Hayden’s Story

            My screen name (HaydeePupee) has special meaning to me.  It is the endearment that I gave one of my former German Shepherds. This screen name is his memorial from me so that his memory can live on.  Here is his story

 

           A friend went to the local shelter to find her son a dog to grow up with. Collin begged and pleaded daily with her, especially after always being at my house and playing with my two sons, Mike (human) and Max (GSD).  Finally she took him to the local shelter with one thought in mine, she didn’t want one as large as Max but a medium size dog sounded like a good idea. 

 

            Leigh went to the Belmont County Animal shelter and picked out a nice mix breed medium size dog and named him Jodie.  While she was there looking around, she noticed a dog that looked exactly like my Max, and couldn’t wait to go home to see if it was him.

 

            Barely had she stepped out of the car, she was knocked on my door.  I answered with Max on my heels to help me greet the person knocking.  Leigh looked at Max, a confused look came over her face and she proceeded to tell me the story of the dog at the shelter.  At first I was not interested and even protested that I had enough dogs (back then I only had two, now I have five in my household). Also the little black chow I had, had a nasty disposition.  She bit everyone, she was dog aggressive, and she killed cats. She was old and going blind so I just kept careful watch over her and most of the bites were nips that did not even break skin or leave marks, however she needed constant attention to prevent a serious bite to someone and or death to a wandering cat or small dog.

 

            Another dog I though? No way. Plus, I had just signed the papers to go back to college after a nasty divorce. My Ex would not give me child support, I was working at a bar bartending, raising my son who was around 7 at the time by myself, volunteering as a domestic violence advocate due to surviving similar circumstances, and using public assistance to make ends meet.  I thought to myself, another mouth in the house to feed and where would I find the time to train another dog? There was no way I could afford it

 

            However, Lee kept exclaiming about how this dog looked like my Max (he has a special story all of his own also).  So being the inquisitive person that I am, I agreed to go with her and at least look at him.  Let me tell you…I have volunteered at the shelter for years and I would at other dogs at the shelter and each time I have been able to walk away.  I was confident that I would just go and look and go home.  Hummmmm

 

            At the shelter, (they were building new facilities so temporally they were housed at the county garage) this huge wreck of a pony (dog) was laying in the hot sun, dirty, matted and smelling to high heaven. He was the biggest German shepherd I have ever seen in my life! He was easily twice the size of my Max. However, the poor thing was literally skin and bones. He had been starved until his body was using his muscle tissue for food; I have never in my life seen such a sight. The dog was so weak that he could not stand up on his legs, so he crawled. He did not have the strength to stand.

 

            His previous owners had allowed his collar had grow into his neck so the shelter personnel had to use a harness on him to allow his neck to heal. He had kennel cough so bad, green mucus was running out of his nose with each breath he took. His front paw was shaved but the Vet did not show that day to put him to sleep.  I marched in to the shelter to give the personnel  a piece of my mind for allowing a dog in that condition to be in the hot sun, they said he was supposed to be put down that day, but the vet had not shown up yet

 

             For some reason, I went back outside to see the dog just one more time. As I was standing there out of chain reach, he crawled up to my feet.  So I looked down at him…this massive bulk of just matted fur and bones. I began to talk softly to him. I crouched down, he crawled closer.  I let him sniff my hand, he crawled yet closer.  I touched his head, he allowed me to scratch his ears I could feel with my fingers, the dirt and the filth that was on this dog and the bones…there was no muscle, then he crawled closer, I let him get within biting distance, something I am always careful of doing with any strange dog, he crawled even closer…I let him�? he looked me in the eyes…and put his head under my arm giving me his complete trust and hope that somehow, I could help him. Ease his suffering, or help him heal…it did not matter to him…I was his last hope. Everyone had given up on him. He was on deaths door. He had nothing to lose. Then he just lay in my lap and I heard him make a heavy sigh. We stayed like that, him in my lap, me talking softly and stroking him for a long time. At that point, circumstances be damned, I made up my mind, this dog would get a second chance at life. I got up, he �?the look…in his eyes…I said out loud…You will come with me, just hang on, I will give you a second chance. I think he understood

 

             I went up to the shelter office and told them, I was taking him home.  Needless to say, I had a big argument on my hands. The shelter intended to put him down due to his condition; I intended to let him have a chance at life. After much arguing, I won (I can be very determined when I want to be). When they realized I intended to take this dog home and give him a second chance, they offered to let me have another dog when he died on me, I told them I am not interested in another dog, just giving this particular dog a second chance at life. Leigh and I lifted him into my hatchback that day and drove back to town. Amazing. He did not weigh much at all.

 

            I took him directly to my vets, because, I knew how sick he was and I did not want to expose my other dogs to him until it was okay. Boy did Dr Carr yell at me, yes he actually raised his voice, then he called the shelter and yelled at them. He sternly told me how foolish I was but I was determined to help this dog.  Dr. Carr gave in, and gave me the medicine to help him and told me if this dog made it through the night; bring him back in a week.  The vet didn’t think he would last

 

            Another friend, Karen and I made a resting place on my large front porch for him to be comfortable and to be separated from the rest of the house. I cooked chicken soup with rice until it was thick but still a liquid gruel for the dog, whose name the shelter personnel told me was Hayden.  Karen and I took turns feeding him a bowl of soup every 2 to 4 hours by a big tablespoon.  We got up around the clock to him the medicine Dr. Carr gave to me along with the soup. I felt like I just had a baby again. I had to make a pocket in his mouth to spoon the fluid in. Then stroke his throat so he would swallow. It was very tricky that first 24 hours. Every time I went to give him some food, I expected to see him dead on the blankets

 

            When the sun came up, I went to the front door. I expected to see a dead dog on the quilts we arranged for his bed, but I was relieved to see that he made it through the first night. As we kept caring for him, he improved. During this process, I tried different foods to see what I could give him as solids.  I found out he loved hot dogs, so I mashed the hot dogs in the soup for more substance.  Dr. Carr told me not to bath him, it would too much of a shock to his system, boy did he stink. 

 

            When it came time for him to potty�?he struggled so to go to the yard. So I picked him up to put him in the grass. He looked at me, and wagged his tail. He did a puppy pee. He still could not stand by himself so I let him lean on my legs while he finished his business. He tried to shuffle to walk back to the porch and started to fall over, so I picked him up again and carried him back to his blankets. Gave him some water and offered some more food. 

 

            At first I could put my whole finger between his spine, his ears were not completely erect because of the loss of muscle tissue, and he actually walked on his back hocks. I had to hold him, so that he could go to the bathroom. I brushed him as much as I could. This would put him to sleep, with his head usually resting in my lap. During this time we became very close. I noticed he was a kind and gentle fellow, with a lot of quiet dignity.

 

            All through this process, he was so loveable and apologetic, that it almost seemed that he thought he was such a bother (you could see it in his eyes) and he was grateful that I saved him. As he got better, he became happier, his eyes would glow, and his mouth was in a constant smile.  I took him to the vets after a week, you should have seen the look in Dr. Carr’s eyes, and he asked me how I did it?  I told him what Karen and I did and I told him, Hayden did it, he had the will to live, and he only needed a chance.  I just gave Hayden the chance he needed; he is the one who decided to live.  I then asked the vet, if I could give this stinky fellow a bath, he said, I could do anything I want to him after what I had just done with a dog that was literally on deaths door. 

 

            Daily he got better, he was possibly a larger German shepherd with long fur; he weighed about 150 lbs.  He would stand up, put his paws on my shoulders, look over my head, then lay his head on my shoulder and literally hug me with his paws. We would stay like that for quite a while. Hayden hugging me and me hugging him back. Hayden was huge, but his personality was like a puppy always sunny and happy.  He was just so happy with everyone he met.  He never was cross a day in his life and each day he greeted with enthusiasm.  His day would usually started by jumping up in bed with me and dragging the covers off of me onto the floor

 

            Hayden lived for 12 more years, each day bright and happy.  He was fully grown when he came into my life, but he was in such poor shape; there was no way of telling how old he was.  He had his normal health problems, hips, arthritis, etc and I finally had to put him to sleep when his hips shattered on him after months of cortisone shot treatment.  I could not allow him to be in such pain.  I was with him till the end.

  I miss him still to this day.  He will always be a part of me

 

 Thanks for letting me tell his story

Joy