Category: Feathers ‘N Fur

Rescue stories and featuringTen Chapter story of the misadventures of a beloved dog; animal rescue stories

Posted in CajuTexTreasures, Feathers 'N Fur

Mutt Mutt Molly (Miracle Dog)

Posted on by CajuTex Treasures

Chapter Five

   

No way were we giving up

We became lifelong friends on the back patio. A few weeks passed and she was at ease with us. She chose when she wanted to be petted and was fiercely independent. She ran and romped in the yard, but she also disappeared regularly. We never knew which direction she would arrive back home from. We planned a trip to the vet and we tried to get her into the car but that didn’t go well the first time. She would walk up to the car door while on a leash (no she didn’t like that). My husband attempted to pick her up and gently put her in the car…. mistake! She bit him but we both knew it was out of fear and her free-spirited nature. Otherwise, she didn’t seem to have a mean bone in her body. I tried getting her in the car again, but this time I put her blanket in the car, I got in the back seat and talked to her and said ‘good girl’ over and over, as I had done in the beginning. We finally got her in and off to the vet we went. She got her shots, heart worm test and prevention and that is when we learned her she was probably 7-9 months old.

She just wanted to be free. Once she was healed, we let her stay out of the fence. She would sleep in one of the chairs on the patio, always with her blanket. Eventually she tore that up and I got her another one. We would get big beef bones for her to chew on thinking it would curtail her habit of scavenging and bringing home her special treasures. It was to the point of amazement (where on earth did she find that) and unhappy resignation on our part. She also enjoyed digging in our flower beds and refused to let any of the plants stay where they belonged.

No way were we giving up. Her log house was finished now and although it took some coaxing she did eventually go in and seemed at ease there. Winter was coming on, so my husband also made a heater for the doghouse. It was made out of a large tin can with a bulb inside it and powered with a long extension cord. We bought her a large cushy dog bed to go inside it and knowing how she loved to carry things around and tear stuff up, we screwed it down to the bottom inside the house. We placed her food and water bowls close by, and we had high hopes that she would love her new home so much that she would settle down and stay home instead of roaming around.

We walked outside the next morning to find the dog bed in shreds all over the yard. There was nothing left in the doghouse but the material that was held by the screws. The extension cord was chewed in pieces (it’s a wonder it didn’t electrocute her). We did not know what to do and we did start to give up a little bit. We accepted we could not control her, but we loved her and still wanted her to be ok. I worried about her constantly. She would visit other dogs across the busy highway we live on, and I held my breath every time I came home from work, knowing it was just a matter of time before she would run in front of a car.

Posted in CajuTexTreasures, Feathers 'N Fur

Mutt Mutt Molly – Miracle Dog

Posted on by CajuTex Treasures

                   Chapter 4

Finally, small breakthroughs along with bigger issues

Even with her left hind leg that stuck straight out she could jump, climb, and run.

 

The next step to foster trust was to offer treats like sausage, bacon, or biscuit bites from my hand –   even more wonderful than the dog food she had grown to love   I would inch closer and she would stand her ground.  I would hand her the treat with my thumb and forefinger and touch her chin with my other fingers always being very gentle.  She began to trust me more and I began to trust her.  I let my grandkids stand beside me as I gave her treats and they were able to hand them to her also. We share a love of animals, and we wanted to pet her so much. This went on for several weeks and we could see she was obviously relaxing. She was healing and although her hip was crippled, she could walk, and we discovered she had a free spirit for sure.

We had a small but happy breakthrough. She began to follow my husband around the yard as he did chores but always kept her distance.  When he stopped to work, she would lie down and wait until he came back to the house then of course back to her hole again.  She came out from under the house more and would routinely to make the rounds of our neighborhood. She would jump up on the bench and sit while we were outside. Even with her left hind leg that stuck straight out she could jump and run. She had a joyfulness about her with an intelligence that kept her on guard always. We would see her returning home from all directions. Then the breakthrough wasn’t so happy. We live on a busy highway, and it was clear that she had not learned much from getting run over. She would cross the road and sometimes just hang out right by the road.

She has an independent free-spirited nature and loved bringing all sorts of things to our yard, like newspapers, carcasses, and trash in general. It was an ongoing chore to pick up the messes she made. We didn’t know it at the time, but she was only about 6 months old when she came to us. Honestly, I wondered if I would ever be able to pet her. I made calls to the county animal control, to the local pet shelter, and to the Sheriff department asking if they could catch her so she could get care for her injuries and then adopted by a family. None of these agencies could help as we were rural and she hadn’t bitten anyone, so we were on our own.

A favorite pastime for us is to sit on the back patio and watch the birds and squirrels come to the feeders we have placed there. One day as we were sitting there, out of the blue and to our amazement, she rounded the corner and walked right up to my husband.  He reached out and pet her and scratched her ears, like they were old friends. I was also able to pet her, such a rewarding experience. We were able to place a collar on her after several tries. There was always a hint of suspicion in her eyes with quick movements on our part or any attempt to hold her would meet with protest in the form of pulling back and running away. We are pretty sure someone was mean to her because she behaved in such a traumatized way. We will never know what all she had been through, but it had taken close to 3 months to build enough trust for her to allow that simple touch.

Posted in Feathers 'N Fur
Posted on by CajuTex Treasures

Chapter Three

This turned out to be a Marathon…Not a Sprint.

She seemed to love the blanket I gave her. She would carry it from place to place in the yard She started looking healthier and gaining weight. I could see her beauty emerging.

OK, now, this little girl would have to work a little more for her keep. I continued to put her food by the hole as usual, but then I started sitting about 40 feet away quietly watching, and she eventually would come out to eat with me there. Every couple of days I moved a little closer and she seemed more comfortable with me being there. It had been about 5 weeks, but very little progress had been made, except that she was starting to look much healthier. Her hip and all her cuts and scrapes were healing, although her left back leg stuck straight out, making it difficult for her to get around easily.

I moved her bowl a little away from the house, and after she came out to eat for a few days, I m and I would sit on the grass about 6 feet away.  It took a couple more days, but then she carefully made her way to the delicious smell-good gravy train-can food with me sitting there.  I said, ‘Good girl,’ gently and quietly, over and over as she ate, and we became friends.  She still watched every move I made, and I was pretty sure someone had mistreated her terribly. I moved her bowl further and further into the yard so that she would have to come out and stay longer to eat.

We had been on this adventure for about 2 months, and I could see that she was less frightened and seemed grateful to me.  We still had a long way to go. There was such kindness in her eyes, and I was convinced she would not bite or be aggressive, but I did continue to be cautious just in case something frightened her. I longed just to touch her and let her feel the compassion and love that had grown in my heart for her.

Posted in Feathers 'N Fur
Posted on by CajuTex Treasures

Mutt Mutt Molly (Miracle Dog)

Chapter 2

  I wanted to let her know I wanted to care for her.   Patience will be the key 

 

“Stray dogs are resilient because they must use whatever resources are available to them in order to survive”

petpress.net

This mutt was hurt and starving. No way I could whisk her away this time. Of course, she would not let anyone near her. We would periodically get a glimpse of her when she semi crawled out from under the house to go to the bathroom. I began to put out food for her and fresh water. She would only come out when there was no one around. I could see her eat from the bedroom window if I was very quiet, so she didn’t know I was there. I fed her that way for about 2 weeks, then decided to try and build a little trust between us. Kind of like when you first hear who Jesus is. It takes a little time to know Him and a little more to understand He only wants the best for you. 

Mutt had already been through so much in her young life, and she had no way of knowing she already had touched my heart.  I set out to show her. I read all about gaining trust with animals, specifically dogs.  One tip that really paid off was to trade the dry food for wet food that smelled better.  Supposedly the smell would then be associated with me, and she would begin to let down her guard a little. 

The plan was to catch her and take her to a vet then to a shelter.  We did not want another dog for keeps.  I figured gravy train with a can of dog food would smell especially nice so that became her staple.  Every evening, I would put the gravy train with warm milk or water plus the can of Alpo mixed in for good measure.  I also gave her a name, “Mutt”, that eventually became Mutt-Mutt.  I will get to the ‘Molly’ soon. 

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Mutt Mutt Molly (Miracle Dog) Chapter 1

Posted on by CajuTex Treasures

                     Chapter One:    The Beginning..

“Stray dogs are resilient because they must use whatever resources are available to them in order to survive”petpress.net

I saw her for the first time, and she tugged at my heart. She was terrified and her tail was tucked. There was a light brown stray pup trying to stake a claim to the clammy, wet underside of our house. Part of our home is up on blocks, and the newer part is on a cement slab. She claimed the dark access portal as her front door.

I told my husband about the dog, and we shooed her away, hoping she would go home.  I was happy when I didn’t see her for a few days and thought she had returned to her family.  She came back. The sad truth is that she was starving and somehow felt safe under our house.  This time, though, she had been hit by a car, and her left hip was visibly broken, and she had other cuts and scrapes.  I knew I had to care for her until we could give her away or take her to a shelter.