a rescue that turned out well!

hi all, i haven't posted much on this forum the last couple of months. we have been incredibly busy with gutting and redoing the other house to sell and settling into our new place and gardening and on and on and on. i wanted to share this "feel good" story with you all though, since you all are family to me, even when i don't keep in contact. lol

so here is my story. last wednesday i was walking bosco as i do every day and we walk past a vacant house on our rounds. the house is being fixed up by a couple who bought it for resale and they are there a couple times a week. i always say hi when i pass by. anyway, last wednesday they weren't there, but a pitifully skinny boxer mix puppy was in the front yard. when she saw me she ran to their front door crying and scratching to get in and away from me. i knew it wasn't their dog. i went back home and got food and water and let me tell you, this poor thing was so crawling with fleas (i could see them from a distance) and so skinny and full of sores, it was heartbreaking. she wouldn't come
anywhere near me, but stayed huddled at the front door, shaking and trembling. i set the bowls out and tossed food to her until she finally got up the courage to walk to the pieces and wolf them down. then i moved away and she ate the bowl of food and drank all the water. i went back and brought more water and she came a little closer, but that was all. she snapped at me when i came closer.

i will try to shorten this up a bit now. the next morning i went down and she was still there so we went through the same routine. i left a note for the man taped to the garage asking him not to scare her off, that i would try to catch her asap. that evening the man was there and he agreed to let her stay until i could get her.

skip to sunday afternoon when she tried her best to make up with me, but the fleas were keeping her too distracted. i brought an Advantage with me and as i scratched her chin (the only thing i had been able to do so far) she reached around to bite a flea and i squeezed the whole thing onto her back. i don't know why, but suddenly she let me touch her back and i was able to rub the stuff in from her head to her tail. my hand was covered in blood from the flea poop. when i went back last night, she was resting quietly for the first time without incessant biting and scratching.

i decided that today was the day. i took her breakfast and she ate it all and then i sat down with my little slip noose in my lap and my leather gloves. i was able to rub her all over and then i lifted her front end off the ground a couple of times. she tolerated everything without moving away. so i gently slipped the noose over her head and finally, i had her! she didn't fight the leash except a little. i already had my back van door open with the carrier open right inside. i had to drag her the last couple of feet, but not too bad. i put my gloves on and knelt down with her and petted her all over and got up the guts to pick her up and in she went! i can't tell you the relief i felt.

she is home now (at our other house next door). i made a bed on the screened porch for her and she's like a different dog. i put opthamalic ointment in her gooky eyes and rubbed neosporin over every open wound. both hips have almost bed sore type wounds that have slowly been healing over the last couple of days. i gave her a benydryl to help with the itch and to make her drowsy today. she is stretched out on her back, sleeping soundly at the moment. i will get a picture or two later, when she wakes up. i just had to share this story with you, my friends.