Hero’s adoption was finalized today.

And Terra didn’t even cry!

That is all.

Posted on July 16th, 2007 by jenna
Filed under: Hero | 3 Comments »

Hero is currently being fostered in Queens while foster mom, Michele, is away on her honeymoon. Boy, he’s just fit right in. Foster dad Jesse says, ‘He’s REALLY made himself at home and has really bonded with both of us. He follows me EVERYWHERE! He LOVES to sleep on me, too…hahaha! On my feet, resting his head on my chest, with a paw on my leg…just so long as he’s touching me, he’s happy! Such a little sweetheart! We’re really lovin’ that lil guy – it almost feels like he’s always been there!…We’re having SUCH a good time with him!!!’

What more can we say?! Hero is an amazing boy! When I saw him, I could not believe how wonderful he looked… his walk is incredible- there is virtually no limp at all at this point. He’s getting stronger and stronger.

Posted on July 8th, 2007 by zennia
Filed under: Hero | 1 Comment »

This Was Then	And This is Now

Posted on June 23rd, 2007 by jenna
Filed under: Hero | 1 Comment »

Hero is a wonderful Shiba. He has made himself one of the pack with my 3 other dogs. They all have seemed to iron out all of their issues with each other and are getting along quite nicely. If other dogs are okay with Hero, Hero seems to be okay with them. Hero can still be possessive over his food, but shows no signs of aggression (he just doesn’t want anyone else to eat! LOL). Overall, his physical health seems to be steadily improving. He has gained some weight and is galloping around like a champ. He is such a little lover and craves affection from anyone who will give it to him… VERY sweet:) I’m very proud of this guy!

Posted on May 31st, 2007 by michele
Filed under: Hero | 1 Comment »

Hero is doing great:)  He recovered quickly from his surgery and is running around like a champ.  His strength and energy level has continuously improved over the past few weeks.  He is eating a lot and is looking than ever!  He really enjoys long walks and loves meeting new people.  He was at the dog park yesterday and had a wonderful time playing with friends and acting like a goof.  He is such a sweetie!! 

Posted on May 7th, 2007 by michele
Filed under: Hero | 2 Comments »

Hero is continuing to improve.  He is walking much better. We have gone on a couple long walks and he seems to love it!  He is such a sweet boy and gets along with my other Shibas, Cody and Kylie.  Hero is staring to play more and seems happy just to be around people.  He had his latest vet appointment yesterday and is doing well:) 

Posted on April 18th, 2007 by michele
Filed under: Hero | 1 Comment »

Hero is doing great. His legs are healing and he is walking and running better everyday. (When I first picked him up he could barely stand). He is eating well and gaining weight. He is going back to the vet on the 17th for another evaulation…which I think he will pass with flying colors. His progress in the past week and a half has been impressive and he has really come out of his shell. He is starting to act like a Shiba should: as a great companion who is loving and a little silly at times.

Posted on April 13th, 2007 by terra
Filed under: Hero | 1 Comment »

On April 6th, I went to visit with Hero, Foster Mom Terra, and Cadence (her black and tan, female Shiba). I couldn’t believe how much better Hero already looked. He was so alert and walking so much more normally! He LOVES to be petted, rubbed, and brushed. Terra has been giving him doggie massages, which have probably been helping him heal faster. He’s been taking his medicine like a champ and eating fairly well (although we think he’ll eat better after he’s off the pain meds and antibiotics he’s currently taking).

We hung out in the floor and just petted him for a long time and he REALLY liked that. Then I had to go play tug of war and fetch with Cadence for awhile so she didn’t feel left out. She’s a petite little girl and super cute. Unfortunately she doesn’t like Hero much and he doesn’t like her much right back! She wants to play and he doesn’t want anything to do with it, so Terra keeps them separated and that upsets Cadence when Hero gets attention instead of her. Shibas. Such emotional little creatures!

By the way, we’ve started a medical fund for Hero, so if you can help, please make a donation to help cover his medical bills. We’d like to get follow-up bloodwork done and some take some x-rays while he’s under anesthesia to be neutered, but whether we can do that will depend on how much money we have in his fund!

Posted on April 13th, 2007 by jenna
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This was the first picture we saw of Hero. On March 29th I received an email that had been forwarded through a couple different Shiba rescue contacts. This poor guy was in a shelter. He’d been hit by a car and the shelter was looking for someone "in rescue" to take him off their hands (probably meaning they’d have to put him to sleep if someone didn’t go get him). By March 31st I’d spoken with the shelter and had a volunteer foster home all lined up. On April 2nd, Foster Mom Terra drove to the shelter and picked up our new, nameless male Shiba.

When she got there, she said it took about 30 seconds for him to stand up. He could barely stand or walk. His skin was a disaster - no undercoat at all, black scaly skin, coat missing from several large areas. He was really underweight. His hips were weak, his back legs barely working. She was a little freaked out that he seemed in so much worse shape even than we expected. (The shelter said he’d spent a week at their vet. We thought he’d at least be clean and recuperating. He was oily and dirty to touch.)

She’d already made an appointment for Hero to see the vet that afternoon, so I told her I’d meet her there (fearing a tough decision was in our collective future). When I walked in the vet’s waiting room, I almost cried. This poor guy was so pathetic looking but WOW did he have heart. He tried to get up to greet me when I walked in. Terra said she’d named him Hero and we both agreed there was no way this dog was being put to sleep.

Foster Mom Terra has a dog already, as does everyone else that had offered to foster Hero, so we were like “what do we do now?” regarding his skin condition. We had no idea if it was something contagious. The vet we went to basically said she couldn’t tell us anything without a bunch of money though. She recommended the ASPCA, but when we called them, they wanted $150 just to let us walk in the door. So I called my vet and they squeezed us in at closing time. My vet had JUST given me a big discount on the first checkup on my adopted female, Secret, so I hated to go in begging for a discount. However, he did not charge us for the visit and then kept him for two nights and did blood work for free. They only charged us for the bath and meds! They gave him pain meds and an anti-inflamatory and bathed him with a medicated bath and then treated him with Revolution 24 hours later.

I talked to the vet the next day and the blood work had ruled out thyroid problems or testicular tumors that could have been causing the skin condition. His thyroid was low, but the vet said that could be a symptom of his health problems, not necessarily a cause. He thinks a lot of Hero’s troubles are from malnutrition. He doesn’t have any current fractures but he has a good bit of muscle deterioration and arthritis and probably some poorly healed old fractures. Mostly likely scenario is that he never recuperated from a previous accident (notes from the shelter say he has a plate in his hip from before they got him) and then was hit again recently. His general health checks out pretty well though except for the back legs and the skin. The vet thinks with some exercise, good food, and physical therapy he could build his muscle tone up to compensate. He’s only about 5 years old, so he’s got some good years left in him if we can get him healthy and neutered and adopted out.

Oh, and he is SO SWEET. He was just an angel for us. He never complained when we picked him up. He walked as much as he could and we carried him when he got tired. When we were waiting at the vets he laid down and put his head on my leg. He was just so sweet. He’s got the Shiba pride and stubborn streak though. He’ll probably be a handful when he’s healthy!

We have high hopes for Hero!

Posted on April 12th, 2007 by jenna
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