We are members of the local rehoming page on Facebook so that when we find, foster, or find the need to rehome one of our animals, we can go there, write up a post, and be more selective as to who answers the call to further rescue or home the animal. With that being said, we had a cat that we rescued about three years ago, and he was for all purposes OUR cat after that long of a time. We called him our cat, fed him, took him to the vet when he needed to go, and all those things. Lately, however, he had developed behavior issues that warranted that he be rehomed; perhaps to a home without as much stress. We have other animals; some animals do better in homes where they can warrant the most (if not all) attention. I placed the post asking for someone to take him in. We didn't charge a rehoming fee, we just made sure their vet and character references checked out; it worked out.
While my daughter was removing the post today, she came across one that caught her eye, and she decided to call me up and ask if I would mind if we took in a deformed puppy that seemingly no one wanted, or perhaps (as the foster parents put it) they couldn't continue to keep him as he would need to be an outdoor dog and with his particular deformity, it would be impossible. The puppy, a 10-week-old German Shepherd/Rotty mix male, only had ONE ear. When I say he only has one ear, I mean the dog only has one ear. The right ear is perfectly sound, and normal, and is where it is supposed to be, but the left ear has no outer flap, and the inside of it is closed up and even a tiny bit of it is protruding from where the ear hole would be. He has one ear.
If he were to be left outside in the rain, the rain could definitely penetrate into his ear without any protective covering, and he could become infected for sure. It was not something I wanted to think about; of course, I told my daughter we would take him. We've been fostering a couple of puppies lately, hoping to find my daughter a dog she can train to become an emotional support pet for herself. She won't take him to work, but use him when she feels nervous, anxious or depressed about things; which happens from time to time. Giving up her horses has caused a great deal of separation anxiety for her, but owning a dog is far less expensive! Believe me, the old saying "I used to have money, but now I have horses" makes a whole lot of sense to anyone who has horses.
We called the home after speaking with them on Facebook. We drove 18 miles to get him, and we immediately fell in love. He made himself very comfortable on Laura's lap as we drove home, and trust me when I say he has had zero difficulties acclimating to his new digs. He came into the place, saw the others, made sure they saw him, and he's been chewing on their toys ever since. I think he'll be just fine. Laura named him Hugo after a wolf-type character in some anime show that she watches. He's a tough cookie, and this pup fits that bill to a T. He's 100% confident in his demeanor, and that sort of reminded both Laura and me of another deformed pup we came across some 21 years ago - Faith, my famous two-legged dog; the one you saw on all the shows. Faith, despite having only two back legs, didn't let anything stop her. If she wanted something, that dog took it. This dog seems pretty close to what I remember Faith being like -- alpha much?
Well, the good news is, I think Hugo is going to be a good cuddler and he'll make an ace of an emotional therapy dog soon enough. We just have to let him know who the boss is - - that is once we stop cooing over his squishy sweet face long enough to be firm and commanding. Yeah, probably not going to happen. He'll run all over us like all the others do. It's a pattern. We don't mind.
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