Just when I thought my day couldn't get any more insane....
My mail lady just stopped by. She said that she and her DH had taken in an abused, starved GSD female. They don't know a thing about her history, except for they are nearly certain she is full GSD. They have guessed at abuse because of some scars on her body and she cowers and pees when corrected. They say she is very sweet otherwise, but in need of alot of attention and some good groceries.
Knowing my DH well - her DH and mine grew up and worked together - and knowing our love for GSDs they reached out to us for help. They want to know if we will take her or if DH can find her a home through his connections at work.
Mail lady said if we don't want to or can't take her, her DH will shoot the dog. While the thought of him doing that breaks my heart and shocks me, I've learned that is a common practice in this area.
I've worked with abused dogs before. My Charlie Girl, the world's best dog bar none, had been severely abused before I got her. I have no formal training, but I have my heart, my love and understanding of shepherds and all the time in the world to devote.
My DH and I just had a brainstorming session on the phone. We think we can make it work. The dog would have to go to the vet first thing. In fact, we would probably board her there for a few days while the vet gets her all set on shots and spayed (if she hasn't been already) while we prepare our household. We can house her seperately from our boys (both unnetuered at this point) while we get her used to us and our household. It'll be alot of work, but we think we can make it work.
What should we do?
I need to stress, for those that don't live in a truly rural area as we do, that we live in the county and not town, so basically that means we have no animal control. Animal control issues in the county are handled by the deputies. Sometimes that means the offending animal is shot on the spot. The town has an animal shelter but it is staffed by one high school dropout that doesn't know his arse from a hole in the ground. The shelter only takes in animals that he picks up off the streets, IN TOWN. Our local humane society is in the process of closing down and are not taking any more animals. So those two things are not an option in this case.
My mail lady just stopped by. She said that she and her DH had taken in an abused, starved GSD female. They don't know a thing about her history, except for they are nearly certain she is full GSD. They have guessed at abuse because of some scars on her body and she cowers and pees when corrected. They say she is very sweet otherwise, but in need of alot of attention and some good groceries.
Knowing my DH well - her DH and mine grew up and worked together - and knowing our love for GSDs they reached out to us for help. They want to know if we will take her or if DH can find her a home through his connections at work.
Mail lady said if we don't want to or can't take her, her DH will shoot the dog. While the thought of him doing that breaks my heart and shocks me, I've learned that is a common practice in this area.
I've worked with abused dogs before. My Charlie Girl, the world's best dog bar none, had been severely abused before I got her. I have no formal training, but I have my heart, my love and understanding of shepherds and all the time in the world to devote.
My DH and I just had a brainstorming session on the phone. We think we can make it work. The dog would have to go to the vet first thing. In fact, we would probably board her there for a few days while the vet gets her all set on shots and spayed (if she hasn't been already) while we prepare our household. We can house her seperately from our boys (both unnetuered at this point) while we get her used to us and our household. It'll be alot of work, but we think we can make it work.
What should we do?
I need to stress, for those that don't live in a truly rural area as we do, that we live in the county and not town, so basically that means we have no animal control. Animal control issues in the county are handled by the deputies. Sometimes that means the offending animal is shot on the spot. The town has an animal shelter but it is staffed by one high school dropout that doesn't know his arse from a hole in the ground. The shelter only takes in animals that he picks up off the streets, IN TOWN. Our local humane society is in the process of closing down and are not taking any more animals. So those two things are not an option in this case.
