Forclosed and Abandoned

We all know it's a ruff economy right now. I've been watching as our donations trickled to nothing and adoptions halted completely. There has been nothing worse than having to tell animals "no" every day because we have no more room, no more money, and no help in sight.

But for whatever reason, when I got the call on Wednesday about two abandoned collies (actually shelties) at a foreclosed home in Ardsley Park, I just couldn't bring myself to say no. I was told they were skittish and there was no idea on how long they had been left there (I later learned that the house had been owned by the bank for at least 45 days). I was at work but agreed to come over that evening and trap them after my board meeting. I sat back and thought about it. How many of these calls do I have to keep taking? I've had several landlords give us pets after people were evicted, and poor Hope lived on a chain for who knows how long before the landlord came and found her. Too many people ignore a problem because they don't hear about it. So, I invited WJCL's Stephanie Simoni to join me and show people what is happening in our area and how the economy is affecting pets.

So a little before 8 pm I arrived. It's a neighborhood adorned with Christmas lights and beautiful homes. Lawns are perfectly manicured, vehicles more expensive than I can look at parked on the road. It's not a place I would expect to come for these dogs. In the center of all this is a dark blob, a house that once stood with grandeur and hospitality to guests now something that even Sherman would have ignored. Furniture, trash out on the front lawn and old appliances and boxes cluttered the driveway. I changed clothes, donned my hat and headlamp, grabbed a slip lead and the new Maglite my daddy had given me and began headed to the backyard for the rescue. I swear I could have watched this on animal planet. We could have used Jeff Corwin to navigate the overgrowth.

My heart sank when we got into the backyard. The pool was pitch black, and apparently the only water source for the dogs. There was trash everywhere. The only food available was what the real estate agents had brought that day. What had these dogs been eating all this time to keep alive? I crawled around, setting out food balls strategically, getting them to smell it and hopefully entice them to come near. After about thirty minutes we got a lucky break: we spooked them enough to run into an open door in a sunroom. Now it was just a matter of approaching them slowly to get leads on them and get them out.

I got the first one on lead, and she just cowered down. It took a little longer to get the second one as she kept trying to hide under things. We ended up carrying them out in our arms to the truck as they weren't willing to walk on lead. The whole way home, they never made one sound in the truck. I took their silence to be a good sign, possibly that of relief and hope. I made a quick pit stop for dinner for me, as it was already 9:30 pm and I had worked up an appetite. I laughed as I walked into Arby's and got a strange look: I didn't realize just how dirty I had gotten during our rescue, but I was wearing it with pride.

When we arrived back to the ranch, I unloaded the girls still in their crates into the back yard. I took everyone else out to do their thing then proceeded to ready the grooming room, aka my spare bathroom, for a bath. I didn't realize I'd be there till nearly 2 am. I did Ardslea first. Her's wasn't that bad. A 45-minute brushing with the Furminator got a lot off of her. She was so patient, never moved the entire time. It must have felt so wonderful. Then I put her in the tub and started the water. She got a little nervous, but after a minute just stood there. We latered, rinsed, repeated. No more fleas, no more stinky smell. The towel drying went well, until I brought out the blow dryer. Lord knows if she's ever been groomed before, probably not, but that poor little dryer took a beating once she got ahold of it. I settled for putting towels down in a crate and letting her air dry. I wiped down the floors and proceeded to get Parka.

I'm not a groomer, never have been, never will be, but I am awfully proud of my job on Parka. I sat down with scissors to start cutting her mats. I then realized one entire side was just on big mat. A few years ago, I had bought an electric razor to use on a cocker spaniel named Honey. I hadn't used it since, but was so thankful it was within easy reach. I spent an hour and a half shaving poor Parka's fur. Her tail had been matted to her leg and underside, forcing her to eliminate on herself. I can't even begin to describe the smell and what all fell out when I freed her tail. But like her sister, she just sat there, letting me do my thing. When I got all the matted fur off, I put her in the tub. Obviously tired and knowing that this was the best, she stretched her legs out and lied down, waiting for me to do whatever. We did two shampoos to help get all the stench off the poor girl. She had to feel 1000 times better by now. I will say that she took the dryer much better than her sister, but since she was shaved, there was also less fur to be dryed. I walked her in and put her in the crate with Ardslea and went back to clean up. I came back through 30 minutes later, and there they were, curled up with each other asleep. I smiled and headed to the office to upload photos and send a couple of emails before heading to bed. After all, it was 2:45 am and I'd have to be up by 6 to do my morning chores before heading to work.

I took Ardslea and Parka to Dr. Hassan at Georgetown Veterinary Clinic on Friday. The girls were nervous but at least walking on a leash now. Everyone at the clinic knew them already; we had watched the story on WJCL's 6:00 news together the night before when I was picking Levi up from his neuter. I left them to get their shots, heartworm test, and microchip and check to see if they were already spayed. Luckily, yes, they were spayed, but sadly, they were both also heartworm positive. We'll have to wait two months to start their treatments to give them time to get used to proper nutrition and people again.

I took them back home and to their own kennel space and began to put out their food and water. It was then that I felt something on my shoulder. I turned to look, and it was Ardslea, pawing at me. I sat still for a minute and she did it again. I couldn't stop smiling. I put my arms around her and hugged her, scratching her behind the ears and telling her what a good girl she was. I put the food dish down and walked away, knowing that the girls are going to be ok, and we did something really good this week.

Video online:
http://www.thecoastalsource.com/news/local/36434669.html