My dog, Chica, has multiple “rescues” to her resumé the first of which dates back to her sire. Odd statement considering she has technically never seen the inside of an animal shelter, huh? I’ll explain shortly.
Well, I consider her an extra special blessing in my life for all the normal reasons like companionship, unconditional love, etc., but extenuating circumstances have bonded us even more.
A friend of mine rescued a stray male dog right off the street (the first rescue in Chica\’s story …her sire). Well, unfortunately, the female dog he already owned had never been spayed and must have been in heat. What you would expect to be the outcome of those two dogs meeting actually did, and his female dog became pregnant.
When the time came, she had a difficult labor that required general anesthesia and cesarean section delivery. My Chica was the first born (the second rescue to her story). One other pup was rescued from the distressed labor before the remainder of the litter unfortunately permanently succumbed to the general anesthesia administered to the mother (apparently the anesthesia is harsh on the pups and they must be delivered as quickly as possible).
My friend was in no financial situation to support more than two dogs (he kept the “father” dog after getting him neutered), so both surviving pups would have had to have homes found for them or go to the animal shelter. I fell in love with my Chica as soon as I saw her, so I claimed her (the third rescue for her story). The other pup that survived did eventually find a good home, so there is no sad story there either. (more…)
