As Cherry's adoption was being finalized, the foster coordinator informed me that there was a basset hound mix named Sandy, who was weaning her pups and needed to be placed into another foster home before another mom and her pups came along. The day after Cherry's new family took her home, I met the director at the kennel and I took Sandy home.Sandy showed me immediately what a good-natured goofball she is! Since I was alone and could not introduce all 3 dogs on neutral territory, I let her into our fenced-in backyard and went inside to get Gabe and Sam. I let them outside and Sam made a beeline for Sandy, who was probably shocked that this crazy black dog came barreling around the corner at her. Gabe followed suit and they all sniffed one another intently. Once they had finished with their introductions, they just kind of trotted around the yard as Sandy got familiar with it.
Once everyone had done their business I brought them all inside. Poor Sandy was so skinny after nursing her pups. It took a lot out of her and I could see all her ribs and spine. Her head seemed huge in comparison! Alan came home shortly after we had been inside for awhile and she was so excited to see him, giving him a greeting as if he had been gone for ages. We tried to snuggle on the couch that evening but she was too bony to be cuddly. She was also very restless and later in the evening we put her into her crate with a treat and she didn't make a peep for the rest of the night. What an exciting, but also stressful and tiring day for these dogs!
The next day, Sandy's "udders" seemed even more swollen and when she tried to sit or lay she seemed quite uncomfortable. Since it was a Monday, we had to go back to work, and so after running around the yard and having breakfast, she settled into her crate with a treat. When I got home that evening, Alan was outside with the dogs and Sandy was shivering in the chilly air. I found a little dog sweatshirt that my mom had given me after her dog Pumpkin grew out of it, and she let me put it on without any fuss. She was so cute as I was helping her put her short little legs through the leg holes. She seemed more comfortable after that, and on the chilly days she's been sporting it proudly.
We've had Sandy for just over a week now and she's doing great! Her "udders" have shrunken considerably and she has been able to lay more comfortably as a result. She's still pretty skinny but we're working on plumping her up a bit. She's been trying so hard to play with Gabe and Sam, and while Gabe wants none of it and has no qualms about letting her know, Sam enjoys a good romp and wrestle for a minute or so before deciding he wants us to protect him. When we're hanging out in the kitchen we often hear the steady "thump thump thump" of her tail against the cabinets. She's just happy to be.
Sandy came to Great Dog because her owners had moved and left her behind. She was found in an abandoned truck, along with a little of newborn puppies but otherwise alone, with nothing but a few unopened cans of dog food on the porch. This must have been an incredibly difficult time for Sandy and her pups, but thankfully help arrived. You would never in a million years guess that Sandy had such a tough time not so long ago. Her page on Petfinder describes her as a happy-go-lucky dog and we have discovered that this fits her perfectly!
On Saturday, November 7th, we will be bringing Sandy to a meet and greet at the Harvard Kennels. I can't wait to see how people react to her when she wags her tail so hard she wiggles her whole body and rests her head against you when she wants love. Sandy is a sweetheart, loves people, other dogs and children, and would be so happy in a forever home of her own. Are you that loving home?
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What's she pointing at me?
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