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Mercy |
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On August 17, 2004, I received an email from Millie, the Alabama coordinator of English Springer Rescue America (ESRA), an English Springer Spaniel rescue group, and the email said that Debbie, the Southeast Regional Vice President of the group, just emailed her that there are two female Springers in Olive Branch, Mississippi (near the Tennessee border, about 30 minutes south of Memphis). A small, new rescue group there got the dogs out from the Olive Branch Humane Society. The dogs are young but heartworm positive, and they think one may be the mother of the other. The humane society and the rescue group also treated their ear infections, gave them vaccines, shaved and bathed them. The rescue group said they are very sweet, good with dogs and cats, but unknown about children. The dogs were being boarded at a kennel until ESRA could transport them to foster homes. Millie was wondering if I could foster one of the dogs, but she mentioned that because the dog would need heartworm treatment and spay surgery, I might have to foster for a longer time this time. I had already told Millie about my Chicago trip, and actually before the trip, I asked her if I need to bring any shelter Springers back from the Chicago area because there are several listed on ESRA�s adoption website. But Millie said they could board the dog at a kennel until we get back from Chicago. The next day, Millie emailed me again and said that Debbie was having the dogs transported to a kennel in Knoxville, Tennessee (where Dudley lives!) for the time being. I guess if there�s any foster home opening in the southeast region (Knoxville is kind of in the middle of the South, if you don�t count the Florida peninsula, where as Auburn is in the middle of nowhere, so it�s harder for potential adopters to come see a dog in Auburn) before I get back from Chicago, then the dogs would go to them first. Actually about a month before, Millie had asked me to foster one of the dogs from an owner relinquishment case, but the owner backed out just a few days before the dog was supposed to be transported to me. So I figured that I wasn�t going to be fully prepared to foster until I see the dog after she has been transported to me. While I was driving back from Chicago on August 26, I got a phone call from Millie about picking up the dog from Atlanta, because I had told her that I would be dropping Virginia and Oscar off at the Atlanta Airport on that Saturday. When I got to use the internet again on August 27, I answered Millie�s email that I would take the stuff that the dog�s temporary foster mom, Chris, had given her, and then let the dog take the things with her to her adoptive parents. I�ll probably give the dog something to take to her new home too, just like I did with Dudley. I know it sounds like a lot of stuff for a foster dog to her new home, but to me, they are reminders of how many people love and care about her. I had several basic questions about the dog, and Millie suggested me email Debbie. Debbie said that although she lives in Florida, she�s also the Tennessee coordinator, so she hasn�t met the dog either. But she told me that the dog�s name is Mercy. |
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This picture is taken at the Olive Branch Humane Society. Mercy is 2 to 3 years old and probably not housebroken and had no basic obedience training and pulls on the leash. But she is 42 lbs, had eaten different dog food over the past week and is still doing fine, and is spayed. |
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In addition to having heartworms, Mercy also has entropion, which is inverted eyelashes, on one of her eyes, and it�s causing inflammation in that eye. Debbie said that Chris had taken Mercy to the vet, but did not want the vet to treat the inflammation yet, and the vet suggest surgery to correction the entropion. However because of her heart condition, Mercy has to wait until after her heartworm treatment to get the surgery. |
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Mercy�s daughter, Hope. |
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Mercy on the left, Hope on the right. |
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I picked up Mercy from Atlanta Airport parking lot on the night of August 28. Although we were late to the airport, the volunteer and her husband were very nice and patient, even though they sat in their Jeep in the rain, they said it was okay because Mercy slept pretty much the whole time, and they also mentioned that Mercy was very skinny, which I agreed. Mercy came with a set of blue leash and collar, a dog bed, a stuffed lamb dog toy, and her records. Mercy was very good in the car during the two hour ride, although I put a harness on her and strapped her in with the seatbelt just in case. She pretty much fell asleep two minutes after we started driving, and woke up about five minutes before we arrived. |
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When we got back to the apartment, after I read her records, I had several questions and called and left a message on Chris� voice mail. Mercy�s records indicated that she and Hope (the other dog) were picked up as strays by the humane society on August 6, and they named her Sugar. She weighed only 40 lbs when they picked her up. They also gave them vaccines, wormer, heartworm test, and spayed them on August 9 before Little Paws rescue group got them out of the shelter, and on August 20, Mercy and Hope came into custody of ESRA, and Mercy weighed 46 lbs at that time. Mercy and Hope were transported to Knoxville, and they stayed with Chris for a week. Chris indicated on the Foster Dog Profile that Mercy loves pig ear treats and is very affectionate, but gets on furniture, counter surfs (�stands� against the kitchen counter and eats human food on the counter), and guards her pig ear treats. |
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Mercy ate two cans of wet food that night, and she ate a mixture of one can of wet and one cup of dry the next morning, Sunday, August 29. I was giving her Nutro Ultra Adult dry food (Virginia got two bags for free at Petsmart), and Merrick Napa Valley Picnic canned food (expensive meatloaf-style dog food that Virginia thought was for humans. They are left over from Penelope). She would only eat about one can/cup of food each time, so I had to feed her about five times a day for the first week to have her gain some weight. I was also giving her fatty acids and probiotic supplements. |
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When Mercy first met the cat, Anastasia stood there to let Mercy sniff her, but Mercy tried to chase her. But I pulled her leash back, and put her in the crate, while I went to make sure Anastasia was not upset. After that, when Anastasia walks around when Mercy's out of the crate, Mercy would still stare at her, but not chase her, but I think she still would like to. I decided that for the first week, they would not free in the same room unless I'm actively supervising Mercy. I had to do that anyways for the first week because Mercy was not potty trained. But I think she would be potty trained by the end of first week. I started taking her out potty every four hours, including during the night. She hasn't had an accident in the apartment yet, and this morning she finally emptied her bladders on the grassy area (the first night she did a little tinkle on the concrete on the outside near the apartment�s front door before I could stop her from doing it). |
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