| To all the great people at Pet Refuge:
Hello all! It's been a year (almost to the day)
since I came to live with my forever family and boy what a year it's
been! My Mom & Dad love me very much and are still thrilled
that they got the chance to change my life for the better. We've
had both ups and downs and I thought I'd take some time to tell you
about my new life! After doing some research Mom and Dad don't
think that I'm actually a mastiff/rottweiler mix. They think I fit
the breed description of a Boerboel (a type of mastiff) perfectly.
Even strangers have asked if that's what breed I am! Who knew? Not
only do my Mom & Dad love me, but ALL of their family, friends and
even perfect strangers on the street just can't resist my adorable
face! Everyone wants to meet me and most don't even mind if I
slobber a bit on them! The only ones not happy with me, however,
are my two feline sisters, Sadie and Chester. I hardly ever even
seem to notice that they are there but on the rare occasion I try to
"play", all I get are hisses and growls. Oh, well I
guess you just can't please everyone! For the first two months I
was very polite and didn't bark at all. Boy, did I have my Mom
& Dad fooled! Once I settled in, and they heard my bark for the
first time, the ground shook! I'm still mostly polite and only bark at
the neighborhood cats that come into my yard (and the mailman of
course). Otherwise, I'm just as easy going as I was when they
first met me. My favorite past-time is sleeping. In fact,
Mom & Dad swear that I really am their third cat but in a dog's
body. They take me most everywhere they go because I don't like
being left alone too much. It seems that I had more separation
anxiety than they realized and broke out of my crate twice before they
figured out how to "Titan proof" it! Recently when the
weather was bad, I've gotten to go to Planet Canine in Elkhart for
"Yappy Hour" on the weekends. I get soooo excited when
Mom or Dad ask if I want to go and play with the other doggies. It
hasn't all been great though. Unfortunately, after three months in
my new home, I had a grand mal seizure. Mom freaked out and tried
to make Dad call 911. It only lasted about 45 seconds but it was
very scary. When I came to, I had trouble standing and was
disoriented. Since it was at night, Mom & Dad took me to the
emergency vet and later my regular doctor. That was the beginning
of a rough road for all of us. I've had many seizures since (though none
that last more than a couple of minutes) and am now on both
Phenobarbital and Potassium Bromide. My vet at Gilmer Park Animal
Clinic, Dr. Elise, is great and has been trying very hard to get my
seizures under control. We all found out that because I'm so big,
medications take a long time to build in my system and work properly.
Mom & Dad have been very patient and have spent a lot of money for
testing and medications, but agree that I'm worth every penny. I
even have Dr. Elise and all of the staff at Gilmer Park under my
spell! They all comment on how wonderful I am and always try to
give me treats and peanut butter! It's been about two weeks since my
last seizure (at one time I was having them every 4-6 days) and
counting! If my current medicines don't work in the long run, Mom
& Dad are considering taking me on a road trip to Purdue. I hear
they are the best in the area for dogs like me who have epilepsy.
For now I'm doing ok, though Mom & Dad agree to do whatever it takes
to keep me healthy. I sure am glad they picked me! Finally, thank
you to all of the wonderful people there at Pet Refuge! All of the
volunteers' time and efforts really do make a difference for great dogs
like me, who had an unlucky start in life. Your dedication has
made it possible for me to live out what will, hopefully, be many happy
years in a warm home with parents that love me very much.
With slobbery kisses, Titan (Lane) |
