The Ol' Shelter Rottweiler

[Rottweilerlvr]

Joe emailed me after he watched ALL my videos that are on Youtube, both of my rottweiler videos touched him. This email that Joe sent me earlier this evening, had me bawling my eyes out. I asked him for permission to share this email and he has granted it. Truly inspiring.


Ms. Shirley, I promise I won't bother you after this, but just thought I'd send along one of my good old Callie's photos in case you ever need more Rottie flics for more videos. In a nutshell, she was found chained to a tree with a very heavy chain. Her owners had moved and left her behind to die. She damn near did as she was starving, dehydrated, had infected ears, her coat was kind of peeling off her, a serious injury to her right shoulder and her nails had grown almost back into her pads. She was taken to the pound and put on the short list for execution.

A lady from a rescue outfit came along and claimed her. They got her back to health and by chance I came along. They had three Rotties up for adoption (it's a no-kill shelter). I asked which one would be the hardest to adopt and it was her. She'd been there eighteen months. So, I said I'd take her. Her age was estimated at "about" seven, although I think she was older. She had a few issues which we worked through and her and my other old pal, Paine, a rescue from the same shelter considered to be "psychotic" by his previous owner and also nearly killed, became pals. Callie was a literal love sponge with me and where ever I was, she'd come. She also had serious hip problems when I got her (people thought I was nuts for adopting an old crippled dog), but she was absolutely swell and a great companion. She sparkled right up and got to chase foxes and deer and take long walks and just be a dog. My heart broke when her hips deteriorated to the point she could not longer get to her feet, stopped eating and became incontinent. I knew she didn't want to live such an undignified life and a kindly vet met me at a lake she loved to go to and helped her go to sleep. I'm an old homicide detective (retired) and saw an awful lot of death and misery, but I wept like a child when she died.

Anyway, thought I'd share a photo of her with you which you may be able to use.

Thanks also for your service to the country. I'm an old Army dog, but we like the Air Force.

Joe
The other flic is my other old boy, "psycho" Paine.


JOSEPH N. SOOS, SR.
REMEMBER - September 11, 2001

This is Callie, may she rest in peace.
http://www.discussdogs.com/gallery/files/370-zpfile000.jpg

This Paine, the pyscho rottweiler
http://www.discussdogs.com/gallery/files/370-zpfile001.jpg

[SmoothCollieluver]

I think we all have one that touches us like that. Mine was a shep mix with epilepsy. God i miss her. If dogs don't get to go to heaven I don't want to be there either.

[ClarkFarm]

There are so many good dogs waiting for homes. So many stories we will never hear. It is sad. I am glad Joe found such great dogs and the unforgettable bond that comes with them.

[GSP4619]

I am glad to he found a home.

[Rottweilerlvr]

Extended version on Callie's story

I saw her on the Friends of Homeless Animals web site and had another of those “Are you outta’ your mind?” moments. What’s not desirable about a 95 pound, abandoned, “about 7 years of age” Rottweiler, graying at the muzzle, with a tumor (benign) on her torso and a serious hip problem? She had been found in Prince William County at a house from which her humans had moved leaving her behind chained to a tree. They left her to starve and dehydrate. According to the shelter, this good old dog was emaciated, had a nasty coat, infected ears, nails that had almost grown back into her pads and a defeated, lifeless look in her eyes. Callie, a nickname, was taken to the local animal shelter and put on the “short list”, as in non-adoptable, get-the-needle-ready list. A fabulous shelter volunteer happened by the pound trolling for shelter candidates and pulled Calypso from the brink of Death’s door.

After eight months at the FOHA site, Calypso got Alex Hammack as a foster mom and off she went to live with Alex, her husband Jerry and a bevy of cats and dogs. She flourished in a loving atmosphere of extraordinary compassion and patience. Another eight months passed with not one inquiry about the Calypso girl. Enter wacky old guy, now from Charlottesville, who already had a psycho senior dog.

After a flurry of emails with Alex, arrangements were made for Paine to meet Calypso on neutral ground. No blood, no snarling, no attempts to menace each other on or off leash. A week later, I drove to the shelter and picked up Ms. Calypso, a bittersweet moment for Alex, her foster mom.

Upon arriving home in Charlottesville, I retrieved Painey Boy from the yard while Callie waited patiently in the car. We three walked and petted and treated and it was swell. Then, it was time for Cal to come inside the gate. As her paw took its first step inside the fence, Paine turned on her in a ferocious attack for which I was on the lookout. I caught him up short and, thankfully, Calypso did not respond. Diving into the middle of about 190 pounds of dogs would have been difficult at best. An inauspicious beginning.

I spent the next three nights sleeping on the couch with Paine Boy tethered to a leg of the couch and Cal-Girl hunkered down in an opposite corner of the room. During the day, we had frequent walks together and get-to-know each other sessions, praising, petting and treating them in closer and closer situations. I also gave the old boy special attention to reassure him. Progress came slowly, slowly, but surely, and by the fourth day, they could co-exist.

Calypso hovered close to me for several days, but slowly and with gathering confidence and acceptance adjusted to her new home. As advertised, she was a love sponge. She kind of welds herself to your knees when petted. And, quickly welded herself into the old homicide copper’s heart. We went through a gradual transition to a slightly different diet. An ear infection cleared up quickly.

And then, we went trailin’.

Very attentive to any distress that might be caused by a more rigorous walking schedule, we slowly increased her activity. She had heart, courage, toughness and smarts. As Alex told me, she seemed to smile. Within a few weeks, her range, agility and flexibility increased with hikes through a beautiful Albemarle County park with some rugged trails. She took to this with great appreciation. She rumbled after fox, squirrel and deer and explored rocky formations and knot-holed trees with gusto. She got to do dog stuff. In full pursuit of a scent one day, Calypso surprised me. The old hobbler actually sailed over a downed ten-inch thick tree. It was a bit of a crooked leap, but leap she did.

Callie’s waist got trimmer and a muscular definition was added to her already powerful flanks. She reached a very muscular 120 pounds. She was paraded through Charlottesville’s historic mall displaying an intense interest and a certain stately manner. She thoughtfully deposited a naturally-made gift on the same courthouse lawn Thomas Jefferson strode. She liked to shop the PetSmart.

Calypso took to her natural Rottweiler role as protector of her old owner seriously and insured that all potential intruders like the always dangerous UPS driver were warned with some serious barking. Previously shunning garments, the old girl became a fashion maven and took to wearing coats during inclement weather. I believe she thought they were slimming. She turned into a nifty friend.

So, I’d got two senior dogs. Each should have been killed years ago. Each flourished and become wonderful companions. When considering adopting a canine pal, you should not overlook mature or older dogs. They have much to give if given the opportunity. Perhaps you can provide that opportunity. Give ‘em a look. Give one a chance. Or, you might give two a chance.
__________________________________________________ _______________

IN MEMORIUM

Gradually, Callie’s hips failed her and she could no longer get to her feet. She became incontinent and stopped eating. With a cracking heart, I made a decision that my Cal-Girl would not want such an undignified life.

With a very tired brain, I made arrangements for a “traveling vet”, Dr. Mike Rose, to meet me at Callie’s favorite place of all, Chris Greene Lake in Albemarle County. Dr. Mike examined my girl and agreed with my decision. Missed by other vets, he also found a mass in her belly and suspected cancer. He was very gentle and understanding with Cal-Girl and most patient with me.

On September 15, 2006, at approximately 9:50 AM, a bright, warm, Virginia early fall day, my loving and loyal Callie crossed the Rainbow Bridge. The last thing she felt was me massaging her powerful shoulders. The last thing she saw was a peaceful lake at a park where she loved to go every day. The last thing she heard was my voice gently telling her what a good girl she was.

She went peacefully to sleep and was never frightened or hurt. She died in a setting she had come to love and in which she had many adventures unencumbered by a leash. It was a place she could explore, meander in, follow her nose and just do good old dog stuff. When folks would look warily at this big brute of a dog off her leash, I’d tell them not to worry, we were just looking for her tail (an apparent cosmetic removal when she was a pup). When Dr. Mike softly told me she was gone, I wept like a child. It was a day that pressed hard against the heart. Very hard.

I know I did the right thing for my sweet, loving Callie. It was an awful and hard and draining decision. I never want to do this again, although I may have to with my other good old dog, Paine. Painey Boy is now a gray-faced 11 ˝, but still frisky as a colt.

I took Callie to the crematory at the SPCA. After the cremation, I had her ashes put in what I thought was the only appropriate container for her, a .50 caliber ammunition box. She was a .50 cal. canine.

Her ashes were consigned to the lake she loved so and a little brass plaque is installed high on a beam of the fishing pier. It will be there for a long time, long after I am gone. It reads,

Gallant Canine Callie – Rottweiler

A Loving and Loyal Companion of
Brave Heart and True Character

Departed September 15, 2006

[GSP4619]

That is a good story and I am so teary eyed right now.

What a wonderful story!!!


Such love written in it :)

[Rottweilerlvr]

That is a good story and I am so teary eyed right now.

What a wonderful story!!!


Such love written in it :)

I know... I did too... Callie was so lucky to have him...

[GSP4619]

Boy she sure was and you know what Rottweilerlvr I bet he would say he was lucky to have her ;)

[Rottweilerlvr]

Absolutely... For sure...

[Lassie13]

I too have an older dog. I also have a 4 year old Yorkie. While browsing on the computer I looked up my local shelter. There was a picture of a Poodle. She was huddling in the back of the cage and what a mess she was. I went to the shelter and when I saw her my heart melted. They figure her age is over 10. Her teeth were so rotted in the back that they couldn't tell. The worker there tried to talk me into a puppy in the next cage but I said no. She looked at me as if I were crazy. They brought her into a room so I could interact with her. She had her head down and all she did was shake and vomit. I brought her straight to my vet where she had to spend a few nights because of stomach problems, etc. She also had a severe skin condition and ear infections. She had been found wandering the streets, severly matted and all bones. When I brought her home she attached herself to me. From that day on she has been the best dog ever. She and my Yorkie get along great. It's almost as if they know that you helped them and they spend their lives trying to thank you. She was truly a "Diamond in the Ruff". I will always be for the underdog.

[Puddles]

Great story, thanks for sharing that. Beautiful dogs as well. Nice to hear such stories of love when there is so much cruelty around us.