Friday, May 18, 2012

My Two Weeks with Monroe -  Part V

Once Monroe had a collar and leash on her instinct to run away as well as her fear of people seemed to disappear. One of the hardest things for us to do was to give her to Aunite M (our dog sitter). We knew Monroe would thrive with Auntie M, but we are easily attached. It felt like Monroe was our dog and that we were giving her up. But, we knew that Auntie M's was the best place for Monroe to stay short term and that she needed to find a forever home with younger dogs with which she could romp with for hours.

When Monroe arrived at Auntie M's house the first thing M did was give her a bath. She was soaped up three times and the dirt simply poured off of her (she went from being a dirty blonde to a true blonde). Once she was cleaned up, M & her team got to work on removing ticks from Monroe's skin. I already knew she had a lot of ticks. I felt them around her ears from the few moments I got to pet her while she was in the backyard. In total, they removed over 40 ticks from her!

While Monroe made friends with Auntie M's dogs (8 of them! yikes! luckily she is super dog-friendly), her first night was still a little rough. She was anxious being in her new environment. As each day progressed, though, Monroe got more and more comfortable with her new surroundings and early the following week she went to the vet to get checked out. The vet determined that she is likely under 2 years old, was not spayed nor was she microchipped. One of our biggest worries was the possibility of heart worms. So, bloodwork was scheduled for the day of Monroe's spay (which was a mere 5 days after we got her into our back yard). Her spay went great and we are thrilled to announce that she is heart worm negative. The rest of her blood work also looks great. She is a completely healthy young pup!

Currently, she is staying with Auntie M and receiving the royal treatment, learning how to be spoiled rotten. They are working on getting Monroe completely house broken. Monroe is also suffering from some separation anxiety issues and they are working on that with her, as well. As Auntie M and company worked on Monroe's potty & social behaviors, it was discovered that she fetches, plays very well with the other pups and manages quite well napping on the sofa. All the things a happy and well balanced pooch should do. She is a great dog!

We are so very thankful that Auntie M was able to continue the rescue efforts by welcoming Monroe with open arms into her home and offering Monroe all the love, care and attention she needs during her re-adjustment into domesticated diva-ism. Monroe has really settled into a routine (it is reported that she has even claimed a spot on Auntie M's bed throughout the night). Auntie M and her squad will be sure she is completely ready for a forever home before finding the perfect match for Monroe. Once that special spot is found, Monroe will be re-homed for hopefully the very last time and as you all are hoping, we all here are most certainly as well looking to see that this is truly a happily ever after fairy tale ending. We will be sure to keep you posted with the latest news & information on Roe's saga.

Thank you OBP readers for your support and positive feedback in the story about Monroe. In 'real time' this story took place from April 24th-May 4th. However, there was no way that I could keep you abreast of the situation at it rolled out during the actual time as all of my time was truly dedicated to securing Monroe and getting her into a rescue program. Plus, you all know me pretty well and I would likely not have shared the story at all had it not have had a happy ending. And while we are at a mid-way point of the actual story, it is at happy enough point of the story that I feel it is safe enough to share.

A few FAQ's:

Q:    What breed is Monroe?

A:    While we are not exactly sure, Schipperke/Corgi mix has been a strong suggestion (and blog commenter Linda suggested a Blue Heeler---which is probably thrown in there, too)

Q:    How big is Monroe?

A:    Monroe stands just a few inches taller than Henry and weighs about the same (in the high 20 pound range; you never ask a lady her weight, right?)

Q:    Where do you think she came from? What is her back story?

A:    Since she had not ID tag, was not spayed and had no microchip there was no real way for us to find out exactly what happened. However, animal control had indicated that recently there were several homes in a neighbohood near ours where homes went into foreclosure where their humans left the dogs behind in the houses (alone to fend for themselves) or released their pets into the streets (also alone to fend for themselves). We drove the neighborhood and went on Craig's list. No signs/posters or other indications that anyone was looking for her. So, we really cannot say what Monroe's home life was before we spotted her on April 24th.

Q:    Are we keeping Monroe?

A:    No. While I would love to adopt this sweet girl there are a lot of reasons why I don't think we are a good fit for Monroe. Monroe is very dog friendly and loves to play with other dogs. The pugs are good company, but are well past their days of non stop playing. They pugs played with Monroe pretty hard the night we got her in the yard and were super stiff the next day. Monroe is just too much of a pup for them. Also, I worry about Monroe living so close to the woods where she once lived her on her own. I feel like if she ever got loose she would run off to her old stomping grounds.