Busch

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Original:

As they walked into the store, the young couple was so excited. They were looking for a new addition to their family. They saw the puppy in the window. He was so cute. Surely, he was the right dog for them. Assured that the pup was healthy and had been born on a farm, they brought him home.

It started slowly. He seemed to keep cutting himself. There was blood here, blood there. There were many trips back and forth to the vet. There was a name for the disease, but it made no sense to them. All they knew was that their puppy was sick. They contacted the pet store who reassured them that the vet was exaggerating and the puppy really wasn’t sick. If the store took the puppy back, they would put him down, but they would give them a new one.

He was such a good boy, his family couldn’t do it. As they looked for a cure, the puppy grew into a young dog. He was sweet, loving boy, great with kids, dogs and cats.

Finally, with their babies starting to crawl, the family was pressed. It wouldn’t be good for the babies to be exposed to the blood. It could be dangerous to them. In desperation, they reached out to rescue.

Discussions were had, finances examined and a decision was made. MAESSR would take the boy. If there was a chance to find a permanent cure for this boy, we would make the effort.

So, Busch came into foster care. He won his foster mom’s heart immediately. He loved her, she loved him. He was a wonderful dog, a dog who, but for the illness, could be placed in an instant. We decided that the family had exaggerated, we saw little or no blood, a few open scabs and that was all. Consultations were had with veterinarians, research was done. Perhaps overly proud from our previous successes, we knew we could help Busch too.

Busch began to fail Wednesday. He had some diarrhea and no appetite. Not uncommon, we treated him like any other dog. The next day, he plummeted. His testicles were engorged and inflamed. At the vet he passed blood all the floor. Guiltily, he looked at his foster mom trying to apologize for this social faux pas so far beyond his control.

More discussions were had. Calls were made to veterinary schools, there was nothing to do. We could keep Busch alive but only for a while. He would continue to suffer and would ultimately fail. Loving Busch, we decided to let him go. His foster mom went back to the veterinarian’s office. She held him in her arms as the vet helped Busch to Rainbow Bridge.

Update:

This week, we bought a puppy mill bitch from a facility that had over 500 dogs crammed into small crates in dark barns. What happened to the stud dog and the other bitches, we will never know. We named her Freedom in honor of the country’s fallen and her rescue. Freedom has had anything but in her life. Freedom may not have seen the direct light of day in years. Her socialization skills will be minimal, perhaps non-existent. Her health will be questionable.

Perhaps Busch, a puppy mill puppy came from this mill. Perhaps he was Freedom’s child.

Good bye Busch, we loved you and wish that we could have done enough for you. Hello Freedom, we love you and hope that we can do enough for you.