Tink
Currently we have 5 dogs in the house, but technically, two of them are fosters. Tito here is a foster but he’s a forever one as he is not going to find anybody else.
Tink is the first one that we got and she was 6 at the time. She is 12 now!
We got her from the Ottawa Humane Society three days before Christmas when they called us about a Pomeranian from a puppy mill after we had filled out an application to get a dog. They told me that if I was interested, I had to visit by the next day and make a decision on the spot. I was not expecting to leave the place with a dog, but the moment I saw her, my heart just sank because I could see she was not in a good position. She was very unsure, panicking and walking back and forth, but it got to a point where she ended up approaching me and letting me pet her.
Because she was a puppy mill, I knew she’d be skittish and had been through a lot, but when I brought her home and offered her a crate – a confined space to relax in – it seemed to help her. She didn’t know what stairs were at first so she just sat there and didn’t know what to do. She doesn’t do well in kitchens and open cupboard doors. She’s terrified of plastic bags.
Her first walk was amazing. Although she was a bit panicky about something being around her neck, she was happy to be outside and smelling the outdoors.
Tink came to me about 3 months before my father passed away unexpectedly so she really was a gift to me. Whenever I feel sad now, she never leaves my side and acts like my own personal therapy dog.
Today, she is doing so much better! She’s very good at reading people and animals, she comes into the kitchen once in a while and can even walk off leash now.
Tink didn’t have any interest in other dogs when she first came into our lives.
When our second rescue Reeko came to us for a trial week, he really bonded with my husband and he slept next to Tink. Although they don’t play much, out of all the dogs, Reeko is the one Tink will choose to play with. Tink also got more social since we got him and if one of them goes to the vet, the other one would be waiting to make sure they’re ok!
Tito
Tito came to us from Marshall’s Dog Rescue and was found in a forest in Kentucky. He was then brought to New York States, Windsor and finally to Ottawa. His ultrasounds showed he had gravel and fur in his stomach, which lead to a massive abdominal surgery, also followed by a neuter and a teeth extraction. He’s hunched over right now but he used to be twice as bad and I’m honestly surprised he didn’t get euthanized. He is 10 years old now.
Neurologically, Tito is not all there. I am not sure whether he’s aware of his hearing or not, but he only comes when he sees me. He’s not always stable on his feet either and sometimes he falls off his ramp, sometimes he face plants… He also panics a lot and screams when somebody tries to pick him up or when we try to cut his nails. At one point, I thought he was maybe having seizures but I took him to the vet and they couldn’t really find anything. After we got him, his breath was awful and we ended up having to do another 5000$ dental surgery, but he’s happy now. His tail is always between his legs but he doesn’t seem frightened and I think that’s just the way he is.
The Rest of the Crew
Then comes Pepe, who is technically our third rescue and comes from Quebec after he was found as a stray. He was very chill and laid-back from the start and it was obvious he had a home. Kiko, previously Hank, is about 12, no teeth and a bit of an old man. He was also found as a stray in Quebec and is the most chill chihuahua I have ever met. It looks like I am now the contact person for Marshall’s Dog Rescue whenever there is a bit of a disaster because they call me every time they have a “special” case!
Eventually, I would love to move outside of the city to have my own little sanctuary for old dogs.
