Aspen and Peanut - two little animals with big spirits to inspire us!

Aspen is looking for his forever home

Dana Brown, animal rescuer and artist, is our guest blogger today. 

She has been inspired by Peanut.

When I met Peanut, she was hiding in the back of a pet carrier, terrified and tiny.  She was only 3 pounds, dirty, and confused.  A breeder of Persian cats had decided to surrender some from her overcrowded home and Pea was in the second batch that our rescue group convinced her to give up.

When we opened the carrier door in a small bathroom, tiny Peanut slowly came out and headed behind the toilet.  She was partially shaved in a haphazard way and her eyes were rimmed with black.  She was a strange looking little thing and our first impression was that she was very old.  We thought it was possible that euthanasia might be the kindest thing to do.  This tiny cat was obviously uncomfortable, sick, and terrified.  I felt like she had already shut down.

My heart went out to her immediately because we had been told that she had lived in a cat cage, basically staying in her small litter pan.  Cats are always frightened in new circumstances but something was different here.  I could believe that Peanut had never had any freedom in her life.

In her carrier was a handwritten note scrawled on a rumpled piece of paper that told some of her story.  She was only a year old and had been born to a mother cat who suffered from the Herpes virus.  The entire litter was born very ill and all had died except Pea and her sister.  The sister only lived a few months and Pea had survived but one eye had already ruptured and we could see that both eyes were in terrible shape.  I didn’t realize then how much pain tiny Pea had already been through in her life but I would soon understand.

I wanted to foster Pea to be sure she got every chance possible.  She came home with me and our story together began.  Pea and I have been through countless drives to Birmingham for eye grafts and rechecks.  She had three surgeries and in the end, still lost one eye.  She has battled through numerous herpes outbreaks where she can’t breathe, won’t eat, and seeks a dark corner to hide.  Together, Pea and I learned how to get through these times – I learned to not panic and she learned to trust me.  At three pounds, maintaining a healthy appetite was a priority and we’ve tested food after food.  Pea loves food!

I admire Pea for her courage and love her for her sweet spirit.  She is now 3.4 pounds and has many more good days than bad.  She tiptoes around the house, under dogs and through our family of cats without a care.  She purrs instantly when picked up and loves to be snuggled in my housecoat before we go to bed.  Pea knows what love is now.

Pea taught me to never give up on an animal.  If they are trying, then I will too.  I hope to have many more years with my tiny Pea. 

Aspen is ready to be your driving companion.

Aspen is a 12 to 13 year old chihuahua poodle mix.  He is built like a chihuahua but has fur like a poodle.  He needs some regular brushing and trimming.

Aspen came from one of our local shelters, where he was an owner turn it at 12+ years.  He was at great risk because of his age.  Lucky for him, his foster mom saw him and offered to foster him with FOR.  He is definitely an older guy and has some older guy problems.  He is deaf and suffers from arthritis.  The first is not too hard to deal with, but he probably needs a home without really small children, because he doesn't really have a way to know to get out of the way and that kind of thing.  He is absolutely fine with kids of all ages, so grandkids that are around sometimes would be no problem whatsoever as long as they don't run over him!  His foster mom realized early that he was deaf, so she has been working with him to teach him some ways to communicate.  He now knows a hand signal for come, one for sit and also one for shake hands.  He absolutely loves working for treats so would be fun to teach some more signals too.  He definitely is not too old to learn and learning signals has really helped him get thru every day - he knows what is going on around him now!

 

He is a very easy dog to live with.  He is completely housebroken and will talk to you if he needs to go outside (or if he wants on the couch).  

He is willing to go outside even in the rain, which is nice with a little dog!  He can't get up on the furniture because of his age and hips but he absolutely loves sleeping in dog beds, especially poofy comfy ones.  He sleeps in a dog bed overnight and doesn't need to be crated.  He will sit on your lap and sit next to you on the couch, but he is not obsessive about it.  He'd just as soon be curled up in a nice bed.  He loves going for walks and will come running if you wave the leash in the air where he can see it.

  He also loves to go for car rides, he will sit in the seat next to you and just loves to come along (in the right weather of course).

He is on a daily dose of medicine for his arthritis, which seems to affect his hips.  He suffers in this colder winter weather and may not require the medicine in the warmer months, but he definitely does better on it this time of year.  He also has a few other old guy issues that need to be monitored - a bladder stone and a heart murmur.  He doesn't show symptoms of either, but they could affect him in the future.  He is being fostered with other dogs and cats and is fine with both.  He can be a little nippy on greeting some dogs but he usually calms once he realizes nobody is going to step on him.  He is great with cats as long as nobody sneaks up on him and pounces. 

I'm not so sure about this!

He is a pretty even keeled guy, about 16 lbs but on a diet.  He has a fun little personality but is very low maintenance.  He eats his food no problem and just likes being a little companion dog.

If you would like to contribute a story to the FOR blog, please mail the contents along with an image or two to blog@forrescue.net.

 At the end of 2014 individuals who submitted content for the FOR blog will be entered in a drawing for a free pet portrait. 

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