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Beanie's owner first left him alone in the back yard of his house when we moved elsewhere, but remembered to go by and feed him. Weeks went by with Beanie staying "home alone", only seeing someone when they came by to give him food and water. After a few months of this, a relative of the "owner" contacted Keeshond Rescue to see if we could talk to him about releasing Beanie to us. The email was referred to me (~Tink~), and I contacted the relative on the phone. Another local family member's name and number was given to me, and we began in earnest to see if the owner would relinquish Beanie into Rescue. Rather than turn the dog over to rescue, the owner took him to a KILL SHELTER in West Houston, donating $20 and a bag of dogfood to the shelter. We were undaunted by this, however! A relative found out the name of the shelter, and one phone call to them is all it took for them to agree to release this sweet fellow into Rescue. We had been prewarned that he was heartworm positive and that his coat was a mess, but it's hard to truly prepare yourself for a dog that looks as poorly as Beanie did. Our first impression when we picked him up at the vet was not a favorable one The dog was still so anesthetized that he couldn't walk; his coat was matted thicker than jute carpet pad; and he was skin and bones under his "coat". As soon as he arrived at his foster home, all of that nasty coat was shaved off, and he was put in a soft bed... It was time to prepare him for a NEW LIFE! Beanie's former owner said that Beanie was "an outside dog because he wouldn't house train". Beanie was housetrained and crate trained within a few days, to the point where we trusted him to sleep next to our bed in a dog bed. We found some "shirts" to keep him from getting sunburned on the hot days, and others to keep him warm as fall's chill arrived. Before long, Beanie learned what fun it was to go for long walks, rides in the truck or car, and KNOW that if he went outside, he would be allowed back inside. Actually, he learned to open the screen door so that he could come in and go out whenever he pleased! It was only a very short time after Beanie's final blood test came back negative for heartworms, that Tabitha wrote to us wanting to adopt Beanie. Beanie was with us for only a few months getting well, but held a special place in our hearts. Beanie went to his FOREVER home, just in time for Christmas. |
