Job

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Update 11/07/11:

Job had been with his foster family since May of 2010 and they enjoyed every moment of his 17 months with them. He was his foster mom’s shadow, always following her around until she sat down; then he would lean his head on her leg for some love and attention. His favorite was a hard ear rubbing and he always showed his appreciation with some wonderful moans and groans. He would get jealous whenever she paid any attention to the other dogs and always managed to worm his way to the front of the pack to get the best pets and rubs. He was a gentle soul who loved everyone and every dog he met.

In the arms of his foster parents, Job passed to the Bridge this week. He seemed grateful for their presence and was able to enjoy a few last treats. Please keep his family and Job’s brother, Indy, in your thoughts. They will be missing Job’s loving spirit until they meet again.

Update 10/06/11:

Job is like a phoenix: always rising when you think he might be down and out! Recently Job has had several bouts of not eating and having difficulty doing his business; but just when his foster mom thinks he could be slipping away, he surprises her by rebounding and acting as if nothing is wrong! Cats might have 9 lives, but Job is an over-achiever in that category! 

Although not eating as well as he has in the past, Job will gobble up his food if prepared with a little something interesting, especially if it is people food! His absolute favorite culinary delight is cheese. Job will sit and stare at his foster mom whenever she takes out the cheese, as if by sheer force of his will he can get her to hand it over! Of course, his foster parents are spoiling Job and his brother, Indy, as much as they can; and since the family is on vacation this week, cheese happens every morning! 

Job always amazes his foster mom with his ability to sense when she needs some love from him. He is always there when she is upset or stressed. He seems to know that just petting him will help bring her back to a calm state. Always the first to greet her when she comes home from a hard day at work, he displays delighted excitement at her arrival. Just the antidote for a stressful day!

Enjoying the cooler weather with Indy, the two boys love to go outside and lie on the deck now that the temperature is more to their liking. They both are having more difficulty climbing the stairs, so they are left downstairs at night now. Since they have each other for company, they don’t seem to mind being out of their parents’ bedroom.

Job has no accidents, but he is still having blood in his urine. It has not gotten any worse and he still shows no signs of anemia. Of course, his parents are carefully monitoring him. 

Job and his best bud, Indy, continue to be amazing together and they are still enjoying life to the fullest!

Update 08/02/11:

Through these dog days of summer comes good news from Job. He continues to take everything coming his way in stride. There are subtle changes in his health, yet he amazes his vet and family. He is enjoying a newcomer to his household, helps with dishes in the evening, and finds his greatest pleasure in cuddling with his foster mom!

Healthwise at the moment Job is doing well, with the exception of a bit of constipation. His family knows this because they keep very, very close tabs on him! They’ve spoken with Job’s vet and have found this is not an unexpected issue. It’s due to the presence of the tumor on his colon. To help Job, his family is supplementing his diet with fiber and using mineral oil and water added to his food. They are also seeing a slight decrease in his appetite, so they are supplementing his kibble with canned food or people food which helps jump start the appetite! 

Still pretty active, Job has been known to rough house with his new foster brother, Chase, who is one year old! The two have raced around the yard together. Of course, Chase has more stamina, but the two do have a great time together when out for a romp or on bunny patrol. Thankfully, Job didn’t contract Chase’s kennel cough. This somewhat amazed his vet, given Job’s overall health, and may be in part reflective of the care he’s had since becoming a MAESSR boy. 

In keeping with his devotion to his foster mom, Job remains very jealous of any attention she gives to another dog. He always wants to be the one getting petted or sitting on her lap. He sometimes even gets a little jealous of his special buddy, Indy, but 95% of the time, they are two peas in a pod! They will share everything. They often kiss each other, clean each other’s faces and sleep together at night. They even share the ice cream bowl before it hits the real dish washer! Wouldn’t you just like to know what Job’s favorite flavor is……….:))?

Please keep Job in your best thoughts – may his days continue to bring him the very best of summer!!!

Update 05/29/11:

Job is holding his own and enjoying his status as the social director of the family. He is very curious about everything going on in the house and is always in the thick of things. He loves it when company comes to visit as they provide him more chances to be spoiled! 

Job keeps a close eye on his foster mom when she is in the kitchen, just in case a morsel happens to make its way onto the floor. He is very happy when he can help clean up after she’s cooked or prepared food! His nose is exceptionally sharp and he is always right there whenever the refrigerator is opened or there is food out on the table. His favorite treat is cheese, although the occasional piece of bacon is also much appreciated. He does not counter-surf and will not try to take any food from the table but he has developed the Look which will melt anyone’s heart! He will lay his head on his foster mom’s lap and look up at her with those adorable eyes as if to say, Please Mom, feed me! He is becoming a little finicky about eating plain dog food, so his foster parents have been adding some people food to it to help get him to eat. 

While Job does not appear to be in any discomfort, he is losing blood from his kidneys when he urinates. He was treated for a urinary infection but, since his condition did not improve, it seems that the bleeding is from his tumor. 

Otherwise, Job is still stable and enjoying his life. He has not met a human he did not like, especially if they pet him and scratch his ears. He and Indy are two peas in a pod and go everywhere together. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

Update 01/27/11:

A worrisome problem has had Job to his vet since the holidays. The vet put him on two antibiotics and during the first two weeks of treatment, his foster family saw no change. They will give him two more weeks of antibiotics and then do another urine test to see if there is any improvement. Job does not appear to be in any pain and is still eating well. He does appear to be a little more picky, sometimes preferring one choice offering over another, which may be the result of the medication. If his family puts a little gravy on his meal, Job eats it right up! 

At this moment Job is still active, enjoys playing and is full of life! He loves to go in and out of the house, especially when it’s snowing! He came in all white several times one night and had to be toweled off. Five minutes later, he wanted to go back out. His foster mom watched him and saw that he just loves to stand outside and try to catch the snow before it hits the ground! He will stand on the deck and observe the yard for what seems like hours. Of course, Indy, his brother, is right beside him the whole time! Seeing them together is like looking at Siamese twins!

Though Job absolutely loves Indy and is constantly with him, he does get a little jealous if his foster mom is giving Indy attention and ignores Job. While they do not fight, each will nudge the other away, doing his best to grab all the attention for himself. This often reminds their foster mom of the behavior of her two children when they were pre-schoolers! Both always needed Mom’s attention whenever the other was getting some!

Altogether, Job does seem to be doing very well. He has been with his foster family for 6 months already. They are glad to be having so much time with such a sweet and lovable boy and accept each good day for Job for the blessing it is. May there be many, many more snowflakes caught by Job this winter.

Update 10/16/10:

Terrific news! Job is doing great and so far is showing no signs of illness or pain. He is a true lovebug who cannot let his mom sit down without trying to get on her lap! He loves to be with his people and especially enjoys some ear and belly rubs. 

Job is very sweet tempered, but get him outside with rabbits and a whole new Job emerges! He will run after the rabbits and stalk them – luckily he has not yet caught one! His mom’s not sure what he would do if he actually snagged one, but it’s obvious that he loves the thrill of the hunt! Although he cannot hear at all, Job has a keen nose and eyes, never missing those rascally rabbits when they venture into the yard. Together with his brother, Indy, Job ensures that the yard is regularly patrolled against furry intruders!

Job has simple needs and wants: food, water, and love from his people, with an occasional treat thrown in. A beef bone is his favorite! A quick study, Job has learned his family’s routine, often telling them when it is time for dinner, time to go to bed, or even time for an ice cream snack (which he loves to help his mom finish!) Previously described as quiet, Job also has learned how to bark to get what he wants!

Hunting and walking are Job’s favorite activities. He will walk till he drops (or until his mom does!) but he stops frequently to smell all the interesting things along the way. When he was at MAESSR’s Little Buffalo picnic, Job was not happy unless he was walking, and he desperately wanted to go swimming! He loves the water and he knew there was a lake somewhere close by, continually pulling his mom toward it. He loved running in the creek! 

At night, Job loves to go up to bed with his mom so he can have some private time before his dad comes up. He will wait for the invitation to come up and lie on the bed with mom, but as soon as dad comes to bed, he politely jumps off and sleeps beside mom on the floor. 

Job’s very gentle disposition makes him a pleasure to be with. He has a knack for knowing when his mom has had a stressful day and he helps her relax by allowing her to massage him and rub his ears! His mom’s not sure who is spoiling who in this relationship, but since everybody’s happy, who cares!

Update 07/28/10:

Job’s foster mom noticed that his urine was very dark and a urinalysis showed blood in his specimen. Since he had no symptoms and no simple reason for showing blood in the urine, such as an infection, Job underwent a complete abdominal ultrasound, looking especially at his bladder and kidneys. Unfortunately this scan found two different tumors including a large one in his kidney which is bleeding. An incidental tumor was found attached to his colon but the veterinarian thinks this is a separate malignant tumor. Such tumors are very rare in dogs and the presence of two of them meant that there was no reasonable treatment option. 

Job is pain free and eating well. He happily wags his tail and is always trying to convince his foster family that he desperately needs extra petting. He thinks too that it would be most efficient to give that to him while he sits in their laps! He is a happy, loving boy who has no idea that he is so sick. After careful consideration by the foster home coordinators and his foster family, it was decided that Job will remain in MAESSR’s care as a permanent foster dog. This means he will continue to live his days in the comfort of a loving home – getting all the petting he wants.

Original:

Job and his brother, Indy, were brought to a shelter in New Jersey and the owner requested that the dogs be put to sleep. Luckily, the shelter recognized that these beautiful boys were great dogs in perfect health. So, they took the dogs in and contacted MAESSR. Job and Indy are thriving in foster care with two resident Springers. It is clear that they have spent a lifetime together as they are often curled up together or kissing each other on the face.

Job is a young senior with a full tail who has lots of pep and has been known to fly off of the deck to dash around the yard. He is hard of hearing but is very responsive to the other dogs, following their lead when it is time to go out or come back inside. He is housetrained, does not trash pick, and will rarely peek at food on the counter. Like Indy, he is very interested in people food, but he cooperates with his foster mom who sends the boys out of the kitchen at dinner time to cut down on the crowd around the table. He is learning to sit on command and to wait for his dinner with appropriate hand signals. Job is a great car rider and pulls only a little on the leash when starting out on his walk. At night he prefers to sleep by Indy on a dog bed downstairs and does not need a crate.

Although he is not much interested in toys, he often greets his foster mom at the door with a special prize, typically a shoe which his human brother left out. He has not destroyed anything, though, and will willingly give up his prized possession. Job loves human contact and this sweet, gentle boy is fondly known as “the weasel” in his foster home for his uncanny ability to work himself between the other dogs and get the lion’s share of the petting. He is even able to stand on 3 legs and lean into his foster mom in order to get a belly rub while standing up. Quite the trick!

Job is a soft, loving boy who will make a wonderful addition to any home.