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Tuesday was a sad day for SBGSR. One of our foster pups Monty was gently
led to the Rainbow Bridge. For those of you who never had the chance to meet
Monty you truly missed out on knowing a wonderful puppy, He was rescued from
the Eau Gallie shelter by Kandy. Monty's condition was horrible his teeth
were so discolored from poor food it was thought he was around 2 years old
despite the owners claims he was 7 months. He weighed only 37 lbs. and had a
horribly matted coat. The owner has been arrested on a federal warrant (I do
not know what the charges were) and all of his animals had been confiscated
and placed in the shelter.
Everyone who met Monty fell in love with him. Despite his poor physical
condition he was a very sweet puppy. His initial exam at the Vet's was he
was severely underweight and the blood work was not promising. It was
imperative he gain weight. He had no appetite and lot of difficulty eating.
Elena cared for him and resorted to pureeing his food to encourage him to
eat. Good news he gained 4 lbs. on a high fat diet. Monty was then taken to
the Vet with concerns that he had a bladder infection. After a round of
antibiotics and more blood work there was no improvement he then went to the
Emergency Vet Clinic in Melbourne where he had an ultra sound on his
kidneys. Not good news one kidney was severely deformed the other had
extensive damage. (possibly from his neglected condition) He was given
several months to live. Elena took him home and made a good life for him.
Monty became very attached to Mitchell the young boy Elena is baby-sitting
for the summer. Mitchell helped care for Monty too by encouraging him to eat
and playing with him. Elena's favorite expression to describe the two is "they are like two peas in a pie". Over the weekend Monty took a turn for
the worse he wouldn't eat, he had no energy all he did was lie in his kennel
with the door open and sleep. Monday I went over to visit and Monty was
happy to see me we sat on the couch together for a quiet visit. Elena and I
talked and realized that it was his time we didn't want him to suffer. The
arrangements were made. Tuesday evening I met with Elena at the Vet's and we
stroked him and told him he wasn't going to be in pain any more. Very gently
he slipped away.
I want you to know how much Elena cared for this little guy. I think that
he was one of the hardest rescue cases she has dealt with in a long time.
Her care and concern for Monty was far above and beyond her usual compassion
for her rescue German Shepherd Dogs. Kandy came over several times a week to
help Elena with him and to check in on her charge. We all fell in love with
this beautiful boy. Despite all that he went through to the end he was a
happy, friendly puppy.
While the outcome for this little guy wasn't what we hoped for we must
remember that we work hard to care for and find homes for all the dogs that
come to our rescue, that all of them are well loved when they go to their
new homes.
Yours in Rescue,
Dani Champagne |
