Saving Malachi

 

 

It's a busy time of year but I want to take the time to tell you about Malachi. Last week I heard about a senior Boxer in great need of a family and immediate medical care. I LOVE Boxers & I LOVE Seniors! He was in a small rural shelter. As I asked questions about him via FB, some generous volunteers came forward to help me out. They offered to pay his pull-fee as well as to help with some vet bills. The boys & I drove out to the shelter to meet him on Thursday am.

 

We found a humble little shelter with the sweetest staff lady. Malachi was old and in rough shape. He had bad, chronic- looking pressure sores on his legs, he was emaciated, someone had cut odd looking notches into both of his soft ears. Oh my heart!

 

 

He was sweet! I temperament tested him thoroughly - lifted up each of his feet, petted him all over, tugged on his leash, stuck my fingers into his mouth. He had no food agression and was OK with my kids (who ran around screaming b/c I asked them to - to see how he'd do) and with other dogs & cats.

 

We took him home.

 

 

 

He rested a lot. He snored! Loudly! :)

He watched me carefully with his big, soulful eyes that could only see just a little still.

 

I took him to my vet early the next morning. I was concerned about some obvious health problems he had that I thought might be serious.

 

They were.

 

I found out that he had a large, cancerous and untreatable internal  tumor, as well as nerve damage. He was in pain and we couldn't cure him.

 

I took him home. He went for car rides (he loved them!), the boys & I fed him (A LOT!), he rested, he went for walks and sniffed lots of neat trees & bushes, he got kissed and snuggled, he gave kisses.

 

And then I took him back to my vet, at the end of the day and let him go to sleep forever with his head cradled on my lap. It was so sad, so difficult and yet so right - he got to be rescued, loved, and cared for and then he got to go to sleep.

 

I miss him a lot today but I'm so glad I got to love on him, if only for a little while.