Paws and Prayers Rescue Blog

There is no way to tell the story of Russell from beginning to end as a short story. His story is far too long; and far from over. So I will do my best to keep it as short as possible. I'll divide it into chapters so it doesn't have to be read all at once. The 7 chapters of Russell's Story will be posted semi-monthly.

Russell November 2012

When I took Russell to my vet, I was nervous that he might have some serious health issues from being overweight. I had recently listed him on the Paws and Prayers web site as being an adoptable dog. I wrote briefly about his history and how he would need a lot of care to get healthy. I hadn’t gotten any inquires yet, but I felt I needed a better grasp of his overall health before even considering his being adopted. After giving Russell a thorough exam, my vet told me that Russell definitely had some health issues. He had: a heart murmur that was not serious or life threatening, some shifting of tendons in his front legs that may be from the excessive weight on the joints, and many signs of hypothyroidism. His being overweight, having dry skin and fur, and lack of energy (I noticed that the previous year) were signs of hypothyroidism.

The next day the vet called me and told me that Russell’s blood work showed that he definitely had hypothyroidism. He would put Russell on daily medication and check his blood again in one month. By that time Russell should be showing signs of improvement and more weight loss. He also put Russell on some aspirin daily because he felt Russell’s joints were probably hurting him.

By the middle of October I had gotten two applications for Russell by families wanting to adopt him. I was excited to see that he had gotten some interest, but was cautious about letting him leave without being healthier. After much debate, I decided to wait until after his blood work was re-checked in November before letting him be adopted. I contacted both families and was both surprised and pleased that they were very willing to not only wait until Russell’s blood work was done, but also to trust me to make the decision as to who would be the best family to adopt Russell. I also got a third application for Russell from a woman in Pennsylvania who had originally put an application in for another dog. That dog had been adopted by someone else, so she wanted to know about Russell. She was also willing to wait until I thought Russell was ready.

Russell November 2012

Over the next two weeks Russell made remarkable progress. We noticed immediately that he had more energy. A major breakthrough came on a cool, damp day. We had all three dogs outside in the back yard. Russell had been able to go up and down the steps for a couple weeks now. It wasn’t pretty, but it was impressive. He was, however, walking over into the neighbor’s yard and we didn’t want him going to the bathroom there, so we had him tethered on a 30ft leash to keep him in our yard. It was a leash that was over ten years old and had been used by almost all the foster dogs. Suddenly, all three dogs spotted some deer strolling through the woods behind our house. With a fury of loud barking and howling, all three ran toward the woods after the deer. To our surprise, Russell broke his leash and darted into the woods dragging about ten feet of broken leash with him. My wife ran out after them with no shoes on and white socks. Mandy and Buddy ran a little ways before listening to my wife yelling for them to stop, but Russell disappeared into the woods. While I scrambled to get some shoes on, my wife ran as far as she could into the woods before the rough terrain and soft, thick mud was too much.

When I finally caught up to Russell, he had managed to get at least 100 yards into the thick, overgrown, and very muddy wooded area. I was down on my hands and knees crawling because the area was so thick. The only things that seemed to have stopped him was the fact that the leash he was dragging had gotten caught on underbrush and he had sank into the mud up to his belly. I had to pull him out of the mud like pulling a cork out of a bottle. As I carried him back to the house, I couldn’t help but notice the happy look on his face. I felt his tail wagging against my body and his heart rapidly beating strongly through his chest. I took him right into the house and straight to the bath tub for a good cleaning. My wife and I couldn’t help but laugh at how happy Russell seemed to be after his little adventure.

Russell November 2012

With Halloween about a week away, Russell was making great strides. He weight had dropped to 48lbs and his energy level was increasing daily. He was now ready to go on a full evening walk with Mandy and Buddy. It was no secret that he liked walks, but I was surprised that after just a few walks he got his own leash and brought it to me as I got Mandy and Buddy on their leashes. Russell was also beginning to show that he liked being at our home. Whenever I got home, he would run up to greet me. He would bark and cry until I petted him and even rolled over to have his belly rubbed (something he wasn’t physically able to do for a long time)! He followed me almost all the time when I was in the house and constantly sat down near me waiting for his head to be petted and neck rubbed. Most of the time he wouldn’t even lay down until he was convinced that I was going to stay put myself for a while. Russell had completely worked his way into our hearts.

As the time to re-check Russell’s blood work grew nearer, I knew that I must consider who would be the best of the three applicants to adopt him. I decided that Marty, a retired teacher who lives in Pennsylvania, was the best candidate. She was home a lot of the time, had a fenced in yard, a dog of her own, and most importantly; a true understanding of Russell’s history and my attachment to him and my desire to find him the right forever home. After several phone calls and e-mails, we arranged to meet.

It was the day after the November elections when we met at a Petsmart in Poland, Ohio. I was outside the store walking Russell when Marty pulled up in her car. As we introduced ourselves, Russell lifted his leg and had a nice long pee on the wheel of her car. As I watched, embarrassed by the scene, all I could say was: “You know there was a time when he couldn’t even lift his leg!” Marty was very nice about the situation and even laughed. Russell and Marty’s dog, Simon, a 12 year old male Lab-Collie mix, gave each other a “smell over” and seemed to be okay as we walked them together for a short time. Russell was cordial to Marty, as was his nature not to be over affectionate to new people. He took treats gently from her hands and sat patiently as she petted him. After about an hour of visiting and talking, Marty decided that she would like to, if I thought it was okay, adopt Russell. I wanted to wait until after the November 16th blood work was completed and I had a better idea of how Russell was progressing to complete the adoption. Marty agreed that would be best.

As I left the Petsmart, I was feeling a lot of emotions. I was excited that it looked so good that Russell was going to get adopted, nervous that I was making the best decision, but mostly sad that my time with Russell was nearing an end.

Russell had only lost a few pounds in the first couple weeks he was with us. I decided it was time to get a better physical check up and blood work done. I made an appointment with my vet. A thorough health evaluation would reveal many things.

Russell November 2012

To be continued . . .

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Content By:  Beagle Bob

"Beagle Bob" Dietrich is a foster parent for dogs along with his wife Vicki and son Robert.  Bob is a full time Fire Fighter/Paramedic, Vicki is a high school math teacher, and Robert is a full time college student.  They have two Beagles, Mandy and Buddy. 

Images: Provided by Alliey Bender Photography