Jewel

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Update 06/16/12:

With her foster mother by her side, Jewel peacefully slipped her earthly bonds and made her way to Rainbow Bridge today. Jewel came to MAESSR as a special needs gal with a host of issues including hearing and vision loss, arthritis and ambulatory problems as well as canine cognitive dysfunction. How she came to rely on the kindness of strangers to provide her care these last few months will remain a mystery. Despite the efforts of many, the effects of time and life could not be erased, and the decision was made to give Jewel the gift of a dignified and peaceful passage. 

Thanks to many caring people who helped along the way, she reaches Rainbow Bridge free of pain with her beauty, senses, strength, and agility fully restored. Her foster mom envisions Jewel with a shiny coat of curls and sparkling clear eyes, cocking her head before leaping through the tall grassy meadows surrounding Rainbow Bridge to reach those who are calling her name. Until then…………run free, little Jewel, run free!

Update 06/11/12:

Well, as far as Miss Jewel is concerned things are pretty much status quo. For a senior, this is not a bad thing! An improvement her foster mother has noticed is that Jewel isn’t walking into the water bowls multiple times a day anymore. On the minus side, the floors aren’t as clean now that her foster mom isn’t wiping them up as often! Jewel’s foster mom has also noticed that she isn’t standing in corners as much. 

Jewel continues to have difficulty with steps. Her foster mom is finding that Jewel needs to be carried down the deck steps more often; this tends to happen after she’s been crated for a period of time. To get her back up the steps, a hand on her rump to give a little stability and impetus is usually enough. Bless the little gal; she does a good job of taking care of personal matters when she is outside! At times she may fall on her rump and need assistance getting back up. Nevertheless, Jewel enjoys being outside and usually spends her time strolling back and forth in the yard. 

Jewel continues to have a good appetite. On those rare occasions when her foster mom forgets to prepare Jewel’s breakfast, Jewel reminds her by staring at her. Jewel enjoys getting her daily medication, as it comes in a dollop of peanut butter, and she also looks forward to treats. Sometimes Jewel gets irritated with her foster mom when she tries to guide her toward her food or tries to rouse her out of sleep to go outside. Jewel may let her know by gently nipping at her, but this little gal could never hurt anyone!

Jewel’s coat is growing in and gets brushed a couple times a week. She continues to tolerate toenail clipping, if only a few at a time. Her foster mother also clipped the hair between the pads of Jewel’s feet to reduce slippage. She was definitely not keen on that, but her foster mom was able to “git ‘er done!”

Diminishing senses and some canine cognitive dysfunction do limit Jewel’s activities. She isn’t tolerating the increase in temperature very well, as shown by her tiring out more quickly. Her regular walks have stopped until cooler weather returns. On occasion Jewel will follow her foster siblings for a short time out in the yard and may even have a little trot or bounce to her steps. At times, she’ll join in when the rest of the crew is barking. 

Jewel allows her foster mom to hold her and give her affection on occasion. In return, Miss Jewel displays her appreciation by giving precious little kisses. Those are special moments, certainly for her foster mom and likely for Jewel too. 

When she came into MAESSR’s care, Jewel may have thought she would never have someone to love on her again. She has made gains in her health and has learned that she can trust a human to help her with the things she can not do for herself these days. She is ready to move one more time. She would love to have a level, fenced yard to enjoy outdoor time in. She would feel her best if the indoors was air-conditioned and had few steps. Most importantly, Jewel needs a compassionate person with a soft spot for senior springers to be there for her and to love her. Please ask about meeting Jewel if you can open your heart to hers……………

Update 05/05/12:

Jewel continues to do well in her foster home. She has her ups and downs as far as her physical status and sometimes she has difficulty keeping her back legs under her. There are days that she can do the deck steps with assistance and days that her foster mom carries her up and down to ensure her safety. 

This sweet little girl is more accepting of being brushed and will allow some use of ear drops on occasion. Her foster mom has even been able to look in her mouth a little and clip her toenails a few at a time. Recently Jewel needed a bath and, true to her name, she was a gem to bathe. She had the shivers as her foster mom was drying her off and was not thrilled about the blow dryer. Fortunately she was able to dry Jewel until she was just damp and then put a blanket on her. 

Jewel still spends most of her nights sleeping on the wood floor instead of the soft dog pillow. She continues to be crated while her foster mom is at work, and she usually starts napping as soon as she finishes her treat. Sometimes when her foster mom gets home Jewel is unaware for ten to fifteen minutes that her crate door is opened, as she is in a sound sleep. 

Jewel has been on a supplement for arthritis for almost a month and seems to be benefiting from it. She doesn’t always recognize her limitations when she’s outside and has taken a few tumbles down a hill in her foster home’s backyard. Although these falls don’t seem to faze or harm her, Jewel’s foster mom has taken measures to make that area of the yard inaccessible. 

For a senior gal, Jewel’s appetite continues to be good. She enjoys people food as a treat. Jewel has had just two accidents during her time in foster care, both when her foster mom slept in on Saturdays. Now, if she hears Jewel pitter-pattering around she gets up to let her out and then sacks out on the couch while Jewel eats her breakfast. This arrangement seems to work well for everyone involved!

Jewel is on the hunt for a forever home that is just as special as she is. Don’t miss out on this treasure!

Update 04/02/12:

Jewel has been in her current foster home for nearly two weeks. The first week she finished a round of antibiotics for her teeth and started to display an affinity for mealtime and snack time, both hers and her foster mother’s. She is starting to put some meat on her thin frame and get stronger. She has mobility issues which result in difficulty on steps and with getting up and down to lay/sit. Her foster mother assists her up and down steps on the deck to prevent falls. Jewel has learned that, once she reaches the bottom step, she can walk to either end of the yard and down the bank into the lower yard. She quickly takes care of personal matters. Then, she enjoys strolling from one end of the yard to another, back and forth, sniffing interesting smells along the way, including the resident male Springer! Ideally, Jewel’s furever home should be on one level and without a lot of outside steps.

To get her used to being groomed, Jewel has been brushed from time to time. She tends to resist being handled and having her ears cleaned. Her foster mother has been able to use ear drops on one occasion and continues to find Jewel resistant to dental gel being used. She is not always keen on being picked up. However, she is putting up with it and, at times, she seems to enjoy the luxury of not having to climb the steps to the grooming table. 

Jewel enjoys rides in the car and is stepping out some with her family. She was thrilled to be included on a lap around the duck pond with the resident dogs recently. She did very well on the leash and even looked interested in pursuing a duck! 

While her foster mom is at work, Jewel spends her days in a crate, with breaks at lunchtime. She is crated for her own safety as she exhibits possible mild confusion or visual impairment on occasion. Sometimes she walks into a corner and stands there or steps into the water dish. Her foster mother has found that the only sound that Jewel reacts to is the two resident dogs’ barking. She has joined in on three occasions but, otherwise, does not bark. 

A good sleeper, Jewel spends her nights upstairs in her foster mom’s room. She is carried up and down the stairs due to her mobility issues and slippery steps. Jewel has two plush pillows to sleep on but often chooses the hardwood floor. She has had only one accident in the house which happened before Jewel could be carried downstairs to go out. 

Jewel is a real sweetie with a very pleasant personality which is coming out more and more. She will give you lots of sweet kisses in appreciation for all the attention and help she receives. More to come on this youngest of seniors………:)).

Original:

Jewel became a MAESSR girl when she was found as a stray in rural Ohio and was taken to a shelter. The shelter staff knew that this was no place for this little senior and a MAESSR volunteer was contacted for help.

Once arriving in her foster home, it was clear that Jewel was extremely frightened, not knowing what was gong to happen next. She quickly learned that her new life was going to be good and she would never be hungry or alone again. This little gem began to settle into her foster home with no problem and the resident dogs seemed to put her at ease.

Jewel has absolutely impeccable house manners; there has been no counter-surfing, trash picking, furniture jumping, barking or accidents since she has been in her foster home. Housetrained, she knows that outside is the place to eliminate and the second her little feet hit the grass, she immediately does her duties. Although a bit nervous in the car initially, she quickly settles down and takes a nap. 

The little darling also very much enjoys a nice warm bath, but she needs to be dried completely and covered up so she doesn’t get cold. When Jewel initially entered the shelter, her fur was so dirty and matted that the shelter had to completely shave her down. Jewel enjoys being fussed over and pampered, including being wrapped in her own bath blanket to keep her nice and warm. Her vet visit made Jewel a bit nervous. She was not fond of having her blood drawn for some tests (all of which came back fine!) but that was only because she was scared. As soon as the vet tech took her back to her foster mom, she was just fine.

Jewel has recently moved to another foster home to get more one-on-one attention to help her with her shyness and to build her trust in humans so watch for this little diamond in the rough as she begins to shine. Jewel is just that a little gem that fits her name.