Zippy the Rescue Dog

Norman & Nancy

 

UPDATE!!!

click above for more of Zippy's Story

                She came to us about 9:30 pm on Feb 11, in the cargo hold of a commercial air liner from Salt Lake City, Utah.  Her name was Shera, nicknamed Zippy for her quick, agile movements.  At the airport freight office, she stood up in her crate and looked at my wife, Nancy, and me with big, intense German Pinscher eyes. 

We had seen her picture online, on the GPCA Rescue website.  It didn’t take Nancy and me long (3 seconds flat – “You want to?”  “Okay.”) to decide to apply to adopt this little girl.  We contacted GPCA rescue, and Sharon Asher put us in touch with Marsha Sheppard, who had rescued the little girl and her stray companion, Samson in Salt Lake City.  After completing the application online, we heard back a couple of days later that we had been selected to adopt her.

A month after her rescue, she weighed 20 pounds, looked small for her age, best guess listed as a year old, since there was no history, she and her male companion having been picked up as strays.  The freight staff cut off the zip ties on the crate door to let her out.  She came right out, showing no fear or apprehension.  I attached the leash to her leather collar with the end  chewed off, reserving this bit of information for later.  While my wife took her outside for a walk in the brisk, 32 degree Colorado Springs weather, I settled the COD charge with the freight office.

By the time I left the office with the crate, Nancy was sitting in the car with Zippy on her lap, looking for all the world like she belonged.  We drove home, and she was quiet the whole trip.  Arriving home, I held her leash while Nancy let Rex, our nine year old male GP out to meet the new arrival in the garage.  Rex, at 30 pounds, looked huge.  There was the usual sniffing and circling, but no signs of aggression from either dog. Then, it was time to meet Shadow, our nine year old female Rottweiler.  Shadow was great.  She did the usual sniffing and circling, then lay down on her bed.  Nothing there to excite the old girl.

The first lesson for Zippy was where to do her business, so she learned the “yard.”   This became a routine for us, every 30 minutes, everybody out to their “business.”  Put her to bed in her crate by 11 pm.  Woke up early at 5 am to let Zippy out, and she hadn’t soiled her bed.  For two days, Zippy amazed us with her boundless energy, curiosity, and fearless approach to her new environment.  Then, her poop turned soft, then liquidy, and finally, mucusy.  She slowed down, and became lethargic.  It became emergent when she threw up, so off to the vet who promptly diagnosed a bowel obstruction.  “Something she ingested, a piece of toy, or something, that won’t pass through.”  Apparently she had ingested something not edible several days ago, and was now in serious distress.

After three overnight stays at the vet’s, the emergency clinic and dog ICU (Intensive Care Unit) receiving IV fluids, antibiotics, and a special feeding, she was well enough to come home.  The best news was that she didn’t need surgery to remove the blockage.  She had passed the three inch by three inch piece of stuffed animal toy that had caused the blockage.  This was a difficult experience.  Like having your child get sick, and in the hospital.

She’s been with us for three weeks now.  Seems longer.  She’s fully recovered, and is on a leash anytime she’s out of her crate.  Her training is ongoing, and she’s learning to sit and wait in front of her food bowl until the command to “Go get it” is given.  There’s been less and less food guarding aggression, and for the most part, she eats quietly alongside our other two dogs.

It may have been easier to get a known healthy puppy from a breeder, like we did with Rex, but then we wouldn’t know the joy of Zippy, the resilient little rescue dog who has bounced back from adversity.  Besides, she’s so cute.