Within just a couple of days Lucy started to try to play with Princess. Princess wasn’t so sure she wanted to be buddies yet, but Lucy tried.
We began taking Lucy on short walks when we walked Princess. We found that while she was shy for a couple weeks, she LOVED children. We put her on an all fish, grain-free diet that was high in protein because her muscle mass was so low.
Even though she was vetted by the rescue’s vet, we took her to our vet so they’d have a file on her and also to get a second opinion. We wanted to do whatever we could to ensure we gave her the best chance in life. The vet had the X-Rays before she even came into the room and as she stepped in, she said “where in the world is the crazy beast that these X-Rays belong to?”
Her assessment of Lucy was pretty much the same as the other vet. Every leg a different length, malformed pelvis, scoliosis, joint issues, malformed feet, you get the idea. Surgery can’t “fix” anything. A brace may be of help, but no guarantees. She recommended a glucosamine and chondroiton supplement to help with the joints and that was that. We took her home and continued with what we were doing.
Lucy couldn’t get on the couch like Princess, so I made it a nightly habit to sit on the floor with a blanket so she’d sit between my legs. I’d massage her feet and scratch her crooked head and shoulders and that’s how we’d spend the evenings. It really didn’t take too long for Lucy to start to come out of her shell. What started as a timid, cautious dog turned into the dog who loved everyone. If we took her for a walk and there were people in the park, we better be prepared that she’d want to visit! And if there were kids in the mix, GAME OVER, she wouldn’t be budging until they came over and acknowledged her.
She started playing with me in the back yard, hard play. She’d charge me like a bull and she was definitely getting stronger. It makes me laugh so hard, to this day, when she runs across the hard at me her saggy jowls flapping as she runs. I’ve yet to get a decent video but one of these days…
My husband had a pet-friendly work environment so Lucy got to go to work with him quite a few times. She loved the attention and everyone who meets her loves her. Whatever happened in her past, she has transitioned into the most adoring, lovable dog I have ever met. And it’s kind of funny because I think she expects everyone is going to love her too – even the non-dog lovers.
Everything was going great and we were sure we were giving Lucy the best life possible until an unfortunate encounter with a very unpleasant woman one day in late March 2013.
lucythegreat 