Mom Hasn't Lost a Son; She's Gained a Wolfhound

My mom and dad got the call from Irish Wolfhound Rescue on Friday. The owner of a puppy mill in Delaware, Ohio had died, and those of his dogs which were still alive were rescued and brought under veterinary care. (There were dogs of many breeds living under these horrible conditions, but Irish Wolfhound Rescue took over the responsibility for all the Irish Wolfhounds.) Almost all the dogs had heartworm and other sicknesses, so this was no joke. Many have died even after being rescued. Some which seemed healthy enough to be adopted died shortly after getting home. So my parents' new dog has to stay at the vet's until he's absolutely sure she's strong enough to leave.

We don't know much about her yet. She is a three-year-old wheaten bitch and loves people. In fact, like our previous rescue dog Cormac, she's so lonesome for company that she sticks to people's sides like a "leech". However, she also is anxious to exercise her new freedom to run and apparently does so with great speed! (Note to self: hold tight to leash and keep balance at all times....) She has been so unsocialized by other dogs that she doesn't even know how to eat food properly. But Rory and Cormac were pretty bad off when they came to us, too, and they ended up being pretty good dogs. I still miss them both.

Name suggestions will be eagerly accepted. Of course, we'll have to see her first before we decide....

Anyway, in case you can't guess, I encourage people to adopt rescue dogs as well as looking to shelters or buying pets from reputable breeders. (And donate money to shelters, rescue, and the ASPCA!) There are a lot of good dogs out there who have had bad luck with people. They would love to find someone who will treat them well and love them back. It does mean investing extra time and patience, and maybe even extra money for food (neglected dogs tend to throw up normal dogfood, since their systems never developed right, so they have to eat the lamb-and-rice kind) and vet bills. But for the person who has that time and patience, watching a bedraggled, shy piece of skin and bones turn into a merry, bold normal dog is an unforgettable experience.

(If only God had such eager cooperation from us, we could probably be dramatically transformed, too....)

Here's a page of photos of some rescued hounds in Florida. Looks like some of these guys were shy like Rory was, or my brother's saluki Nicky (who was the runt of a badly managed litter, and got beat up by his brothers and sisters). You can see how love and routine makes them confident. (Don't you love how strange IW puppies look at various stages?) Also, you can visit Coesoig's Moor, the homepage of another rescued IW.