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Get Those Shots

I can’t really say a great deal about him, as I wasn’t around him long. He was only about 6 months old when he was found next to Highway 99 here in California, sitting and watching the traffic go by. I was called to come pick him up for the Weim rescue, but it was clear once I saw him that he was not a Weim. More than anything, he looked like a Viszla, only very very small. He was but 18 pounds, but full of life. Very intelligent and easy to train, too. He might have made someone a great companion, or perhaps a good hunter.All of us from the rescue KNEW he would have a home in no time.

We will never know, as a very old killer of dogs was creeping up on him unbeknownst to us. This killer is now so uncommon as to have gone initially unrecognized and untreated, not that it would have made much difference. It was all so unnecessary, as it could easily have been prevented with the expenditure of just a few dollars.

Finally, on December 30th, the creeping killer, the distemper virus, struck. Kenny had apparently made it through the first stage of the disease either on his own, or undetected. The neurological stage struck, and hit hard. The seizure lasted over 45 minutes and did not respond to any available drug. It was best to send him over the Bridge to a better place. So it was that a little guy never really had a chance, because of foolish, negligent people who didnt immunize their dog, and then left him alongside a highway to eventually die a miserable death.Then also from a truly cheap, crappy animal “shelter” that couldn’t even provide this basic care, and doesn’t do so for any but a very few that they consider “easily adoptable” and not even always for those!

Even if you’re gonna get rid of them, at the very least, please give them a chance. Get those shots for them.

Chuck from CA

2 Responses

  1. Charlotte Says:

    Chuck,

    I am so glad Kenny had someone like you to rescue him so he wouldn’t have to die alone on the freeway. We used to live in CA, Highway 99 is no place for a dog, much less a sick puppy. People can be so cruel. That cute, intelligent little guy had so much to give.

    Bless you for your kindness.

    Charlotte from WA

  2. Carrie Wilson Says:

    Hi Chuck,
    I’m so sorry about your dog…I have a similar story. I adopted my beaufiful dog Brinkley at a local animal shelter on Dec 17th. I was so excited… he was the sweetest dog I have ever met. A Golden Retriever mix with a white chest and a patch of white on his back. Whenever I looked at him, I was so proud, and always told him how special he was. He was very sick w/ distemper and I didn’t know it. I took him to the vet 3 times during the 3 1/2 weeks and had blood work. The vet diagnosed him w/ an “old” hind-end injury that acted up in the cold. 4 days later he had a violent seizure that lasted all the way to the emergency clinic. His temp was 109 and the vet recommended putting him down because she thought organ failure was inevitable. This was just 2 nights ago. I am heartbroken and angry that his previous owners didn’t vaccinate him. The vaccinations that I gave him were too late. He was a REALLY great dog and deserved to longer than his 9 months. Even though I only had him 3 1/2 weeks, I was really attached and miss him terribly. The whole seizure experience was very tramatic for me. It helped to read another story.
    Carrie
    Riverside, CA