SHANIA
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| This sweet senior lucked out when she fell into the hands of her Good Samaritan Charis. We had received a surrender form from her owner in late February but she disappeared until early March at which point Shania's fate became a "must go in 24-hour" emergency.
It's hard to think of this ole gal as "lucky" considering her former owner never took her to a vet, never vaccinated or spayed her and never walked, trained or socialized her in the six years she owned her. Shania was initially described as barely able to walk and somewhere around eleven or twelve years old.
But lucky she was when she was taken in on a moments notice, sight unseen, which gave us the opportunity to move forward....thanks Charis!
Shania is likely no more than eight, possibly nine years old at the most. Aside from her extremely muscle atrophied hindquarters, she's in, surprisingly, pretty good shape. And while she might very well be dysplastic, a lot of this is the result of a very sedentary six years. She is currently taking increasingly longer walks and once limbered up more, we might X-ray her just to see if we're pushing her too far. From all indications though, she's liking this new lifestyle. She also allowed us to poke and probe, including having a good look at her very nice teeth, which are typical of a much younger dog. Since she rarely, if ever, got off her property, we expected her to be very distracted at the park but it soon became apparent that her lack of focus had more to do with hearing loss; we think she had untreated ear infections resulting in hearing impairment. We will know soon if she is deaf or just hard of hearing....Charis said that Shania did not want the vet near her ears. She let us touch her everywhere but we also did not go to the lengths the vet would. We were told that she lived with and did well with kids, toddlers and cats. She's doing fine with Charis' pack, a female and male hound and a GSD, yet she barked defensively at strange dogs in the park. We think with some socializing and proper intros she will be fine. Shania is on supplements and special food geared to help her joints. We have also recommended a course of Adequan. We will be working on getting her out more as well as basic obedience. She can" sit" ..slowly. If we learn that she cannot hear at all, we will use hand signals and she will learn quickly. There's a good chance she can hear some in which case she will be going to class just to get socialized. Her vet believes she is OK to spay, her blood work was totally normal,there will be another exam first to check her eyes and those ears; if we get the green light to spay, her hips will be X-rayed while she is under anesthesia. This is a confident lady who demonstrates some wonder in a new and stimulating environment and only a tiny bit of insecurity when a strange dog approaches. After a little more outside exposure, Shania will be an easy keeper. We would prefer no kids...(it's Shania's turn to shine)... a retiree who likes to walk and has a pool would be ideal..we're hoping swimming will be part of her low impact summer rehab. UPDATE 3/16: Our gal is getting perkier all of the time. Yesterday she was spayed, X-rayed, had a dental cleaning, ear cleaning and a couple of skin tags removed. Our speculation was fairly accurate; she can hear...more like "selective hearing"...although her ears were absolutely filthy inside. She might have some minor hearing loss but is not, at all, deaf and no damage to important ear parts. Her X-rays revealed only mild hip dysplasia and arthritis...imagine the effects on an older human of spending months on the couch doing nothing. Most astonishing, however, is what appeared to be the remnants of a failed pregnancy. This is something that should have outright killed her if not, at least, caused unimaginable suffering. But that's all behind her now...Shania will have a new lease on life. The vet proclaimed Shania a brave girl and a great patient. She will spend this week recovering after which she will begin the process of getting comfy in her own skin in social situations. Who knows, maybe she will even start playing with toys!
UPDATE: 3/28: Physically, Shania has made incredible strides; she's stronger, sits readily and without discomfort and can take longer, more frequent walks. And yup, she has even started playing with toys! Her only issue is barking; she does a lot of it mostly in the company of other dogs. Charis has graciously consented to bringing her to obedience class which she started yesterday. By the last 20 minutes of class, she finally stopped barking. To be fair, it's probably the only way in the past that she was able to solicit any attention.
Even though her former owner said she was an indoor dog, we're inclined to believe that she spent a great deal of time locked outside, or isolated to an area or room in the house. Given that Shania has not had previous exposure to most of the real world, she is a shining example of just how "fixable" these resilient dogs can be.
Charis is still working in her barking behavior which, again, is her only real issue. Here's her foster Mom's recent remarks: "Shania is a very strong willed dog. She wants to involved in everything, so be prepared to have her with you all the time. She loves her cuddle bed that has a soft inside and a roll that provide her with support around the back. You will often find her "babies" tucked into her bed. She talks to her babies and even licks them to be clean. She is a dog that just wants a chance to have a great life as she's in her twilight years. She still has lots to offer any home - love, laughter and a constant companion!"
Our gal has done well and been cooperative with baths as well as having her ears cleaned. Aside from being a pushy, vocal gal, Shania is eager to be the top dog in her very own family, sooner rather than later ;-) Adoption fee: a loving home willing to deal with whatever might come with being a senior citizen.
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We're eager to see how much progress she makes over the next four weeks of weekly sessions and with Charis reinforcing her lessons at home.
SHANIA HAS MADE dramatic physical progress with respect to strength and stamina; she walks a mile now and can jump right up the couch. She has even developed muscle in her hind quarters.
Shania even runs and plays with the other dogs and chases her ball.
Since she is in a 3-dog situation with another female GSD, there has been some posturing for the top rung of the ladder as Shania is a born leader. There have been no fights, however, this is a less than ideal dynamic which could eventually become problematic.
