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Gertie would not accept wheels. She freaked out. She struggled to accept the help of a sling and clearly voiced her objections, however, we managed. We came to an agreement that she was allowed to swear at me whilst I was putting the sling under her and getting her moving. Once she was on the go she forgave me and enjoyed her walks. Sadly her front end became weaker and she became tired. Trying to get her to toilet was another issue. She struggled to go which in turn affected her health. Her quality of life was diminishing. That’s when we have to re visit our decision of how we are handling the situation.
Anyone who has ever loved a dog with DM will know what I mean when I say there is nothing more heartbreaking than taking a beloved friend who is happy and in all other ways and seems healthy, except their legs no longer work, to the vets for that final visit. The final vet visit is never easy but at least if they appear sick, you can tell yourself you are taking away their pain. With Gertie there was no pain. Just a smiley happy face.
Gertie had 2 pork chops and 2 eggs for breakfast before we set off on our journey. For the past week or so, she had not wanted to go far on our walks and had slowed right down. When she knew she was getting in the van she almost ran with excitement and I struggled to keep up with her holding the sling.
As always my vet was amazing and handled the situation with the respect and compassion that Gertie deserved.
Gertie came to Welfare when she was about 5/6 years old. A change in circumstances had brought her to us. It soon became apparent there was some issue going on and tests came back proving she had thyroid issues. She was put on medication which was a great help. The thyroid problem had affected her behaviour. Gertie wasn’t for the faint hearted. She would run at full pelt and body slam you. She also took her gardening very seriously. We made the decision that she wouldn’t be put up for rehoming. She had been in Welfare about 5 or 6 years. She loved her creature comforts and my bed was her favourite place to relax.
Gertie will leave a big hole in my heart. You would never have called her sweet. You would never have called her an easy dog. But she was Gertie and totally loveable ❤️.
Leaving her at the vet was horrendous but I came away with Norris’s ashes 💔💔💔
Fly high precious girl. I hope rainbow bridge is ready for your chaos. ❤️❤️❤️
Debbie Hill
Virgil is a 1 year old male German Shepherd. Sadly he was relinquished to GSD Welfare Fund because he had become reactive and his family couldn’t cope with him. The reactivity was caused by his fear of strangers.
He has come on in leaps and bounds since being in our care. However, he will require a home that is not too busy and with a carer who will take the time to understand him. We don't think that a household with children would be suitable for him. Virgil would be best suited as an only dog and no cats.
Virgil is located in Mildenhall, Suffolk.
If you can offer Akoni his forever home then please get in touch via our adoption query form:
https://www.gsdwelfarefund.co.uk/adopting-a-german-shepherd/
Please like, comment and share this post so we reach Akoni's new parents - thanks!
He has lived with children and has played with groups of dogs. Akoni is good with people. Akomi is currently located in Mildenhall, Suffolk.
If you can offer Akoni his forever home then please get in touch via our adoption query form:
https://www.gsdwelfarefund.co.uk/adopting-a-german-shepherd/
Please like, comment and share this post so we reach Akoni's new parents - thanks!
UPDATE: We've been told by Akoni's previous owners that he has lived with cats.
That's only possible thanks to the dedication of the professionals we work with who always go that extra distance. And without you all we couldn't keep doing this - it's your direct support that enables us to do this! Anyway, I'll slip back into the crowd and listen to someone who knew Norris best.
Thank you to everyone for your kind words yesterday for Norris.
As normal Norris vocalised at 5 in the morning to be let out. Nothing unusual. At 7.30 Ish I took him out for his playtime. Everything still appeared normal. At approximately 12.30 he started panting a bit heavily so I took him outside. It then became apparent that something was wrong. After noting his gait losing stability and panting heavier I checked his gums. My heart plummeted seeing how pale they were. I phoned the vet to let them know we were coming in. By the time we arrived he didn’t have the strength to stand even though he made it perfectly clear he was not going to have anyone else touch him - so business as usual on that front. After being sedated and checked a splenic tumour was given as the cause with the recommendation of euthanasia as his heart had also weakened. He was just a baby. 💔
Norris came into Welfare at just 7 months old with hip dysplasia given as the reason. They were an active family and Norris wouldn’t fit in. Within days of being here, he had “an episode “ and he shredded my coat! It was more frightening because it was like he had flipped and wasn’t for letting up. I managed to get him off and get back to the house. I contacted the previous caregiver and asked if this was normal. After some hesitation, they revealed more information and we learned that he'd been given Nexgard treatment. You can read more on the dangers of that and similar products here:
https://gsdwelfare.blogspot.com/2022/04/health-topics-nexguard-and-bravecto.html
There was another side to Norris that was so loving. He adored me and I adored him. He didn’t want anyone else near him. I suppose I was his safety net. It is always heartbreaking when we lose our dogs. More so when they are so young and life has been so unfair for them. I think the flip side to Norris having such issues was the bond between us because of his problems. I’m not ashamed to admit that I feel broken. I embarrassed myself at the vets. Thankfully they were very understanding. There are times when we feel we will never recover from the trauma of things like this and losing someone dear to us. This is one of those times.
I will never forget Norris or stop loving him as long as I breathe. Norris wasn’t just a Welfare dog. He was MY BOY ❤️
