This is an update on the fate of Maxie/George, the scruffy little guy who I thought was abandoned but learned had a family up the street. While with me, the little guy was neutered & was being treated for three medical conditions including heart worms. I didn’t want problems with the family & went to speak to them since Maxie was going to keep coming to my house where all the action is & where he could sleep inside.

The caretaker said Maxie was over 8 years old, had always run free throughout the neighborhood, impregnated many dogs, & had never slept inside–though there was no dog shelter in his yard. He said he would speak to his wife about letting me keep the dog since they were not going to see through on his medical needs. And heart worms require lifelong treatment. A day later, he told me I could keep Maxie.

Yesterday, he showed up at my door to tell me they had reconsidered & would only relinquish Maxie for $80. Otherwise he would take Maxie & tie him up so he didn’t return here. My pleading brought him down to $50 due on June 1st. I believe that’s called extortion but I would never let Maxie go back there.

My new foundling named Franky is a three or four month old Chihuahua. I barricade the fence around the yard including the entry to the driveway where I have about 60 pounds of cement blocks to keep the dogs in.

Sophie, the 30-pound girl, figured out how to get past the cement blocks & last Thursday took them all out into the street to play. I chased them all down & got them in the house but little Franky was missing. So out I went scouring the neighborhood for over an hour. When I pulled back into the yard, I saw his little butt disappear under the house. When he came out, he was limping on a rear leg.

So close to the end of the month I had no dough so I called the shelter to ask if they could provide a voucher to a vet for a rescue animal. Unfortunately, the vet they use was one I used for several years who would not agree to see Franky. That’s because last November, another rescue puppy became very ill & I brought her to that vet asking if they would treat her & let me pay them four days later on December 1st. They said no though Bellissima was clearly deathly ill & could have had Parvo. I was irate & used harsh language. I believe cursing was involved. My rescue friend helped me find a nurse who treated my little one & saved her life.

So now I have little Franky with a bum leg that might be broken & again I called around my rescue squad from the dog park. One of them, who has 27 rescue cats in her house & tends to 20 more in the wild, told me to meet her at the vet for an Xray this morning. It turned out that Franky has a broken femur, probably from being hit by a car according to the vet, & because of its location on the joint needed almost $2,000 in surgery or a $600 amputation. The vet recommended the latter. My friend agreed to pay for it & will not let me reimburse her.

It is deeply heartbreaking when an animal in your care is injured, even accidentally, because you’re supposed to provide safety for them. I’ve rescued a lot of animals & have never gotten over the horror of falling short on that commitment.

But now I’ll be visiting Maxie’s family & imploring them to just let me have him–to give me a break & for his welfare, to provide for his medical care. I’ll be picking up Franky on Saturday, now a three-legged dog with the sweetest little heart who the vet assures me will do just fine.

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