When Noelle's mom moved into senior housing

How it starts:

Five years ago I found Dixie, my now 6 year old Boston, abandoned along the side of the road in my rural neighborhood. She was skinny and dirty and was nursing 4 1-month old puppies. Dixie came to live with me and her puppies all found great homes with the help of my local Boston Rescue group.

Dixie and her cat buddy Joe

But this isn't Dixie's story.

About 3 years ago a friend of mine called me to say she had an 8 year old Shih Tzu that belonged to an acquaintance it was in her car. She needed me to take the dog, as she couldn't since her dogs were all big and might hurt the little dog. The problem she told me was that her acquaintance was currently homeless and desperate. I agreed, and Noelle came into our lives the first time. Noelle's coat was matted, she had fleas, and she was behind on her shots and heart worm prophylaxis. First stop, the vet; Next stop, the groomer.

NOELLE IN HER CRATE

It turned out that Noelle had actually belonged to the acquaintance's mother. When the mother could no longer live alone, she moved into senior housing, but could not take Noelle with her. Fortunately, her daughter was willing to take Noelle. Unfortunately, the daughter worked 2 jobs so was never home and had a boyfriend with a big dog who did not like Noelle. Noelle went from a beloved companion to a cared for but mostly ignored problem.

We had Noelle for a couple of months. She didn't want to play with Dixie, but they learned to get along. Dixie mostly ignored Noelle. Noelle loved to sit in my Mom's lap and take naps with her. She was groomed, had gained a few pounds, learned to get along with Joe the cat, was up to date on her vaccinations, and was on heart worm prophylaxis and flea treatment. She went for walks. She growled at Dixie whenever Dixie pushed her out of the way or tried to play, but they got along ok otherwise. However, once Noelle's owner found a new home she did come to get Noelle. I told her we would happily take her if needs be and never expected to see her again.

My friend knew that Noelle was not getting much attention where she was living. She talked to her acquaintance more than once about giving Noelle up. It was hard. Noelle had belonged to her mother. She was loved. It is just that there wasn't the time or the money to give her the care she needed. No one was at fault. It is just the way things were. Ultimately she did the best thing for Noelle, she gave her up so that she could get the care and attention she needed.

Noelle came back to live with my family. She sits in my Mom's lap and takes naps with her. She goes on walks with Dixie and me. She still growls at Dixie but they get along ok. She has gotten use to Joe, who is bigger than she is. I send pictures to her former family. They still love her, they just could not, due to changes in their circumstances, give her what she needed.

The amount of time spent pacing, seems to be shortening, which I think means she will eventually adjust. Just makes me sad to watch her at times. She does seem to get better daily. My vet says it is a combo of some dementia along with living on a tie out her whole life. To me it appears she is looking for something or someone. My blind dog does not like being alone and gravitates to people, voices and interaction. But I have heard of some amazing recovery stories that have happened with similar senior dogs like Melinda.

I could not let there remain where she was either. I used to foster all the time until my one aggressive male dog, so I have to keep her safe. When I took her in, I knew she would not be able to share the whole house due to my aggressive male.   I thought my basement and my kitchen would be better than to leave her out where I saw her when on Craigslist. My most recent rescue was a street dog in his former life, and even though he had three beds in the house he still slipped through the doggy door every night so he could sleep outside. It was a good three months before he decided he was safe inside.

There has been lots of advice thankfully to help her. I am doing all I can to let her know she is loved. Can you imagine spending your life after losing your owner to old age landing up outside tied on a short lead? And she is blind and hard of hearing… Why because her owners family was not prepared to deal with her. They had other dogs and kids that were more important… But they had promised to give the dog a home. And they did.

   PHOTO FROM OUR FILES

 I work at a no kill shelter and have fostered many special needs dogs, so I know to be patient and give them time to come around, especially puppy mill dogs, so I am using that knowledge for this blind girl. I have never had a blind one before, and am so grateful for all the insight I have received, to help her.

The kitchen the center of the home, where we spend allot of time in there with her. This is where she is most of the time. We set her up her own crate that she only went in once, so she has a safe place. I have slept with her on the kitchen floor several times. She does like to follow me when I am anywhere, wish I could take her threw the whole house, but this will have to do, and I try to spend lots of time with her after work, as much add all the others Poor little girl - but even good things can be such a huge adjustment.

Friends have encouraged me with comments like “My blind baby shook from head to toe when I brought her outside. Now she runs like a crazy girl but it took lots of time and patience. Thank you for bringing this special girl into your home! It can become trying when they pace like this but time and love will help.” I look forward to the day when this will be possible for Melinda.

I well do my best to be her new family and will be here for her till the end. She doesn't like the diaper but it's getting used to it, used to fight me, and now just gives in. Now Melinda lets me get closer to touching her and petting her more and more daily without cringing, no picking her up, I can hug her a little now, she likes when I sing to her.

There are some good ideas shared some I have used that might be helpful to others with dogs similarly life experiences:

“They live in a very dark world. Turn on the radio for her. " Since she has always been outside this might cause her more stress since she cannot see the source or be familiar with the constant noise. But if she had been inside, around the movements of humans that might be a good idea.

PHOTO FROM OUR FILES

“Have you considered putting her on a rope tied to something in the kitchen? Maybe she feels insecure without it. I know some might think it's not nice after you rescued her from that life...but maybe she needs a more gradual intro to freedom.” This seems to be a good idea for many. But not until she has bonded closer to me and we are ready to expand her world.

“You might try getting a training lead and when you leave a room encourage her to come with you. When she follows you reward her with a treat. After a while you can slowly start working off the lead.”

“Let her go at her own pace. It doesn't mean that there's necessarily anything wrong, I’m sure she's just adjusting.”   This is very good advise.

“Take her out for a walk or get her interested in something besides walking in circles. I took my older blind dog out on walks, so at the very least he could sniff stuff. It helped. She has too much energy and does not know what to do with it.”   First she needs to become comfortable with the limited area of the Kitchen and know she is safe from other dogs and people. And she is older not a puppy so I am not sure that it is an energy concern as much as it may be behavioral and anxiety

“If she was tied up outside she is not used to walking on tile. Make different pathways with the rugs. Might feel more textured like the earth.” Now this makes sense. I have tile in my kitchen. We are trying this, rugs from her crate to the food, across the kitchen to where the door outside is. Someone even suggested getting those large flooring tiles for children’s play rooms, with the alphabet that look like a giant puzzle on them that can be used..

“Hershey who is 15 has dementia and walks in circles and paces a lot. He also barks and stamps his front feet as he does it. My holistic vet feels it is just age loss of sight and probably loss of some of his hearing and sense of smell.”

“What about putting treats on the route she is doing for her to find. See if you can get her scent going. It is upsetting to see but you are doing an amazing thing for her.” I like this one and will try this next we are going slowly to build up her successes and self-esteem.

"She was severely matted. Her family moved to Colorado to be near the grandchildren and they took their other dog, but the vet told them the trip would be to stressful for her, so they left her with their sister, out on a tie out there, until she put the ad on Craigslist, so it had been a rough year for this little girl."

NOTE FROM BOSTON TERRIER NETWORK:  Dear Readers sometimes in the dog world we come across a true life story that just breaks your heart, especially if it happens to you or a dear friend. As an foster parent I have been very lucky and have never had to deal with the issue of Canine Rage. Our Cofounder of Boston Terrier Network has had personal experience with this and although she tried everything possible including training for handling Canine Rage, they had to in the end put the dog down. Although very rare, it does happen in all breeds.    

A variety of studies and testing over the past 30 years have failed to produce a clear cause or a definitive diagnosis for idiopathic aggression. Behaviorists can’t even agree on what to call it!

Your first step is to find a skilled and positive trainer/behavior consultant who can give you a more educated analysis of your dog’s aggression.¹

We advise you now to go get your tissues. You will need them.

PART ONE : Don’t Stop Believing-OZZY AND ROBERT

Hello everyone.  Robert here...

Last time I left all of you, my beloved Akiles passed away. Life has a way of being too real sometimes.  This is a bitter sweet story.

Before reading the story and journey of my first rescue I'd like everyone to know my sweet OZZY, also known as BIG SEXY, is now at the rainbow bridge along with my Akiles. His story is being told in three parts. Not for dramatic effect, but so people can experience my journey of rescuing Ozzy and so his story may save another dog or persons life.. it's for people to understand not all fairytale beginnings have a happily ever after. I only had Ozzy for 6 months but we shared a lifetime of love in that short period. I apologize now if I seem out of character at some points of this story but the emotional whirlwind I experienced was overwhelming..

It's funny, as I write this listening to the radio, Journey’s, Don’t Stop Believing, is playing.  It was Akiles’ song for his memorial video that included not just him but all dogs, not just bulldogs. I created a group aside from our fan page Silly Akiles, called Akiles Heals. Our mission was for all dog, animals and people to have a safe place to go when feeling troubled to express them, a sanctuary.  To paraphrase one of my favorite movies, Star Wars, Akiles became more powerful in death than I could ever imagine..

_{Photo: OZZY}

The same day Akiles passed, I was contacted by Roberta Lorimer McMullen, a woman who helps rescue Bulldogs and has a group called Bingo for Bullies.  Once a month people play bingo, and winnings are donated to an approved rescue in the winner’s name.

Roberta messaged me and showed me a picture of a beautiful white bulldog.   I asked, "Who's that?" She replied, "A bully that needs a home, you interested?" I was but I was still in shock over Akiles.   I told her "Can we talk about this tomorrow?"

 I was hoping she wouldn't  recontact me and take the choice away from me. But wouldn’t you know first thing in the morning I saw a message.
Roberta told me there was a bite incident. The story was Ozzy bit the owner’s son and they couldn't keep Ozzy because they ran a daycare out the house.  The bite was reported because the son went to the hospital for an infection. Ozzy was going to go to a shelter if no one acted. We know he would have been put down (PTS), without a doubt.

Roberta told me she felt Ozzy needed someone like myself, no other pets, not a lot of chaos in my life that would give 100 percent attention to Ozzy and work with him. I might be his only chance.  I'm by no means a dog expert or claim to be a dog whisperer, but I know how to devote myself to these beautiful dogs, and have the patience.

Yes, I felt guilt over Akiles passing and me saying "yes" to Ozzy.  But this is what Akiles prepared me for and why he saved my life. Akiles left this world on his own terms when he knew I'd be strong enough to start my life again and begin living life, not just existing in it.

We spoke to Ozzys owner;  I assured them this dog would have a wonderful life, and they’d see him every day on my fan page. (They were in Illinois  and I live in Florida.) He was going to be a star.  The fact we were both of Hispanic background made them feel comfortable.  I promised them I would keep his name.

 
The preparations began to get Ozzy to me.  Roberta took charge of everything and said just heal and prepare yourself for your new baby. She posted what was taking place and all our followers and supporters were so happy and excited for me.  

I can’t tell you how wonderful our fans were during Akiles passing.  I got thousands of messages and support. They didn’t want to see me fall back into a life of drugs and chaos. Luckily, I had Brent, a bulldog I was bully-sitting for a friend who contacted me to watch his bulldog, while he entered recovery.

Ozzy's journey to me became known as the Ozzy train. Everyone wanted to be a part of it. People donated for his vet visit to make sure he was healthy and neutered. I told Roberta  "I don’t want people giving money. I work, make ok money, I could pay."  Her answer was that "You do so much for people and dogs". She told me,  " 'that warm fuzzy feeling I get when I see someone get past their struggles'. Don’t take that away from us".  So I let them help.     

A bully-train was organized. Eight total strangers came together and drove him to Roberta from Illinois to Tampa Florida! I couldn’t believe what I was witnessing. I always heard of Pay-it-forward but to experience it was magical.

Ozzy arrived in Tampa, and to Roberta's house. I had to wait to get him as he would go first  to the vet for examination and neutering.  I felt best to let Roberta check him out, have everything done, then go get him.  All Roberta said is "You have no idea how beautiful this dog is. The pictures don't do justice."

The day came to go get Ozzy.  I took two of my tennis students with me, teenagers, to share this moment with me.  I coach world class juniors.  I know having played at a high level myself how draining and stressful competing can be and the toll it takes on one’s mind.  They were pleased at being invited to come with me.

I said "Guys ROAD TRIP!"

Everyone on Facebook and bulldog groups marked the day on the calendar. I planned on recording the moment and people were eagerly anticipating. We arrived at Roberta's, a woman I never met.

As my student recorded I opened the door to see Ozzy looking up at me.  I bent down and in one second he got up on his legs hugged me and started kissing me as if he was waiting for me. I began to cry and was hit with so many emotions.

Follow this link to see  Me meeting Ozzy for the first time.    I RESCUE OZZY  video Published on Nov 17, 2015

People  who saw the video said how happy I looked and cried with me.  The truth. I wasn’t.  All I thought was this isn’t Akiles.

However if Ozzy was willing to give it a shot so was I.  On the way home I stopped several times along the way because I needed to breathe.  Every time Ozzy looked at me from inside the car as if to say, "Hey Where you going dude, don’t forget me!"
I was like "oh boy". We got home I showed Ozzy to my family and he was wonderful. My sister, mom, nieces were excited; they had a new playmate to fill the void of Akiles.

My sister has an American bully who we knew wouldn’t take to Ozzy right away so we kept them separate.  After a three hour drive I was drained emotionally. I put Ozzy in the RV out back and walked into the house to read comments from the video I posted. There were so many. It was my way of avoiding bonding with Ozzy. I felt so much guilt cause of Akiles.

I questioned what I had just done. Was it to soon? Why did I do this? I asked God for a sign, or even something from Akiles. Wouldn’t you know I found one.

Out of so many comments on social media, I came across a comment from a 6 yr old girl named NEVAEH, (Heaven spelled backwards). It said, "Rob, don't be sad Akiles is heaven with Jesus and wants you to be happy and have Ozzy".  I was blown away and balled liked a baby.

Out of a thousand comments it was a 6 yr old girl who saw I was sad in the video. I immediately contacted the mother and said, "Who is this beautiful wise child of yours?".. We talked and instantly became friends.

I ran out the house opened the Rv and let Ozzy out and ran around with him on my sisters 2 acre property.   We stayed up all night together.  I talked to him as I pet him in bed telling him all about me and his brother Akiles who made this all possible. The bonding began.

I had to return to Roberta to make the adoption official and get Ozzy’s stitches out. I wanted this to be big. Only the best for my dogs.  One of my students is a pilot who owns a flight school and has planes. He always offered to take me flying but I was like "yeah OK".  I talked to him and he wanted to be part the Ozzy train. This was the last leg.
I chartered the plane, well let’s just say I’m still giving him free tennis lessons.  We took Ozzy on this small propeller plane and I recorded it. I called it the first bulldog in space. We arrived at the airport where we met Roberta, got the stitches out, signed the papers and returned to Miami. Ozzy was mine.

I did it; I was now part of the rescue club. I couldn’t wait to have all these adventures with Ozzy and show him all the love Akiles and I reciprocated with each other. I knew Ozzy was a little wild but so was I in my past. Akiles taught me, and it was now my turn to teach Ozzy.  Our future looked bright and I said we are going to have so many fun years ahead of us.  If only Ozzy's adventures had been longer and happier..
To be continued>>>
Written by Robert Coriat

Related articles written by Robert:
The Power of a Dog's Unconditional Love Robert and Akiles
The Power of a Dogs Unconditional Love: Part 2 Dedicated to Akiles

Resource link:
¹whole-dog-journal.com