It was late Jan, 2003 when Boxer Rescue LA received a call from the O. C. shelter. They had a Boxer who they thought had arthritis and would therefore not be eligible for adoption.
BRLA had too many pick-ups that day and I was called in to help. It was my first experience as a BRLA volunteer and I was excited at the thought of helping a breed I so love.
Blackie (appropriately named) was a lovely Black Boxer w/ a white tummy & paws, about 10 yrs old, with grey around his muzzle that emphasized his gentle nature. We noticed immediately that he “knuckled” his hind left leg.
Blackie went straight to my husband for some patting and love. We were told his family left him because they were moving and couldn’t take him – he had been with them 1 year. Not only had be been passed around, but now he had been dumped by his family during his time of need!! When we got to the car he put his front paws on the tail gate and then looked at me as if to say, this is all I can do, will you help?
It was immediately discovered that he didn’t have arthritis, he had a neurological disorder which prevented his hind left leg from moving properly and his hind quarters to be weak. My heart sunk when I discovered, it was unlikely for someone to adopt a special needs senior like Blackie.
The following day my husband was leaving for a 2 week business trip. I was to join him, so we couldn't take Blackie that day even though we desperately wanted to. We needed to talk … for some time my husband had wanted a second dog but I had been resisting. “2 dogs are easier than 1” the BRLA volunteers said. We couldn't get Blackie out of our minds while we were away and immediately upon our return we volunteered to foster him ASAP - we couldn't bear the thought of him living the rest of his days in a kennel.
It took Blackie about 2-3 weeks to adjust to our home and our other Boxer, Dazzler. At first Blackie thought he had to compete for our love and attention (pushing Dazzler out of the way). We quickly showed him we had lots of love to go around and “the boys” started to bond. They would sleep in the same bed, use each other as pillows and sleep with their feet touching when lying on my office rug.
| |
Blackie and Dazzler cuddling |
Blackie and Dazzler sharing a bed |
|
I was unsure if Blackie could handle our routine 2 miles walks, but he quickly got into shape and fell into stride next to Dazzler. Blackie loved the doggie park and his young mind forgot about his older body. He could run (even better than he could walk), play chase with the younger ones and hold his ground if needed – he would often over do it and I could tell he was sore the next day.
Blackie loved his food – he would eat anything you gave him. It quickly became a ritual in our house … Blackie would dance, talk (woof, woof, woof) and tap his paws on the wood floors when my husband arrived home from work – this was to let everyone know that he was ready to eat. It always brought a smile to our face and laugh to the end of a long day.
Blackie seemed to be doing better, but we wanted to be sure everything possible was being done for this lovely, gentle old guy. We went to the doggie chiropractor, purchased every bootie on the market (to try and prevent his back legs from slipping on our wood floors) and finally we put carpet runners through the house.
Most of the time he kept his ears down, but when he heard a noise – they would prop up and you would see a hint at the handsome young man he used to be. He barked the loudest if anyone dared to step on our property. I could swear he would curl up his jowls and smile when I would scratch behind his ears.
He did well for 5 months then slowly he started to fall more … not get up as quickly and now both legs were giving him trouble. Walking him became difficult until we discovered he could still run quite well. So we took our walks with Dazzler on the lead and Blackie free to run – he would run about 50 ft ahead (his face beaming), stop and wait until we caught up.
We hated to see him fall so much and took him to a Neurological Specialist - his first foster mom and sponsor said “get him what ever medical attention he needs and I’ll pay for it” – you see everyone that came in contact with him could see what a kind soul he was. The x-rays were inconclusive but it was thought he had Degenerative Myelopathy (a neurologically disorder) and nothing could be done (we were assured he was not in any pain). We left with lots of helpful advice and ideas about special medication, a wheel chair and proper booties.
2 ½ weeks after we set upon our mission to find wheelies for Blackie we received a shock no body saw coming. Blackie was diagnosed with a tumor in his rectum; it was in the sphincter muscle and it had ruptured the gland. We were devastated; we went to the vet thinking he had a sore on his bottom from failing so much.
Blackie left us with his family holding his head, petting him, scratching his ears and hearing he was a loved and wonderful doggie. He left this world totally happy, loved and most of all with dignity in his final days.
He taught us about compassion, patience and unconditional love – he will forever be in our hearts! Blackie you will never be forgotten.
A special thanks to Ursula, Joni & Kathleen for their support and giving me the honor of being a BRLA foster mom! |
