Update regarding our sweet Senior girl, Dolly:
Despite the best efforts of DRT, Dolly has crossed the Rainbow Bridge. When Dolly came to us, the shelter made it clear that the deck was stacked against her. (She was set to be euthanized the day we picked her up.)
Sadly, through many years of neglect, we learned that she had many underlying health issues, including heart worms, heart failure, and liver failure. After multiple vet consultations, including a stay in the ICU of NC State, her body was giving out, and we had to make the hard-but-appropriate decision to let Dolly go peacefully. We tried every way possible to save her, but it was sadly too late for the complexities going on in Dolly’s neglected body.
Rescue is never easy, but this one hits hard for all who had the pleasure of being with her this past month. In the end, Dolly finally knew love and what it was to have humans care for her. She passed knowing that she mattered, and she left a stamp on all who had the honor of knowing her during her short stay at Elijah’s House.
Please take a few moments and read through her profile again. It’s a fitting farewell for her, and you will be united with us in honoring her memory in doing so - sort of like an on-line memorial service, with hearts united in love for our favorite breed and for Dolly in particular. Thank you.
You know, sometimes life is just hard. The thing is, for most of us, while we go through hard times here and there along life’s path, for the most part we are blessed and able to keep moving despite the difficulties we experience. Nobody embodies that ability more than our senior Dobergirl Dolly. You can tell from her pictures she’s had a hard life. That having been said, you can also see her interest, energy, and engagement that belie her difficult past.
She came to us from a shelter, and I’ll just let them tell us what they know about her:
“This girl came to us as a stray. Her current condition tells us she‘s lived a hard life as of late. Maybe in younger years she was well loved and cared for. Maybe she became lost and has been roaming for some time without a true home of her own. Maybe her owner became ill and couldn‘t care for her any longer. We unfortunately don‘t know her back story. We only know that she came to us with multiple, urgent health needs. We’ve done what we can, but out resources are limited. DRT will need to take this dog to a full service veterinarian to follow up on the heartworm disease, skin issues, and elevated liver enzymes (DRT of course did). Since she hasn’t been in our care long, our observations are brief:
• She appears to kennel well and lies in the bed provided.
• She is non-reactive/non-vocal to staff approaching her kennel door and freely allows them to enter.
• She has met her kennel neighbor through the barrier and was very loose and interested, no reactivity observed.
• She allows for collar and leash placement and walks well on leash.
• She is able to easily be removed from her kennel and she willingly enters her kennel upon return.
• She was very calm and tolerant during her medical evaluation which included blood draw.”
That description alone makes me want to just hold her close and let her know she’ll never be neglected or alone again. I must add here that as usual, the heartworm treatment is both costly and risky, yet essential. Even if you aren‘t able to make her part of your family, you can have the satisfaction of knowing you helped saver her life by donating toward the heartworm treatment.
Our volunteers add the following observations:
"Dolly is just such a happy Dobe! She smiles, she follows, and she talks to you - such an engaging personality who just wants to hang out. She is friendly, with a laid back attitude towards strangers. We often describe young Dobes as having an old soul because they are more mature for their age. Well, I would say that Dolly is the opposite. She has a youthful disposition trapped in an older body. Don‘t get me wrong, she isn‘t immature, she just has a lot of curiosity and more energy than you would expect at first glance. I‘m not typically as excited by the older Dobes, but I really like Dolly! She has so much happiness and joy to provide for her next family!”
“Dolly - a dog this sweet should never have to endure the hardships her obvious neglect can testify to! It’s easy to speculate that she was used and dumped after whelping several pups. She’s going to need some time to heal the damage to her body that neglect wreaked. The one thing that couldn’t be damaged is the kind sweet soul she has. It amazes me how a dog whose obviously sad, true story we’ll never know, can be so normal and loving. Given some time at DRT, the outside of the body will match the beauty inside!”
"Some dogs imprint on your heart immediately, and Dolly was one of those for me. I had the pleasure of picking Dolly up from the shelter and transporting her to DRT. When they went to get her, I had no idea what was about to walk out; when you pick up a dog at the shelter, you never do. But out walked a grand lady, and when I approached her, she immediately nudged at me with her nose. I took her outside and spent a bit of time with her before I put her in the car. She leaned against me and appreciatively gave me magical Dobie kisses. She cooperatively settled in the car, but checked in with me throughout the ride, giving me nudges and kisses. Dolly is simply a gem. It is clear she still has so much love to give. Despite clearly not being well taken care of, for whatever reason, she trusted that we were trying to help her and was affectionate in her thanks. Whoever chooses to spend Dolly’s golden years with this girl is so lucky!"
I know older Dobers aren’t high on most peoples’ wish list, especially ones that don’t catch the eye for their attractiveness. But Dolly’s beauty is in her soul and spirit, and it’s the best a person could ever want a dog to have. Imagine what it would be like to be the loving home and family for her in her remaining years - to be the one(s) who saw her beauty and blessed her with nurture and care and love after a lifetime of hardship.
If you think you could be that family, follow the sequence: apply, acceptance, appointment, arrive, acquaint, away.
P.S. Remember Louis Armstrong singing “Hello, Dolly?”
Hello Dolly
This is Louis, Dolly
It‘s so nice to have you back where you belong
You‘re lookin‘ swell, Dolly
I can tell, Dolly
You‘re still glowin‘, you‘re still crowin‘, you‘re still goin‘ strong
Find her an empty lap, fellas
Dolly‘ll, never go away, promise you never go away
Dolly‘ll, never go away again.
I’m confident that if you “find her an empty lap,” she’ll "never go away again." |
