Ten days ago, a friend of us asked our help. His dog was missing (he
lets her roam freely on the street), and the dog was rounded up by the
shelter people and brought to the shelter. Only the dog was not in the
shelter.
The people there didn't let him in to look for the dog, as they couldn't take responsibility if the dogs would attack him.
So we went to the shelter and the guy in charge did let us in.
Probably he felt we wouldn't take no for an answer. As a place, it is
not a bad place, there is a large enclosure where there are all together
and covered booths where they can go in at night or when it rains. The
new comers are in cages.
We went in every corner. There are 260 dogs there and it was a lovely
experience to walk among them. They only want to be loved and petted and
pushed their heads under our hands. We both felt extremely relaxed and it was a surreal experience to be among so many dogs, we constantly had a furry head under our hands and we petted them while we searched for our friend's dog, it felt very natural and zen :) We never found our friend's dog. It
is a mystery what happened to her. Probably nothing good.
And then it happened. I came eye to eye with this little guy. And I was lost.
He was pretty far away and in a cage but he kept looking at me. When I cam to his cage he licked my hand and was so very sweet.
This
happened on Thursday last week and the whole weekend I could't put him
out my thoughts. So on Monday we went back to the shelter to get him.
And then we heard that we couldn't till he was castrated. They don't give not neutered dogs or puppies. It is quite a dictatorial measure, but o.k. we said, let's have him neutered.We were told to come back the next day, he would be operated first thing in the morning.
So we came on Tuesday, and of course, it hadn't happened.
The vet has a lot to do, they told us. He is responsible for the shelter AND for the slaughterhouse. This is of course, a most bizarre form of multitasking. I mean, somebody with the stomach to witness the slaughter of sheep and cattle, is no friend of animals
We had our vet call the shelter vet, asking to release the dog on our word that we would have him neutered. To no avail. Apparently the vet has a basis salary and a bonus for his ministrations, so we decided to wait till the vet arrived.
In the mean time we chattered with the employees there. One told us that he worked as a butcher in the slaughterhouse and was commissioned to the shelter when there was no work in the slaughterhouse.
A group of English women come everyday to bring extra food. They were struggling with the heavy sacks while the employees smirked.
At last, at 2.30 PM the vet arrived and told us to leave a phone nr. We would get a call when it was done. I didn't want to leave the dog any day longer. Between our first and second visits, the dog had deteriorated visibly. So we talked and talked to the vet till he gave up and mumbled 'I can better do it now than make them understand'.
Estella was a great help with this. She wasn't enthusiast about bringing an other dog in house, we surely have enough, but she cajoled with the vet till we had him.
So the dog was brought to the 'operation room', and the vet, with a cigarette hanging from his lip proceed to operate on him. At the last moment we heard that he had to get a tag in his ear as well. After a lot of talking the man just shaved his ear and held the tag on the ear for the photo. Based on that rapport he gets paid. The rapport also says that he is fully vaccinated, but the butcher told us that they had no vaccines.
So, after all these adventures, we got the doggy wrapped in an old newspaper and we took him home, minus his nuts. We got zero post-op advise, it is good that we have collars, meds and experience, but the vet didn't knew that, he just couldn't care less.
We have a routine when we get a new dog. Usually it starts with a bath, treatment for internal and external parasites, vaccines, and when the dog is over all these shocks, the neutering. This all takes about a month.
Now it is harder for the dog. We thought that it was an old dog, he has white hairs all between the black, but he is young, with very white teeth.
The next day we had an scare, blood in his poop. We rushed him to our vet, thinking of course of parvovirus, but he tested negative. He has a bad intestinal infection and has now
prescription food. We hope that he will get better soon and we are very
happy that we have him.
We named him Tommy.
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