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Montana |
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Dr. Ravis told the two dogs to sit and gave them each a piece of dog treat. Samson gobbled down his, but Montana put his on the floor. Two minutes later, Samson walked over and ate that treat. We were at the Ravises for an hour, but I wish the boys could�ve played together more. |
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Millie said there are three families who are interested in Montana. One is from Knoxville, Tennessee, one who had adopted a female Springer a few months earlier and is from Kentucky, and another one whose adoption application needs to be checked out from Huntsville. The woman from Kentucky called me to ask me if Montana�s friendly with other dogs and if he would play with other dogs. I told her about Montana�s experience with Salty and with Samson. She also asked me if Montana would listen when he�s off leash, because she likes to let her dogs run off leash. I told her probably yes because Montana�s so attached to his humans. I also told her about the possibility of Montana having arthritis. I know by telling that to potential adopters, that might decrease the chance of him getting adopted. But after my experience with Anastasia (her rescue group told me she was in perfect health, but when I got her home, she was in such bad shape that the vet thought she had FIV), I want to make sure Montana�s adopter to have the ability to take care of him if he has arthritis. However later Millie told me the Kentucky woman was concerned because Montana growled at Salty, but Millie suggested her some readings on inter-dog behavior and on multi-dog households before adopting another dog. So after I got Montana microchipped, I walked Montana to the park next to the graduate student housing area, and let him loose in the softball field. He did sniff around, but he was never more than 20 feet away from me. He was probably worried that I would abandon him like his first owner did. And I didn�t want to let him loose before he was microchipped. Millie said ESRA has no policy about microchipping foster dogs and they do not pay for microchipping. She said the new parents should microchip the dog. However, I just could not let any of my animals go without knowing that if he ever ends up in a shelter, he would be treated as a stray. I knew that the campus feral cat group that I worked with in Los Angeles microchips the cats, so I asked Dr. Bryant how she does it. And she said she just microchips the cats and tells the new owner that she would transfer the ownership after 30 days. So that�s what I decided to do. |
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On Monday, May 17, I took Montana to the vet to have him weighed. He�s now at 53.6 lbs. And he does look like he has something more than just his skin wrapping around his ribs. Another reason that I wanted to take him to the vet just to have him weighed is because I didn�t want him to associate vet with shots. And this is a good way to do it. Also I started him on glucosamine supplements because I thought he had arthritis. Millie said the family from Knoxville would like to meet Montana in Birmingham that weekend, and I told her that I would take him there. I had told Millie that I would drive anywhere within 12 hour drive of Auburn, as long as he finds a good home, so the 2 hour drive to Birmingham was really not a problem. Millie then sent me the family�s adoption application. After waiting a few days, I decided to arrange to speak to them before actually driving all the way to Birmingham (it�s a four-hour drive for them). So Molly called me on Wednesday afternoon, and I told her all about Montana, including his arthritis. On the application, she stated that they have a toddler. At first Millie and I didn�t know if Montana would do okay with a toddler, because he gets jealous of Anastasia when I baby talk to her. Also, Molly said on the application that they wanted a Springer because they are an active family, and they like to run with their dog. So she asked me how much Montana exercises each day. Molly and I talked for about ten minutes. Other than that she didn�t know how to clean the dog�s ears, her family sounded like they would treat their dog like part of the family and take care of him. The next day, Millie called me to say that Molly had concerns about whether or not Montana can run with her, and they would like me to run with Montana. I can�t really run (have exercise induced asthma), and too bad Dr. Ravis� daughter were not there, because they run with their Labs everyday. But I decided to test him by walking Montana two miles a day instead of the usual one mile a day that he�s been getting. So we went to the bicycle trail next to Chewacla State Park. It�s right next to the entrance to the state park, so we didn�t have to pay the park entrance fee. It�s a beautiful area, I wish I had discovered it when Penelope was still around. Montana had no problem walking on the trail. After talking to Dr. Ravis, we both think that if Montana does have arthritis, if he stays on glucosamine (Samson had some juvenile joint problem and takes glucosamine also) and Molly could probably train him slowly to run longer distances, he probably could run with her everyday. So I emailed Molly to tell her that I really think she should meet Montana first to decide if he�s okay for his family. Because deep down I really think Montana would be gentle enough around her toddler son, even if he can�t run four miles a day with her. It would be really hard to get a dog that�s active enough to run all day and also gentle enough to not knock down a toddler. And I think even Montana becomes jealous of the toddler, there�s no way he would bite anybody. Millie said if Molly and her family like Montana, then they should take him that day, then I won�t have to drive him all the way to Knoxville. Also I advised Molly to take Montana to be checked out by her vet as soon as possible. So that her vet can show her how to clean his ears (his ears need to be cleaned at least once a week) and also to check if he has arthritis. If he does, she can decide as soon as possible if she wants to keep him. On the Thursday before taking Montana to Birmingham, I cried because it felt just like when I had to say goodbye to her after we decided to have Penelope euthanized and only had a few more days to spend with her. This is also the day when Montana started eating just dry food. Before that, I had been soaking dry food in water or mixing it with canned food. At first Montana didn�t eat that morning, but I wasn�t worried about it, because I thought that he�s a smart dog, and he would not starve himself for too long. When I came home in the afternoon, I found most of the dry kibbles gone. Also on that day, I gave Montana his fourth bath. I wanted him to look good for his meeting with potential adopters. I had gotten him a whitening shampoo. Actually I bought two bottles of two different brands for Penelope before, but they didn�t work. I thought the new one that I got for Montana might help to get rid of the stains, well it didn�t. I don�t think I would get any more whitening shampoos ever again. |
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So on Saturday, May 22, we drove to Birmingham. The Treadwells stayed with their friends in Birmingham that weekend, and we all met in Lynn Daigle�s house that afternoon. Millie goes to her other house in Florida on weekends, so and she couldn�t be there. Lynn is another ESRA member, and she adopted a Springer last year. Lynn just had hardwood floor done, and Montana was sniffing all over her house. |
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Molly and Justin signed the adoption agreement and gave ESRA a 200 dollar check as adoption fee (the check is not cashed for first seven days, just in case things doesn�t work out, and the first 30 days is trial period, the adopter can return the dog and get a refund if they really think it wouldn�t work out), and Lynn called Millie to tell her the good news. Here is Molly and I going over Montana�s documents and his supplements. I also gave them his new brush and the water bed and the rest of his food. |
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Montana and his new family driving away. Montana and the Treadwells spent the night at a friend�s house in Birmingham. Later when I almost got back to Auburn, I called them to say that they could call me any time if they have questions or problems about Montana. And Justin said they were sitting on the sofa petting Montana. When I got back to Auburn, I emailed them telling them that if for some reason that in the future that they could no longer keep Montana, either six months or six years from now, just contact me and I would be willing to take him. They were also welcome to contact me if things don�t work out within the thirty-day trial period, and I would pick him up also. Whenever a foster animal comes to me, to calm them down, I always promise them that they could forget everything bad that ever happened to them, because from now on, I will make sure that they are loved and well taken care of. So I do feel that I have the obligation to make sure the animal�s taken care of until his or her last day on this earth. On Tuesday I received an email from Molly, saying that they still have some reservation with Montana because they went to see their vet on Monday, and the vet said Montana�s right hind leg doesn�t walk as well as his left one. And she said she noticed that he has trouble getting up stairs (I told her that I didn�t notice that, and I�m hoping that it�s just from the eight-foot jump on Saturday. And I told her that Penelope had done that twice when she was young also, and she always recovered after a good day of rest). And she told me that Montana hadn�t been eating at all. Then Millie emailed me to say that Molly told her that Montana�s lethargic. I got so worried about Montana, about him getting dehydrated and losing weight that I told Millie that if the Treadwells return him, then I would be willing to formally adopt him. Even though emotionally I wasn�t ready to adopt another dog, Montana�s wellbeing comes first, and I�m sure I could get over whatever doubts I had. So later that week, Millie called Molly trying to set up a time for Montana to be picked up, but Molly told her that they had grown attached to Montana, and they would like until the end of the week to think about it. On Friday, I got an email from Molly, saying that Montana fits right into her family. She said that Hayden asks about Montana when he wakes up in the morning, and when they go out and don�t have Montana with them (Montana gets to car ride with them all over town). And since she started mixing canned food and cottage cheese in his dry food (per her vet�s suggestion), he�s been eating pretty well. I was so happy to hear that. I thought I was going to worry about him all Memorial Day weekend, but it seems like he�s happy now. Molly said when they took Montana to the park, it was so hot that he walked right into the lake and sat in the shallow part of the water. She said that Montana�s such great dog that she couldn�t believe that they ever had reservations about him. |
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Here is Molly petting Montana. The black/white Springer next to Montana is Lynn�s Ebony. Ebony was Lynn�s foster dog, and she just couldn�t give her up. Lynn said Montana�s so sweet, that if the Treadwells don�t want him, then she wants to adopt Montana because she�s looking for a playmate for Ebony. The Treadwells also have a nine-year-old cat. Their old dog was a Brittany, and he was very hyper. They had to keep him in the laundry room whenever they go out, or else he would chew up the house. But I told Molly that if they keep Montana in the laundry room, he would probably whine. Molly said if he behaves well, then they wouldn�t keep him in the laundry room. I�m really glad that they are flexible with that. It seems like all three families who were interested in him have cats. They were drawn to him because on the ESRA adoption page, it says that Montana gets along with Anastasia. Also Millie had told me that there�s another family in Birmingham who was interested in Montana. And if the Treadwells didn�t like him, then she can call the family in Birmingham to see if they would like to meet him later that day. When Lynn and I were waiting for the Treadwells to come, Lynn said we should let the dogs play in the front yard. When we opened the door to the front yard, what you know, the Treadwells just got out of their car. So that was their very first meeting with Montana. But Montana wanted to sniff around the neighborhood, and when we were calling him to go back into the house, he wouldn�t listen at all, so I had to go chase him back. During the process, he jumped off a neighbor�s eight-foot wall. But he quickly got up, and I didn�t think more of it because he looked fine. Molly and her husband, Justin, petted Montana for a while, and they tried to get their son, Hayden, to pet Montana too, but he was too interested in Lynn�s house. Then they took Montana out to walk around the neighborhood. When they came back, Lynn asked them if they want to adopt Montana, and Molly said yes. |
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Montana and his foster mom and his new family. |
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