    and placed with fluffies Dave and Sue Giller 
Monday, August 4, 1997 We took a drive out to Ft. Worth today to pick up a new Sheltie for DFW Sheltie Rescue. Her name is now Pasha, she is a 5 year old mahogany sable with the sweetest face. She is probably the prettiest sheltie we have seen since we started doing foster work. Very shy and nervous though. She is all skin and bones and when we picked her up, she was covered with fleas. Sadly, she has tested positive for heartworms and will begin treatment tomorrow. We took her to Petsmart on the way home to be dipped. Unfortunately, they only do rescue dogs for free when the manager approves and on weekdays. To avoid another flea problem, we paid for it ourselves. I can not help but feel angry at this time about this entire situation. The people that had her, sent her to the pound because they had "too many dogs". She doesn't know what it means to be around people, she doesn't know how to play, she doesn't even know what it is like being able to come inside! She shys from hands and it took a while for her to even take cheese from me. WHY? WHY? WHY? Why do people do this? Why have a dog if you can't love it and take care of it? I don't care if it isn't a perfect world. Dogs don't expect it to be. But they deserve so much more than so many people give them. Sue and I were starting to feel burned out with rescue work. Sue has been driving all over town picking up and dropping off dogs. We have had two rescue dogs with us almost all the time since we started. Our carpet is trashed. No steam cleaner or carpet shampooer with get rid of the stains from a few "less than perfectly trained" dogs. We go through food three times faster than we used to and we are buying toys and treats for these animals. Rescue does not repay us for gas or food expenses. We were about ready to just throw in the towel. Just a few minutes ago, Pasha was asleep on the floor at Sue's feet. I bent down to gently pet her. She raised her head and for the first time, licked my hand. Tears welled in my eyes as I watched her lay her head back down and drift off to sleep again. I don't know. Maybe we are overpaid... Dave p.s. We will keep doing rescue as long as we are needed. :) ---------- Afternoon, Thursday, August 7, 1997 Thought many of you would like a quick update on how Pasha has been doing. She got a good bill of health from the vet, except for the heartworms. Honestly, I am surprised. She is so skinny I thought for sure she had some other parasite. Only makes it that much more apparent that she was terribly neglected. The first day, we were afraid we would be unable to keep her here. She showed signs of being a fear biter and since everything scared her, we had concerns for our boys. She had attempted to nip at them when they walked by her. But that has started to calm down significantly. She now allows the boys to walk up to her and pet her without running in terror. I have to give my boys a lot of credit here. Many of the shelties we have fostered have been relatively very happy and active dogs that they could play with. I sat them down to explain how Pasha was different. Before I even got to finish, they both jumped up and made a dash to get treats for her. I am amazed that they can comprehend the sad existance she has had. They have been so good with her. There have been victories here. She doesn't run whenever I get up or move around. I am still watched very rarily though. On occasion, she will come close to me when I call to her. Not close enough on her own to be petted, but if I'm sitting she will let me slowly scoot over and will tolerate stroking her coat. There have been no tail wags yet. I wonder if she has forgotten how to do that. But she does follow without being coaxed when we go off to bed and sleeps comfortably on the floor at the foot of the bed. This is the first foster dog we have cared for with this kind of demeanor. The rest have been fun and we have nursed many back to health and happily allowed to pass on to loving families. We seem to be in for the long haul with Pasha though and I truly feel that we can teach her to trust, love, and hopefully play once again. Somewhere inside her is a puppy that wants to come out. I honestly believe that. I would like to share with all of you the development of Pasha. I sure hope no one minds. We have a digital picture of her we can send out to those that want to see it. Joan, is there space on the fluff site for it as well? She is such a pretty girl. Another victory! Dave and Sue ---------- Evening, Thursday, August 7, 1997 Got quite a surprise last night. We had a terrible thunderstorm here in Dallas around 3:00 this morning. Normally, I can sleep through a storm without a problem but I was shocked awake by a very cold nose on my hand. I looked down and in the dim light from the clock, I saw it was Pasha! She was so scared from the storm. I started petting her and talking to her to let her know everything was ok and nothing was going to harm her when suddenly, she leapt up on our waterbed and into my arms! First off, we have a double dresser pedastal on our bed and this is a significant leap! Second off, she came to *me* when she was scared! She let me hold her for over an hour while I stroked her fur and kept telling her she was ok. Her breathing was short and fast (probably the heartworms have a lot to do with that) but every time there was a bold of lightning or a clap of thunder, she literally held her breath for a few moments. Then she returned to her panting. Finally, the storm passed and she snuggled down between Sue and I on the bed and fell asleep. This morning, she was back down on the floor. Every day she is relaxing more. She is coming for pets now but still stops inches away. I still have to reach but she doesn't lie down like she used to when I pet her. Earlier today, she was standing by me while I typed at the computer and just stared at me. I stopped what I was doing to offer more pets. I then turned back to the computer and felt a nudge with her paw on my leg. She wanted more! :) Sorry some of my responses earlier were a bit delayed to some of y'all. I had some petting to do! Of course, the other dogs wanted to get involved as well so we just had a pet fest! Unlike Cassie and Foxxy, Pasha doesn't push in to get pets, but she seemed more willing to finally be loved on. A few minutes ago, Sue came home from her belly dancing class. The dogs heard the garage door open and I heard a strange new sound. Pasha was joining in with their barking! I may be wrong, but I thought I even saw a brief tail wag! It isn't all peaches and cream. She still has times when she spooks from the slightest sounds or moves. She sometimes still gets that look of fear in her eyes over movements around her. She does not like me to pet her when I'm standing. Her rapid shallow breathing really scares me too. I have no idea yet how bad the heartworms are. She is eating good and should be healthy enough soon for the treatment though. Your fluffy vibes are working their magic, guys! We all thank you so much! This is a team effort on all of our parts and I hope everyone takes to heart the joy of each little step. Pasha would have been destroyed last Monday if we had not taken her in. Each day is a gift and I am so glad we can share it with you all. :) Dave and Sue ---------- Sunday, August 10, 1997 One week ago today, we picked up Pasha from the Ft. Worth shelter. What amazing strides she has taken. I am so excited to tell you all this. This morning, Pasha wagged her tail!!!! She also jumped up on my lap and She did hide from our out of town guests for a while, but seemed to know they were friends by the way we behaved. There are still looks of fear when anyone moves quickly. Of course, with kids, that happens frequently. When the other dogs and the cat are playing, she walks away and watches from a distance. Pasha also bit Sue the other day. Sue had bent down to get her collar and walk her outside and for some reason, Pasha whirled around and bit her thumb. Broke skin on one side and put a dent in her fingernail on the other. We are convinced this was a defensive move on Pasha's part because this was the day after the thunderstorms and she was afraid to go outside. Sue is OK. Gives her a good excuse to get her nails done before we go see "Cats" tonight. That has been the last time she has shown any aggression. Maybe she felt bad? Last night, Pasha picked up one of the dog toys. She carried it over to one of our friends and dropped it at his feet. He bent down, picked it up and tossed it for her. She looked a bit puzzled by this and went and sat back down. We will give her time. She'll get the idea. :) Dave and Sue ---------- Thursday August 14, 1997 I have little new to relate about Pasha's development. Each day she has been feeling more at home and more relaxed. The tail wags come frequently and she is always happy to see us when we come home. She doesn't jump at the slightest sound any longer unless it is thunder. Actually, she has begun following us every time we leave the room. She doesn't like to let either Sue or I out of her sight. Honestly, for the first time in her life, I am convinced she feels at home and happy. She even likes getting up on the couch now! :) Pasha has begun trying to play a few dominance games here with Cassie. Now, this is all our foster dogs home, but Cassie is top dog here. Cassie knows this too. So far, there has been nothing more than staring confrontations and I hope it stays that way. I don't think it would take much for Cassie to put Pasha in her place. They are the same size, but Cassie is in much better health. Will keep an eye on this and make sure it doesn't get out of hand. In a sense, it is kind of nice to know that Pasha feels comfortable enough with her new surroundings to do this. It is also nice to know that Cassie has the tolerance level to not escalate the problem. I hope to find out soon when Pasha will be ready for the heartworm treatment. She is gaining weight and strength every day and I don't think it will be much longer till she will be able to handle the treatment. As always, I will keep you all informed and I thank you all for your love and support for Pasha. :) I hope Michelle doesn't mind me saying this, but she has given me a new prayer. "Please God, don't let this rescue turn out like so many of the tragic ones we hear about. Let this one be a success story!" All rescue dogs deserve it. Just wish we could make it so. Sue got a call today requesting she drive out to Ft. Worth again to pick up two new shelties from the shelter and take them to a rescue kennel. If she didn't, they would be put to sleep. It was impossible for her to go. She had to pick up Bruce from kindergarten and me from work. We both feel so bad. I hope they were able to find someone else, but I have my doubts. What do people think? That these dogs are disposable or recyclable??? Sorry, I'm not going to go there again. What was that serenity prayer again? Change what I can, accept what I can't, and know the difference between the two. Which of course means I shouldn't grab an M-16 and track down all the stupid cruel morons.... right? :) Dave ---------- Thursday August 28, 1997 She has been doing wonderful! She is now as lively and frisky as any sheltie could be. She loves to run and bark. She will sit and look at Sue and I with the most adoring eyes. Such a change since she first came to us. She is by our side where ever we may go. She has also started jumping at the garage door after we walk out. Pasha is still putting on weight and I think she is about ready for the heartworm treatment. I still have no idea how bad she has them but I do know she gets tired quickly and needs to lie down and rest often. I so want her to be as strong as possible for the treatment but I also know that the longer we wait, the worse they get. When Pasha first came to us, I thought I was looking at a dog whose body was still alive, but whose spirit was long gone. Her organs were functioning but that was all. Now, to see her, it is like a rebirth. She has a fire in her eyes and an almost puppy-like spring to her sheltie dance. She looks like if will alone was all it took, no treatment will take her away. I dearly hope that is enough to get her through. Sue, the boys, and I have not put forth any great "superhuman" effort to bring about this transformation. We have given her two simple things. A home where she feels comfortable, and love. Well, OK, food and water also, but that should go without saying. :) These are such simple things to give. It is just beyond me as to why she never had it in the first place. We are still seeing the dominance game being played between Pasha and Cassie. They are tolerant of each other but I don't think there is much beyond that. Both have attempted to mount each other which I know is simply a dominance play. They have also snarled at each other from time to time but it goes no further. Of course, if one is being petted, the other one finds the other hand to receive the same. We don't try and play favorites here. However, when Foxy, our other rescue dog joins them for luvins', it can get tricky. I have really not said much about our other foster sheltie whom we named Foxy. She is about three years old and very sweet. She came to us showing signs of the beginnings of heartworms but with a mild treatment, she appears to be ok. Foxy does have a limp that shows up every once in a while. Thanks to a generious donation to the DFW Sheltie Rescue, Foxy was able to receive some X-Rays. These show that this young dog has severe arthritis in her hip. The vet recommends a rather expensive surgery. Right now, this is all up in the air. Foxy has picked her adopted parents (another story, but these are very dear friends from San Antonio) and will be going with them soon. It may be necessary for them to help with the cost of the surgery but like I said, that is all in the works and I have very little to do with it. One interesting thing I would like to point out is that when one of our foster fur kids goes to their new home, Sue and I normally send the dog off with it's favorite toy. With Foxy, this would be our cat. Since we got the cat from our friends in San Antonio, I rather doubt they would appreciate having it returned. Ah well, they have several cats that will delight Foxy. Unfortunately, we may have a depressed cat here to deal with. Thanks for listening to me ramble. As soon as something new comes up, I'll let y'all know. Dave and Sue ---------- Sunday, September 7, 1997 Tomorrow is a big day. One that we have both looked forward to and dreaded. Pasha is going in for her heartworm treatment. We believe she is strong enough now and has the will to pull through. The longer we wait, the worse they get. Please keep good and healing thoughts in your mind and heart for her. Will let you know how she is doing tomorrow evening. In my heart, I believe she is ready in spirit for this battle. I worry when I pet her that I can still feel her bones along her shoulders but at least the ribs have more meat on them. Sometimes, she seems so fragile and other times, she seems like a very tough lady. She has stood up to the challenge to make it this far and we are pulling for her to get over this hump. She continues to pull the dominance game with the other dogs but there have been no fights. Just snarls and quick snaps. I have to wonder if she would do better being adopted by a family without other dogs. Foxy, our other rescue dog gave us a bit of a surprise today. She is in season. We had been told that she was spayed but I guess the shelter was incorrect there. That's about it for now. I'll write tomorrow with further details. Have a good week all!!! Dave and Sue ---------- Monday, September 8, 1997 Hello all my dear Fluffy friends! OK, day one of treatment has gone well. For those of you that don't know what the treatment for heartworms involves, I'll go into a few details. There are four injections of poison into the dog's blood stream. Two have been administered today and the other two tomorrow. One in the morning, the other in the afternoon. The vet's office will keep her there till Wednesday evening to observe her. After that, she is to be kept quiet till the dead worms have passed out of her system. We called the vet's office this afternoon and they said that she is doing just fine after the first treatment. They were just getting ready to administer the second of four. They said she seems in high spirits and doing great. Sue called to tell me that while I was at work and I was almost in tears from relief. We have had no bad phone calls tonight and no news is good news. I want to thank all that have written and/or send good thoughts for us and for Pasha. She needs all the healing and strengh vibes she can get. Thank you all for pulling for her! I'll send another update tomorrow. Dave and Sue ---------- Tuesday, September 9, 1997 Hi all! Sue got a very scary message on the answering machine today when she returned from water aerobics. The vet's office left a message that asked her to give them a call. The voice didn't sound happy. Sue called right away. Pasha was refusing to eat and had thrown up what she still had in her stomach. The vet decided that it would be best to stop the treatment after the third dose and not give her the fourth and final one. He figured that she would undoubtedly do better and eat better in her own home in familiar surroundings. So, she is now back home with us. There will be an oral treatment in about a month and then they will want to test her again in five to six months. Now, I'm not sure if she will have to stay in the foster program that entire time, but we shall see. Of course, the next few days are critical. But she is certainly doing her part by taking it easy on the couch. She has made it this far guys. Please keep those good healing thoughts focused on this little girl! I know it is helping. Considering how far she has come over the past month, the only explaination is an abundance of love from all over. :) Dave and Sue Later: Just to let y'all know, Pasha did eat her dinner and it has stayed down! :) At the recommendation of the vet, we have also changed her food in order to put some more weight on her. She is now dining on puppy food, both dry and canned. She certainly isn't complaining about that! :) Dave ---------- Wednesday, September 10.1997 Hi again! Pasha seems to be doing fine today but she has been sleeping a lot more than normal. I wouldn't say she has been lethargic though. Just staying quite and letting her body heal which is exactly what she needs to do. The boys have been instructed and for a change, followed instructions, to leave her alone and let her rest. It is next to impossible to explain what was wrong with her to a 5 and 4 year old, but they do understand that she has been sick. So, they may run around the house like hooligans but when the come to the room with Pasha, they instantly calm down and go on to the next room to play. Pretty good kids (when they want to be). :) Plus, they now have their own computer to use (a 686 P200 , built by Daddy) and that takes up some of their time as well. Pasha is eating well but I would like to see her eat more. Everything continues to stay down. Yay! I know we are still in the critical week here, but I honestly think she is going to make it. You know, sometimes, doing rescue work is a tough and thankless job. It is times like this that make it all worth while. :) Dave and Sue ---------- Tuesday, September 16, 1997 Hiya! Well, we are past the critical week and Pasha is doing wonderful! She seems to be calmer as well since the heartworm treatment. Her sleep seems to be calmer and her breathing seems to be much more relaxed. No more panting all the time. Not sure if this is me reading more into this than there really is or if her heart is really healing this quickly. I have high hopes it is the latter. We are so happy that she is doing so well and I can't begin to thank you all enough for your well wishes and healing thoughts and prayers. One day, Pasha will go on to a permanent home and though her new family may never know all the love that was sent to help her get better, they will never be able to deny that she is a wonderful addition to their family. Who ever gets her will be very fortunate and I will wish them and her all the best. Till then though, she will certainly get all the love she can handle. :) Happily and fluffilly yours, Dave and Sue ---------- Wednesday, October 15, 1997 Pasha has been doing really well. She had her oral heartworm treatment on Monday and seems to be just fine. Think we licked those nasty bugs! She will be getting spayed in about two weeks. Another couple of weeks, she will be ready to be put up for adoption. I wish I could find someone I know to adopt her so I can keep track of her progress, but I don't think it is going to happen. I can just hope she goes to a good home. Dave ---------- Friday, November 14, 1997 Guess it has been a long time since my last update on Pasha. Up to now, there has been very little to pass on other than she has been healing both physically, mentally, and emotionally. Really amazing to see her now compared to how she was a few months ago. Her adoration of me is flattering. She becomes so excited when I walk in the door. Even if I just stepped out for a moment, she behaves like I was gone for months. I adore her to pieces and am really not looking forward to the day she is adopted. We thought that date may have been here at the DFW Adopt-a-thon on the 6th, but she won't be ready by then. The reason she won't be ready is her weight. She finally started putting on weight and was feeling like a normal sheltie (finally), but when we left for St. Louis, she refused to eat for anyone. She just moped about till we returned. She dropped so much weight that we can't get her spayed like we had planned to. It may take weeks till she is back up to a normal weight and we won't worry about her handling the surgery. This has started me really getting concerned that she may be so attached to us that she would do the same with anyone that adopts her. Now don't y'all start! I am not coming up with excuses for us to keep her. That isn't our job and there are just too many other dogs that need to be guided from their current condition to discovering people are not all bad. But I just can't bear the thought of her starving herself if she can't be with us. Of course, we won't know till she actually goes on to someone else. OK, so the logical course of action is to allow her to go to another foster home and see how she does. But it worries me to put her through a transition so traumatic right before undergoing surgery and then another transition when she is adopted. I heard that! I am *not* in denial nor am I using creative logic. Nor am I protesting too much! Uhuh....not me.... But other than the weight loss, she is doing really well. She is very happy. We had friends come over to visit and she was even friendly to them. A great leap forward for her. Pasha and Cassie have established a relatively good relationship though there are occasional growls when they get close. Usually, they leave each other alone. Another good bit of news. Foxy, our other foster dog that we have had for several months, was adopted and left for her new home with friends of ours in Florida today. We think she will be very happy in Florida, especially since the cold weather has really been bothering her arthritic hip here in Dallas. Well, that's it for the Pasha update. As more things develop, I'll let y'all know. Dave 
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