Update on the Great Pyrenees Dogs
I know many of you are waiting on this update, and I apologize for the delay. It’s been a very busy month at SASHA Farm, trying to coordinate the care of these four while taking care of 230 others. We’ve made progress, though! I’ll update each individually, because I think they each deserve a little attention.
We’ve made the most progress with Freya. She was the only one who did not require professional grooming, but she did get a good bath and brushing. Then, she went to stay a few days at Chelsea Animal Hospital, where she had a whole slew of tests done. They decided that the best course of action for her was to spay her before her heartworm treatment. You see, it seems that she had come into heat, and since she’d been living with three boys…well, a pregnancy is the last thing she needs! The vet also determined that she has glaucoma in one eye. Sadly, that eye will need to be removed, but since she’s not showing signs of pain now, we’ll wait until she’s finished with her heartworm treatment. That treament can begin 14 days after her spay, so around a week from now, she’ll be back at the clinic.
In the meantime, she’s been very happily running with our little pack of farm dogs, making new friends and learning some social skills. Away from the rest of her pack, she’s proving herself to be quite a good dog, and we’re confident that she would very much enjoy a being someone’s special girl. When she’s ready, we hope the right home will be looking for her.
Cosimo, formally Scooby, needed the most work on the part of the groomers, both amateur and professional. We just couldn’t make him wait for his appointment, and we felt terrible asking the groomer to do all the long hours of work he required, so a few brave souls spent some time untangling and gently cutting out some of the baseball-sized mats that covered his entire body. He was terrified at first, so he had to be muzzled for safety, but he soon settled down and was a perfect gentlemen. They got huge piles of hair off of him.
A couple of days later, he went to the groomer, where they finished the job. When he returned, we were surprised to discover that he was a much smaller dog than we’d originally thought! Still not a small dog by any means, but he isn’t that much bigger than his packmates. We were also surprised to see him running around and barking. Previously, he only laid in one spot, alternately panting and sleeping. We worried that he had hip problems that were limiting his movements, but wondered too if his underside was so matted that moving was painful. It seems that the latter theory was at least partially correct, because because upon his return, he was a new dog! He moved! And quickly!
The drawback to this newfound freedom of movement is that he was using it to move away from us. He feels good, and his spirit is returning. He hasn’t realized yet that all these things he’s going through are for his own good, and he’d like very much for us stop pulling at his fur, medicating his ears, (all the dogs have terrible ear infections), and putting on bug repellents. In terms of socialization, we need to make a little more progress before he’s ready for a forever home. He’s not aggressive by any means, but he’s distrustful and cautious. If you have some time and would like to make a big difference in Cosimo’s life, please come and spend some time with him. Just sitting near, talking to him, teaching him that human touch doesn’t always mean discomfort, would go a long way to preparing him for adoption. He’s a good boy, a really good boy, but he needs to learn to trust.
Even a clean Cos isn’t a clean dog. He’s quite a drooler.
On a similar note, little Loki has finally figured out that we’re not so scary. He still won’t come to us willingly, but once we catch him, he settles down and enjoys petting. He could also really benefit from a patient volunteer (or ten!) to come spend quiet time with him. We have not been able to do much more than meet his basic needs, but we have decided that since his grooming needs aren’t as extensive as the two older boys, rather than put him through the stress of professional grooming away from the sanctuary, we will ask the vet to shave his mats out while he is asleep for his neuter surgery. He is the only dog without heartworm disease, so his neuter will happen sometime in the next few days. With him, the challenges aren’t with his health, but with his social skills, but he’s young, only 10 months old, so we have high hopes that he’ll quickly learn all the skills he needs to be a good companion.
Nova, the eldest boy at 8-10, is an absolute sweetheart and so easy to love. His face shows age, but personality plus. After his grooming, he looks (and smells) 100% better, though he still has old dog teeth that will need some attention after his neuter surgery is done. Our vet is carefully evaluating him before we begin any treatments due to his advanced age.
Nova was named for a pet on the Powerpets website. They have donated generously to the care of these dogs, and we’d like to thank them, everyone who has sent donations through our website, everyone who has dropped off items for them from our wishlist, as well as Stephanie at Paws 4 Grooming, and Chelsea Animal Hospital for their generous support. Getting these dogs healthy and ready for homes is a long, slow process, in part because as each dog has a surgery or a heartworm treatment, he or she needs a few days of quiet confinement away from the others, as well as more individual attention, so with 200+ other animals to care for and little “hospital” space, we really need to do one at a time. We truly appreciate all the support during this time, and don’t forget that after all this is finished, what these dogs need most of all are good forever homes!
July 24th, 2008 at 10:01 pm
wow im glad pp is helping how are they mail m eon pwoerpets if u can and i would taker all of them in but i dont live near bye and dont have much money so i hope they all get loving familys
loved kh2_rox at powerpets.com
July 25th, 2008 at 12:56 am
They are looking great, and I’m very happy to hear that they are doing better. God bless you for the wonderful work you are doing with these beautifull bundles of joy. I donated through powerpets
and i’m happy to see it has helped 
July 25th, 2008 at 4:15 am
Well Done guys, these dogs look so much happier!
I know my money has done a good deed!
If only I didn’t live in the UK, I’d snap one up!
July 25th, 2008 at 7:45 am
WOW! I am so happy to see the dogs up and running again! I unfortunatley did’nt donate but i wish i could’ve! Eleanor is righ god bless you for all the work you do for animals. You do such a fine job!
July 26th, 2008 at 1:31 am
So good to see these dogs clean and happy again. Hopefully everything that needs to be done for these wonderful creature will be and they will be able to find good homes. I for one would love to have them, unfortunately…my health would not allow me the ability to care for them the way they need. I will however be sending donations whenever possible to help with the continued care for these dogs as long as necessary. Thank you guys for all you have done for these precious animals and all the others you care for.