Romance Meets Reality at the Dog Pound by J F Johns

Chapter 1 Our Faithful Dog Max

Max is our faithful German Shepherd guard dog. Our family relies on him to protect our small rural Texas ranch. He has kept our family and livestock safe for the last six years. We have seen him courageously drive away coyotes, bobcats, feral hogs, wild dogs, and even mountain lions. This is our story about adopting a companion for Max.

The story begins in 2009 when my daughter Cody was 13. She is a dedicated member of the 4H Veterinary Science program and came away from every volunteer job at the animal shelters with stories of the poor dogs that desperately needed adoption. She was determined to get a companion for Max and save a dog from the worst possible fate at the dog pound.

Cody convinced us that Max needed a companion. Max was our only dog and as a natural pack animal, he probably was lonely for other dogs. We as a family agreed to adopt a companion for Max.

Chapter 2 Adopting the Perfect Puppy

Cody had been scouring the local animal shelter web sites for suitable companions for Max. The local county pound had pictures of a cute little German Shepherd female puppy listed as four months old. Cody had her heart set on adopting the puppy as a companion for Max. She had even picked out a name for the puppy. Cody had named the puppy “Star” and we hadn’t even adopted her yet.

I called the county pound and the puppy that Cody wanted to adopt and name Star was still there. Apparently, someone had dumped a litter of 5 German Shepherd puppies at the pound. Only two of the puppies were still waiting for adoption and Star was one of them. It was February 2, 2009. February 2 was my grandfather's birthday so it must be a good day to bring another life into our family.

I immediately drove to the animal shelter to see Star. The animal shelter had a small yard with a six foot high chain link fence. The ground in the yard is bare dirt and rocks; not a blade of grass or anything green. Otherwise, the area was paved with concrete. We have a small organic ranch with free range animals. It was painful to see animals kept in small cages with hard concrete floors.

The animal shelter had a shocking smell. The burning stench of animal waste and cleaning chemicals irritated my eyes and sinuses. I showed the clerk a computer printout of the shelter’s web page describing Star and asked if the puppy is still available. The clerk checks the computer records and says Star is still available for adoption.

The clerk escorts me through a door and down a hall to a large room full of cages and kennels. Most of the dogs are so excited to have company that they rush to the front of their cages to be as close to me as possible. It is like they are saying “PICK ME! Please PICK ME!” It was heartbreaking to see so many dogs that are so desperate for someone to love them. There are two puppies in one of the smaller cages. One of them is Star. Another little German Shepherd puppy is sleeping in the back of the cage and doesn’t even bother to move or look at us. Star, on the other hand, is running around the cage and wildly jumping up to greet anyone that enters the room.

Star is smaller than expected for a 4 month old German Shepherd dog. Her tan lower body, tan face, and black upper body look a lot like Max. She still has the puppy floppy ears that bounce when she runs. Cody calls them “puppy elf ears”. The perky ears and tan saddle develop later in the German Shepherds.

I told the clerk that we wanted adopt Star. The clerk removes Star from the cage and hands the chubby little puppy to me. It is love at first touch. Star is so excited that her chubby little body is shaking violently as she snuggles next to my human body and makes happy whining noises. I cannot wait to get this precious little puppy out of this dreadful room. I hug Star as I carry her back to the shelter office to fill out the paperwork and pay the fees. The paperwork says Star is approximately 16 weeks old, had a veterinarian check-up two days ago, and was fixed during the check-up. I paid the adoption fees and signed all of the papers saying our family is now fully responsible for Star.

Star is so happy to be free to move around in the Jeep on the way home. It brings tears of joy to my eyes to see such a happy little puppy. On the long drive back to the ranch, I worried about how to introduce Max to his new companion and his response to another dog.

How would Max accept his new companion? It was a waste of time to worry about it!

When we arrived at the ranch, Max ran to the Jeep to greet me as usual. The minute he smells another dog, he sniffs, does a low growl, and then an excited bark. Max jumps in the Jeep, sniffs around Star, and starts licking Star with affection like they were long lost buddies. Both dogs are so excited to see one another that you might believe they are long lost family members.

I attached a dog leash to Star's collar and walked her around the house. Max and Star won’t be separated. They are licking, snuggling, and get acquainted. Max has a great paternal instinct for the puppy – it is amazing! I put Max and Star in the mud room to get acquainted while unloading groceries from the Jeep. When I looked in the mud room, both dogs were napping on the braided rag rugs covering the tile floor.

Cody was so right that Max wanted and needed a companion. All doubts are gone – adopting Star was the right decision.

Chapter 3 The Reality of Parvo

I got up early the next morning to make cinnamon rolls for breakfast. Last night, Cody had requested this special breakfast treat as a reward for working so hard in school and to celebrate adopting Star. Yesterday after school, Cody was excited beyond belief when she saw Star. Cody spent the whole evening playing with Max and Star.

Star spent the night in the mud room in her dog crate with the new dog bed. She had apparently spent the night tearing up her new dog bed and there was stuffing everywhere. It was going to be really hard not to compare Star with Max. They got Max when he was 6 weeks old and his behavior was totally different than Star. Max had never torn up his dog bed or anything else in the house; he was so calm and well mannered compared to Star.

I let Star out of the dog crate to explore the kitchen while making the cinnamon rolls. As soon as the rolls were in the oven, I put a leash on Star and go outside for her morning walk. In just one day, Star has become a loved member of the family. Max is so excited to see Star that he can hardly contain himself. Max is acting like a puppy himself. We take a quick walk and return to the house just in time to get the cinnamon rolls out of the oven.

Max and Star enjoy a meal in the mud room while Cody enjoys her cinnamon rolls and milk. It is already obvious that Star has some of the food issues often associated with dogs from the pound. Max is a slow, almost dainty eater. He watches quietly while Star wolfs down all of the food in her bowl and then moves on to eat all of his food.

Star is put back in her dog crate and Max goes outside while we drive the six miles to the school bus stop. On the drive, Cody explains her plans to train Star with some dog agility exercises.

I return to the house and make another cup of coffee to enjoy while cleaning the kitchen. Star is out of her dog crate and exploring every corner of the kitchen and dining area.

The phone rings and I answer it wondering if Cody forgot something. A look at the caller ID reveals that it isn’t Cody on the phone. The caller introduces herself as the clerk at the animal shelter and asks, “Are you the woman who adopted a German Shepherd puppy from the animal shelter yesterday?”

I replied, “Yes, the puppy is playing on the kitchen floor.” It is really nice that the shelter is calling to make sure Star has a loving adopted home. Star has decided that the dining room chair legs need to be decorated with chewing marks. Max did not chew on the furniture. Star will apparently need a different level of attention and training than Max.

The clerk says, “You must immediately quarantine the dog and take her to your local veterinarian. You are totally responsible for the dog and all of the expenses to have her tested and euthanized. The other puppies in her litter had parvo symptoms, tested positive for the virus, and have already been handled.”

What? What is happening? I didn’t even know what parvo was. I said, “I’m sorry. What is parvo? What happened to the other German Shepherd puppy that was in the cage with Star?”

The clerk replies, “Parvo is a very contagious and fatal virus. It doesn’t infect humans but there is nearly 100% mortality in dogs. All of the other puppies in the German Shepherd litter developed parvo and had to be euthanized. The puppy that was in the kennel with your puppy yesterday was diagnosed with parvo last night and we euthanized him this morning. You are responsible for taking the puppy to a vet and making sure she doesn’t spread the virus. You are responsible for paying all of the bills. You signed forms saying you understood that the shelter has no financial or legal liability whatsoever and that would not make any attempts to return the dog to us.”

I was so shocked that I can hardly hear or see. My eyes are so full of tears that I can’t choke them back any longer. What I do realize is that this clerk wants to make sure all of the bills related to Star are my responsibility and the animal shelter will not be held responsible for the parvo or the cost of taking care of Star.

My hands are shaking and I can barely hang up the phone after saying, “thank you”.

I grab Star and hold her tightly while I cry uncontrollably and try to research parvo on the internet. There is a lot of information about the canine parvovirus that is commonly called parvo. The articles describe parvo as a very contagious and fatal virus spread from one dog to another by direct or indirect contact with the feces of the infected animal. The parvo virus is like anthrax and can get into the soil from dog feces and remain dormant for long periods of time. A dog with parvo can contaminate the soil and other dogs can get infected from the virus in the soil. Parvo can live in the soil for years through hot summers and cold winters. The first symptoms of lethargy, vomiting, and diarrhea appear within 10 days of exposure to the virus. So far, Star doesn’t have any of these symptoms.

Max! Max may have already been exposed to the virus. Bleach is described as the only household cleaner that will kill the parvo virus. I put Star in her crate in the mud room. I remove and throw all of my clothes into the washer and scrub my hands and arms with bleach. I put on another set of work clothes, rubber boots, heavy rubber gloves, and grab a gallon of bleach out of the closet.

I call to Max and walk him to the barn. I sat down on a hay bale and hugged Max. I was crying uncontrollably and didn’t know how to stop. How could this be happening?

After a few minutes, Max is locked into the tack room with food and water. He starts barking and all I can do for a few minutes is sit down outside of the tack room door and think about all of the chores I need to do to make sure there isn't any parvo virus in the barn or the other places where Star has been. Every place that Star has been on the ranch needs to be cleaned with bleach.

I sprayed bleach every where that Star had been in the barn. Luckily, Cody kept Star on a leash to keep her safe from horse trampling and I knew exactly where Star had been tied in the barn. The bleach smell is awful. All of the animals are annoyed by the strong smell. Max is whining and barking in the tack room.

I grabbed a shovel and a five gallon bucket with a sealable lid. I retraced every one of Star’s walks, dug up the soil where Star relieved herself, put the soil in the bucket, and poured bleach over the entire area. Bleach is poured into the bucket and it is sealed with the lid. The vet will know what to do with it. The shovel is sprayed with bleach to kill any parvo virus that might be clinging to the shovel.

I returned to the house and cleaned up all of Star’s scattered bed stuffing and put it into a heavy garbage bag. I sprayed the interior of the bag with bleach and sealed it tightly. All of my clothes are removed and put into the washer. Cody's clothes are gathered and added to the washer. Bleach is poured into the washer, the hottest water setting is selected, and the washer is turned on.

I set up a shoe dipping tray in the kitchen with bleach. I dip the soles of my shoes and the rubber gloves in bleach. I wet mopped the mud room, kitchen, and dining room floors with some strong bleach water. It simply doesn't matter if the bleach damages the floors. Another set of clothes go into the washer with bleach.

I called the veterinarian and told the assistant about Star and the call from the animal shelter. The assistant asked me to wait on the phone while she gets the vet. When he came to the phone, he says, “Parvo is contagious and fatal. You must isolate Max immediately to limit his exposure to the virus. I need to see the puppy immediately. You need to put the puppy in a crate and drive up to the back door of the vet office. We will take the puppy into the examination room; do not take the dog out of the car yourself. We will be waiting for you.”

I kept Star in her crate and put the crate in the front seat of the Jeep. I can barely drive because my hands are shaking so badly and my eyes are so full of tears. The cost is irrelevant, we will do whatever is necessary to treat Star; I will not allow the vet to euthanize Star.

When I drive up to the back door of the vet’s office, I am amazed at the different attitude and dress. Usually, they all chat and talk while the vet gives Max his check up and annual shots. The vet usually wears regular clothes and uses rubber gloves during the exam only. Today, the vet and his assistant are waiting for her. They are wearing plastic coveralls, plastic covers over their shoes, face masks, plastic hats, and huge gloves.

The vet and his assistant move Star from her crate to an isolated exam room. The regular exam rooms have comfortable chairs, pictures on the walls, and magazines in addition to the pet exam table. This room has a rolling metal exam table covered with a plastic cloth. The walls look like they are designed to be disinfected and sprayed off with a pressure hose. The bare concrete floor has a drain.

The vet examines Star and takes blood samples to check for the virus. He says that even if the test is negative that she could still have the virus. The symptoms may not appear for 10 to 14 days. Luckily, she doesn’t have any parvo symptoms yet. They assume she will develop the symptoms within a few days.

His exam also reveals some very interesting facts. Star is only six weeks old instead of four months old. Her little belly is so swollen and chubby because she has worms. He also immediately recognizes that she has a condition called demodectic mange. Mange is the reason for the sagging skin, uneven fur, and floppy ears that make her look older than 6 weeks. This is not a contagious form of mange and frequently occurs in some lines of purebred dogs that genetically carry a lowered resistance to mite that causes it. Ethical breeders will not breed a dog that has a genetic predisposition to demodectic mange. This form of mange can be treated with a lifelong course of mediation. The vet says the demodectic mange is probably the reason someone dumped the entire litter of German Shepherd puppies. Any knowledgeable dog owner would recognize the problem and the breeder didn’t want to pay to treat it.

How could the vet working for the animal shelter not notice and treat any of these problems? She is praying Star has a very long life to enjoy her mange medicine.

The vet asks if I want to treat Star or take some other action. I told him that we want to treat Star. The vet says he wants to call the animal shelter for more details and she must wait here with Star. He doesn’t want her to go into any other room of the vet’s clinic. I hugged Star while the vet’s assistant held onto her leash on the exam table.

I watched the vet remove his protective clothing and put it all into a special hazardous waste bin by the door. Time seemed to stand still. When he returns, he puts on another set of protective clothing and gloves before entering the exam room. They were really serious about making sure Star’s germs didn’t spread to any other animals.

The vet says, “I spoke with the animal shelter and their vet. All five puppies from the German Shepherd litter were kept in the same cage. The four other puppies in the litter all developed parvo symptoms and tested positive for parvo. The three puppies that were adopted earlier this week became sick first and tested positive for parvo. The vet treating the other puppies notified the shelter yesterday. The shelter tested the last puppy in the cage and he tested positive for parvo last night. Your little puppy was in the same cage with all four puppies from her litter for at least a week. She has obviously been exposed to the parvo virus. “

Texas has an aggressive veterinary program for disease eradication. The whole country has programs to prevent the spread of serious infectious diseases among the animal population. A diagnosis for a highly infectious and fatal disease such as parvo is usually followed by quarantine, treatment if possible, and disposal of infected animals. This process is the generally accepted practice of controlling the spread of the disease and limiting the area that must be treated for contamination.

The veterinarian looks at me sadly and says, “This little puppy has surely been exposed and will get parvo. Do you really want to expose Max to parvo or risk contaminating your soil for other dogs to get parvo in the future?”

I hate crying in public. I can’t even speak for a few minutes. I finally wipe away the tears and say, “No, I don’t want to expose Max to parvo or any other disease. I also don’t want to euthanize this puppy while she still has a chance. I will keep her in quarantine and make sure Max stays safe while we wait to see is she develops parvo. This puppy deserves a chance. Please tell me how to take care of her and keep Max safe?”

I knew the vet thought I was being foolish; but, I firmly believe in miracles and the sanctity of life. I could not end a life while there was hope. At the very least, this puppy could know love and enjoy life to the fullest extent possible in the next few days.

The vet gave Star a parvo vaccination but it was surely too late if she was already infected. I also asked him for medication to treat the worms and the demodectic mange. It was clear that the vet thought this was a waste of time and good medication.

I was given strict orders to call the vet immediately when Star began showing any of the symptoms of parvo. He also explained keeping her totally quarantined inside to avoid contaminating the soil and using bleach to sanitize everything that came into contact with Star. She was to be kept inside in an isolated kennel and not allowed out of the kennel for any reason for 14 days. Any clothing or skin that came into contact with Star or anything that had touched Star had to be thoroughly cleaned with bleach. The kennel and the floor around the kennel had to be kept scrubbed clean with bleach.

The vet and his assistant carried Star to the Jeep and put her into the crate for the ride home. I drove home in a blur with tear filled eyes and shaking hands. When we arrived home, I carried Star to the mud room and sat on the floor hugging the wiggling happy puppy. Star was so full of life and happiness, how could something as dreadful as parvo be happening to her?

Chapter 4 Miracles Do Happen

I set up Star’s quarantine in the mud room. The mud room was stripped of anything that could not be cleaned with bleach or that would be damaged by a sick dog. Star was having a good time tearing up the remnants of her new dog bed. On second thought, anything that this puppy could tear up also had to be removed. Star was obviously going to need a new dog bed and some chew toys.

Max was freed from the tack room and allowed to roam the ranch again. He seemed so lonely and really wanted to be with his new companion. He often sat outside of the mud room door whining with a crying sound. Star sat on the other side of the door whining with her high pitched puppy squeals. It was enough to break even the hardest heart.

How was our family going to cope with the situation? An answer was not readily apparent, but my attitude was “you do whatever is necessary to take care of those you love”.

I sat on the mud room floor with Star and developed a plan of attack for working my day job, minimizing the ranch tasks needed to take care of the other animals, helping Cody with her activities, making sure Cody spent time with Star, and taking care of Star. Once I had a plan, it is much easier to face even the most difficult chores.

I made a cup of coffee and joined Star on the mud room floor for some tug of war games with a chew toy. All that I could think about was the horrible fate of the other puppies in Star's litter. Max stood watch over us from the other side of the door on the mud room porch.

The next two weeks were a blur of working my day job, making the school bus drop off and pickup runs for Cody, helping Cody with homework, feeding the livestock, playing with Star, and constant scrubbing with bleach. All of our clothes were now streaked with bleach stains, my hands and arms were raw from scrubbing with bleach, my eyes were red and irritated, the house and ranch smelled of bleach, and my sense of smell was gone for anything but bleach. The veterinarian called every day and couldn't believe Star didn’t have any parvo symptoms.

On day 14 of the quarantine, I took Star back to see the veterinarian. We repeated our trip to the secure exam room at the back of his office. The veterinarian cannot believe that Star is a happy, healthy 8 week old puppy now. He took samples for another parvo test and said Star could come out of quarantine if the test was negative.

The parvo test was negative. I said many silent prayers of gratitude. Star is free to live a long life dedicated to chewing up everything in sight. When we arrive home, I set Star free to roam and play with Max. Their joy at being together is truly the second miracle of the day.