

I read somewhere on our site that we have helped..hmmm..was it 600 or 800? animals since we started. maybe that does not sound like a lot but when you know those hundreds of animals were almost all really old and sick, needing lots of medical care, most were unadoptable and some of them like jerry, lived here for years and years keeping his safe spot from others who needed in....it is a helluvalot.

and we did it..one at a time. one loss, one adoption or off to permanent foster and another one came in and stole our hearts. we never stop. we just kept doing what folks expected us to do which is helping as many animals as we can as soon as we have room.

we love them, we lose them, we take in another..that is our circle of rescue.

sooooo..tina does have a mass in her mouth and it is not an abcess, it is a tumor. and it wasn't there 2 months ago at her last vet check, it is growing pretty fast. she had a dental in 2011 when she arrived and last year the vets told us she needed another. but tina is now 18 years old (she was 14 on arrival and has been here for four more) we didn't do it last year..her heart is bad, she is on a couple of cardiac meds, plus quite a few pain meds, she is frail, she is crippled, she is mostly blind. so the risk was great and honestly, I did not think she would last another year but she has. so now her mouth is even worse and now she is growing an ugly and problematic tumor in there and I need to make a decision. we have two options..wait til the tumor (or something else) seriously causes her problems and then euthanize or bite the bullet and go in surgically to clean up her mouth and take out that mass..knowing that this may be too much for her and she might die.

all of those things wrong with her and yet tina is feisty with a massive spark for life. anyone who has seen (or heard) her shrieking to get the heck out of her way if one of the dogs are between her and the food or water bowl..or when jack so desperately wants to kiss and wash her face and she hauls off and blasts him in ear shattering high pitch for even to think that he should try to put his tongue on her face...those folks know that tina is fully alive.

arghhh. I hate these kind of decisions, but these kind of decisions have to be made.

we sent off bloodwork to look at her kidney and liver values and when that comes back, I will talk to the vets and we will decide..is tina now palliative with comfort as the goal?...or is she still treatable?

love my little spidey-girl...all 7 ancient spunky pounds of her.

tina

Comments

Mo

So I have been thinking about Tina and how such a bundle of determination can come wrapped up in such a small package. I remember when she managed to get out of the yard & Carol received a call from a lady who found her running on the road ( or on her porch ...can't really remember that part ) but she had traveled a fair distance..it was when she first arrived & I suspect she was trying to find her way home...Home...so much meaning to a four letter word. Well I believe Tina did find her home at SAINTS, she went from an apartment dwelling dog, to a puddle lovin, mud running farm dog. Up until last year, she would join us for the week-end morning run with all the other dogs, she hung at the barn while we shovelled poop, following from stall to stall or she would find her spot in the sun & relax.. I would often join her for short breaks and whisper in ear how special she was & how much I loved her.

I remember the day when she disappeared , we called, we looked absolutely everywhere.. I mean everyone looked every where, even the neighbours heard our calls for her & started looking too. I got in my car & was driving all over the neighbourhood..no sign of our little 7 pounds of spirit. We called carol at work , who dropped everything & headed home.

I was choking up with fear & anxiety ...standing in front of the feed room calling & calling her at the top of my lungs and pleading with the higher power to bring her back to us ..safe & sound. When all of a sudden I hear a little noise behind me.. I turn around & there she is...making her way out from UNDERNEATH the feed room. It was a pretty warm day that day & she had found a cool quiet spot & made it her own . The relief ran over me like air rushing out of a balloon.

I was yelling out loud WE FOUND HER.. WE FOUND HER and you know what.... the neighbours started clapping & Whoo Hooing along with all the volunteers.

So by the time carol got home , we were able to place her in Carols arms and I know that carol felt that same wave of relief like air rushing out of a balloon.

I know Tina's time is not long, I know she has been happy & loved, I know I love her like my own. I also know I don't want our relationship to end.