Moe 2

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Update 11/12/04:

Moe is feeling great! His eye has improved with daily treatment. He may look sad, but he is a very happy and silly guy. He has started to lose some of the panic in his eyes when losing sight of his foster parents and is becoming a normal “Velcro” springer!

He still loves his ball and enjoys playing catch a few times each day. He also enjoys a nightly game of “bathtub ball”. He sneaks behind his foster mom’s back and drops the ball in the water. He then waits excitedly for her to find it and toss it back. After play he becomes a “floor potato”, not a “couch potato”, even though he is allowed on it. Moe doesn’t get into any trouble, even when left with full run of the house for 9 hours each work day.

Moe is truly trusting and loving. He allows his people to do anything with him and loves to be brushed. He has become a celebrity at the vet’s office where the staff all comes out to say “hello” to him. He will make someone a fun and devoted best friend.

Update 10/6/04:

We knew Moe was a special boy when we got the call from the MAESSR volunteer who met him at her local shelter. However, given all of his medical challenges, we had no idea what a charmer he would turn out to be.

With the support of the MAESSR community, Moe is “turning the corner” towards good health. His infected eye is progressing nicely and his neutering incision is nearly completely healed. Most of all, his spirit is returning and it is a joy for his foster mom and dad to see.

Turns out that Moe is quite the sportsman. He is a champion ball fetcher. He has mastered the art of outdoor fetching and the finesse of indoor fetching (can’t be breaking all the pretty things, right?). But don’t think that this guy doesn’t have his soft and loveable side. As he began to feel better, he started giving his foster mom and dad kisses. He also loves to carry his stuffed toy everywhere.

As for training, he knows “go get your toy” but does not sit, give paw or stay. But he is very smart and wants to please so his new family can enjoy teaching Moe all kinds of things.

He loves other dogs and gets along well with his senior foster sibling as well as his foster parent’s one year old “granddog.” He has shown no interest in chasing the local ducks. He loves his people and wants to be near them. He sleeps on the floor at the foot of the bed rather than opting for a nice soft dog bed elsewhere in the room.

Moe is ready to go to his adoptive home. He will prove to be a loyal and loving companion for anyone who is willing to love his sweet soul and treat his dry eye. Do you have room in your heart and home to make up for what Moe has lacked for so long?

Original:

Moe was dumped in a shelter in western Pennsylvania. The man surrendering him claimed to be the son of a senior citizen who could no longer care for her “beloved” pet. The shelter was told that Moe was three years old and an indoor dog who slept on the owner’s bed. Sometimes, when families turn in dogs, the info they give isn’t quite right, and, a dog arrives in a somewhat neglected state due to the owner’s declining health. In Moe’s case, this is an understatement. Everyone who has met Moe agrees that he is likely 8 years old. As for being an indoor pet, read on.

Few are prepared to deal with the ravages of neglect on Moe’s body. His elbows and belly are covered with hard tissue that two vets have said is a result of laying for prolonged periods of time on a very hard surface. His ears are infected. They are also covered with sores that the vet said likely resulted when Moe shook his head and his ears hit the “walls” of an undersized crate. Add to this a severely infected eye and the result is one sad fella.

Complicating his condition further, Moe was neutered at the shelter by someone who apparently didn’t know what he/she was doing. The vet who is now caring for Moe shook his head when he saw the wound, and, the vet tech immediately began to cry. With all the infections in Moe’s little body, this neutering incision became infected, too.

Once or twice each year a dog comes into MAESSR’s care who reminds everyone of why they do what they do. Meeting these dogs can temporarily shake one’s faith in humanity and then strengthen it, as volunteers go to extraordinary lengths to help with their needs. Moe is a living testament to all that is good about the English springer breed and the people who do rescue work.

Moe is now in good and loving hands at his foster home. His foster mom and dad treat his eyes and ears with cream and cook him special meals, so that he will eat and gain some weight. They speak softly and tell him how many people love him, and, that the worst is over. He looks into their eyes and wants to believe that this is true.

Despite how poorly Moe feels, he has remained a sweetheart. He allows his foster mom to clean his infected incision and does not growl. He allows her to clean his ears and put salve on his sores and does not resist. This sweet little boy has found himself in loving hands and has decided to love back.