GALLERY OF DOGS
WILLIAM POWELL
Meet the Wonderful Mr. William Powell, but all his friends call him Billie. He is one of the recent Silver Screen Rescues that arrived at WFTRM Chicago. To say he is handsome is an understatement, he is magnificent. After spending his 4 years in a metal crate outside at the hands of his breeder, he is free and soaking up every second of every day. Initially he was timid but the warming up happened quick. He stares at you with his movie star face, wants to crawl up on your lap while lounging and follows me around like a loyal companion. Billie weighs 19 pounds, has a nice solid frame, wiry harsh coat and carries himself with confidence. He rides in the car well and glimpses of him in the rear-view mirror had me pulling out my phone to snap a picture, he was so adorable. A plus was he was so good for the groomer as well – they loved him. Billie recently discovered what toys are and is having so much fun inside and out in the yard. He wants to play with Myrna but she is not interested so he runs around her very fast making snorts and grunts. He always has a smile on his face and a little sparkle in his eyes thinking of what he can do next. Billie seems tolerable at the gate with everyone other than McDuff and perhaps because he is a huge male. We have been to the vet and he is Neutered, Rabies, Distemper & Bordatella Vaccinations, Heartworm Tested Negative, Bloodwork Panel, Wormed, on Revolution and Microchipped. During his exam the vet noticed a heart murmur estimated around Grade 2-3. The travelling cardiologist was scheduled to be at Midwest in 2 days and there was room on the schedule so we accepted. Billie had a full work up, echocardiogram, ecg, digital radiographs and radiologist report. He was diagnosed with a ventricle septal defect (VSD) a small hole L to R. Also mild pulmonic stenosis. It stated there is no risk of heart failure, and no cardiac medications are indicated at this time but a follow evaluation with a cardiologist is recommended. Billie will need some house-training reinforcement but doing great with a dry belly band during the day and more experience on the leash but so far, I am impressed. He would love a home where he could be the center of attention, the spoiled child and best friend to his humans. He likes the girlies but not so much larger males. He is quiet, well-mannered and obedient, wants to please and especially wants to move forward with his new lease on life.
Boy oh Boy . . . meet the beautiful MYRNA LOY. She is an absolute joy to have, to hold and til death do us part kind of bond. She is one of the four Silver Screen Rescues from the Breeder/Hoarder situation that has been ongoing this year. She has a darling face and smile – loves to follow me around and looks up with his big gum drop eyes. The adoration and gratitude for saving her and bringing her to a cherished and loved home is evident. She is quiet, well behaved and a little girl you want to scoop up, hug tight and cuddle with and loves it when I kiss her neck. That is her happy place, on your lap getting rubbed and savoring every moment. Myrna is 9 years old, weighs 19 pounds with an almost all white coat, a big black circle on her left side, a coarse coat with a tiny tuft of black hair on the top of her head. I can see some adorable ticking under that coat too. She has not had a good life being captive with a breeder producing puppies, kept jailed in a metal cage outside and neglected as things got out of control over the years. She, like the others rescued have incisors pushed in their gums and a broken canine from trying to escape. Myrna snuggles in the donut bed, with or without her friend William Powell, and I will find the blanket either balled up or pushed aside. She is calm, gentle with the best endearing personality. Not an ounce of disagreement even when Billie gets all wound up or agitated over McDuff sightings.
MYRNA LOY
Myrna has been to the vet and had her Rabies, Distemper and Bordatella vaccinations, 4dx HW test negative, full blood panel came back great and exam. Disheartening to discover that Myrna needed FHO surgery, Femoral Head Ostectomy on her back left hip caused from either damage or genetic disease which this breeder has a history of producing. She underwent her Spay surgery along with FHO on August 21 and did well and is recovering quickly. It is a procedure where she needs time to build up the scar tissue in the hip but definitely now slowing her down. Stitches come out September 4th. She also had a mammary tumor removed and sent out for biopsy. I received a call from the vet about the biopsy on Myrna's mammary tumor sadly returned malignant – a carcinoma grade 2. Development of mammary tumors is often hormonally dependent in dogs who are spayed very late in life or not at all. While she did get clean margins they were narrow margins and with mammary gland neoplasia there is a chance of recurrence within a 2-year period. Myrna’s percentage rate is 21% of return but I choose to look at the glass half full with a 79% chance it will not and if she gets past the 2 years, then that is a celebration she is good to go and have a happy long life. I did spend the afternoon crying and then angry – this little angel does not deserve this. Why do breeders keep their dogs intact, after breeding them to pieces until they get older? The females should be retired from breeding around 6 or sooner if they are bred back to back. Many breeders release or sell them intact to strangers or worse someone who wants to continue breeding them. No matter what category you put a particular breeder in – they are all guilty of this tradition. Unspayed females have a high risk of pyometra, a life-threatening infection of the uterus and also Mammary Cancer. The males are at high risk for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia, which can lead to prostatitis, abscesses, and cysts and the risk of prostate cancer is higher in intact males. Looking Myrna’s happy face and bouncy spirit, I truly believe it is not the quantity that matters – it’s the quality of what they bring to our lives. She is an amazing girl that brings so much love to a heart and home.