As I sat in my floor a couple nights ago, with a pan of soapy water and a rag, cleaning the blood off my walls, it occurred to me that I needed to update everyone on our Libby. And don't worry, this is not a gruesome tail...it's a happy tail. A happy tail indeed!
Despite Libby coming in starved nearly to death and dangerously dehydrated, to the point that we as her transporters wondered if she would make the trip, Libby has taught us all a lesson in will. She is by far the most loving dog with an intense will to live! Given her condition when she came to us, we presume that Libby was bred and then dumped. (And we want to take a moment to thank her angel who called us when she wandered into her yard, when animal control would not even return her calls...thank goodness, as they would've put down this bag of bones.). Libby came to us on 4th of July weekend, so we named her Liberty...Libby for short, because she's now free from whatever awful past she had. The first time I was mixing her crunchy food with a/d (critical care canned food), of course just a little at a time, because we were feeding her a cup or so every 2hrs at that point, this beautiful girl, in all of her glory and pride, though skin and bones and almost bald, SAT...she never took her eyes off the bowl, but never reached or lunged for it, only sat as she stared hopefully at the bowl. If I were starving (shoot, if I'd missed a couple meals), I would've knocked me down for a meal. Not this girl, she patiently and willfully sat, hoping that this person would feed her, share just a little of that bowl with her. Needless to say, I cried!
Over the past 3 weeks, this girl has continued to amaze us with her wonderful spirit and beautiful attitude. She stayed so tired and physically beaten down for most of this time, however, her heart and mind were happy...she even has played a little tug with a toy or two with her best friend Gracie, our blind/deaf girl who generally is a bull in a china shop, but with Libby, she is gentle as can be. She knew from the start, without seeing or hearing, that Libby wasn't well. She would go over and put her chin on top of Libby's head and just stand there a second as if giving her a hug, and then would most times lie down with Libby and cuddle with her. It's been absolutely inspiring. Libby, though her body was broken, has not stopped wagging her tail, hence the blood on my walls. She managed to bust open her tail from wagging it the other day when I came home from work and let her out of her kennel, and she wagged it so happily, that she painted my foyer. But that's perfectly fine!! This dog could have the keys to my truck if she asked for them! She has inspired us all. Her tail of course is now bandaged, since she doesn't have the hair to protect it yet from her happy spirit.
We found out at the vet's on her 21st day, that she has gained 46 lbs!!! 46 lbs in 21 days!!! That's just crazy! She still probably has at least another 20-30lbs to go, and poor thing is still struggling with intestinal issues and skin problems, and of course being naked! It wasn't until she'd been with us for about a week that we knew for sure she was a merle, because she had almost no hair, and she was so dehydrated that her skin had no color, so you just couldn't tell.
She's not by any means back to health, and it will take a little while to get that way, but she most definitely will make it through. This dog who didn't move for the drive up from the coast, and who we thought might not make it to the vet, after much vetting, supplements, iv fluids, lots of food and MANY days of 2hr feedings (new parents know what I mean!), this dog is determined to make a full recovery. We're exhausted, but she's just starting to get some strength. This girl will be a force to be reckoned with, and will make any family the most loving companion. But you'll have to fight Gracie for her!!
