Fuji & Dottie's Story

by Karen MacComber
 
 

We first heard about Fuji and Dottie on the JCCARE list. The story was that a lady had 4 Chin she needed to find homes for due to her failing health. We already had 4 dogs and had had no intention of getting any more. But something about Fuji and Dottie touched my heart. Fuji was said to be an older male dog that was a retired champion showdog. Dottie was said to be old and had some heart and skin problems. We had experience with old dogs with heart and skin problems, so we felt we could offer a good home for these two.

In July of 1999 my friend, Carol, and I drove to Yuma, Az. to pick up Fuji and Dottie from their foster mom who drove from San Diego to meet us. 
On the way back home, Fuji insisted on either sitting on a lap or sitting in the back seat next to Dottie. 
Dottie was a pitiful sight. She was very listless, looked so sad, and her tongue hung way out of the side of her mouth and was all dried up and swollen as a result.

At our home, Fuji kept to himself. He seemed sad. He would sit in the corner and lean against the wall. He did not want to be picked up, held or have any interaction with us or the other furkids. He stayed close to Dottie. Dottie was so mellow. She would just sit in one spot and do nothing. She was skin and bones also. 

Dottie had horribly dry scabby skin. I took her to our vet and started her on medications for her heart and skin. A few days later I noticed Dottie's appetite getting worse. She grew even more listless. Something didn't seem right. So I arranged for her to spend a few hours at the vet and have some tests run to get a better picture of what was going on.
The news from the vet was very bad. Her heart was so enlarged that it had overtaken one lung and was crushing the other one. Her kidneys had stopped functioning and she could not produce urine. She was in pain and her body was shutting down. He said the only humane thing to do was to gently put her to sleep and give her rest. I was devastated. We only had her one week , and did not know she was in such bad shape. 
When I took her to the vet to be helped to the Rainbow Bridge, Fuji suddenly started jumping up at me, crying and making a huge fuss to go with. This was the most activity I had seen in him. So I let him ride with. He snuggled next to Dottie the whole way there. 

Once we got home, Fuji started acting more happy. It was like he had kept watch over his sick sister and escorted her to her final rest, and now he could relax.

Over time Fuji really started coming out of his shell. He went from being a finicky eater to demanding his dinner at 6pm on the dot. He started coming to us to be petted. 
Now he doesn't resign himself to the corner. He snuggles with the other furkids in the doggie beds and in the crates. He even plays with the others on occasion. He sleeps on the bed with us. He greets us with cries of joy and jumping up and down like a pogo stick. Whenever one of us sets a foot in the kitchen, he barks at us to let us know that we should be giving him something since we are right there. 
He now likes to play in the bed covers. He likes to be petted, picked up and snuggled more. Fuji is about 11 years old and has a grade IV heart murmur. But his heart condition has remained stable in the year and a half that we've had him. He's had all but 3 of his teeth removed, but still eats kibble with no problem. And now his breath doesn't stink when he gives us kisses.

The joy of taking in a rescue and watching them come out of their shell and evolve into happy beings is worth more than words can describe.