Entered: 04/06/2018
Status: Rainbow Bridge
Age: 13
Color: Black/White/Tan
Weight: 51 lbs.
Gender: Altered Female
Location: Reedville, VA
Health: UTD, HW-, Lyme+ but needing no treatment at this time, benefiting from medication for arthritis and weekly ear-cleaning, thyroid level to be monitored, losing to a healthy weight, deaf, treatment for UTI complete
Temperament: Good with adults and teens, reportedly good with younger children, good with other dogs, reportedly good with cats
Update 06/17/2019: “She was so devoted to her dad and followed him everywhere.”
Sweet Sadie has gone to the Bridge. She was her parents’ girl, special and loved. She was so devoted to her dad and followed him everywhere. They miss her welcome home happy dance and hops for food and treats. Never deterred by her surgery, Sadie was a determined girl who loved her strolls to the mailbox each afternoon with her brothers.
Her family misses Sadie’s sweet smile in the mornings and cuddles at bedtime. Be free, Sadie, and do your happy dance over the Bridge!
Update 01/29/2019: “Her foster family is now her family, and she has taken her place as a permanent member of the pack.”
It’s been quite a while since Sadie has had an update done and she’s had a busy, busy time. She became a Permanent Foster, meaning she will stay right where she has been all along. Her foster family is now her family, and she has taken her place as a permanent member of the pack.
As the weather cooled off more in fall Sadie was back at her daily longer strolls in the yard; she enjoyed the cooler temps and wanted to go for longer walkies and generally be outside more. She was able to continue her diet and lose a few pounds reaching 53 lbs. by Thanksgiving. Yay, Sadie!
She enjoyed the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, especially the food. She and her siblings enjoyed a special meal of white meat turkey (no skin), sweet potatoes, and green beans at Thanksgiving, including their own specially made pumpkin pies! Needless to say, Sadie loved her treat. Her holiday dinner in December consisted of prime rib and sweet potatoes and specially made Pup-Cake with peanut butter icing. Boy, she thought it was wonderful and eagerly asked for seconds of dessert.
In early December, Sadie started limping on her back leg. A visit to the vet was in order after a small wound was discovered on her paw. She was given medication for what was suspected to be a spider or possibly even a snake bite. She returned to the vet for a recheck which showed some improvement, but the vet felt her paw was infected so her treatment continued. It was New Year’s when a dedicated MAESSR volunteer visited Sadie’s home, and she and her mom started talking about Sadie’s injury. She was still limping and her wound was draining. The volunteer and Sadie’s Mom decided to seek another opinion regarding her paw. Sadie was taken to see a long time MAESSR vet where she was diagnosed with dislocated toes. Surgery was required; Sadie handled it well and had her teeth cleaned and fatty tumors removed. The tumor was on her bum, and is thought to be a contributing factor to the recurring UTI’s. So far, so good as no more of those pesky infections have come back. At check-in the day of her surgery, Sadie weighed just over 51 pounds. Way to go, good girl! Now with surgery complete, Sadie is making a nice recovery, getting some exercise (read: following her dad around the house) to keep her moving and enjoys every minute of the day she can in the warmth of the sunshine on the porch or by looking out the windows in the afternoons. She’s staying warm this winter in her new PJ’s and pretty coat. Check out her new pictures! Looking good, girl and rather stylish.
The good news is Sadie is in generally good health for a 13 year old pup. She (along with all of us) is hoping for an early spring so she can get out more and enjoy some nice weather and longer walks with her humans.
Update 09/28/2018: “She’s been enjoying the air conditioning with her foster siblings.”
Sadie continues to do well in her foster home although she’s longing for some nice, crisp Fall weather. It’s been so humid, hot, and rainy that no one wants to go outside. She’s been enjoying the air conditioning with her foster siblings.
A trip to the vet confirmed urinary tract and ear infections, so Sadie is receiving treatment for those. A weigh-in indicated that her weight was unchanged. Not bad considering that long walks have been abandoned during the oppressive weather!
Once those leaves start falling Sadie will be ready for some outside fun.
Update 08/15/2018: “She so enjoys her people and wants to be near them when she sleeps at night and likes to be able to check in with them during the day.”
Like everyone else in the Mid Atlantic region, Sadie is trying to avoid the heat, the humidity and all the rain. She’s staying indoors enjoying the A/C. She still enjoys her early morning and late evening walks but thinks it’s too hot to go far. She’s getting good at letting her foster parents know when she’s had enough outside time. That’s fine with her foster family; no one wants to be out in the heat long.
Miss Sadie generally walks without a lead in her yard. While she seems drawn to the water, she has not ventured in yet. Maybe if one of the resident dogs shows her where to get in, she’d follow. So far she likes to look and sniff at water’s edge.
This lovely lady returned to the vet for a weigh in, and new scales indicated she’d lost just over five more pounds! Steady she goes, right on target. Wahoo !!
Sadie is enjoying her summer treats of chilled cucumber, watermelon, banana chunks and frozen chicken broth. It’s a great way to cool down on a hot summer day.
Sadie has come such a long way in her foster home and would be a wonderful addition to a family with or without other dogs (she does enjoy imitating her foster siblings), but absolutely needs to live on one floor. She so enjoys her people and wants to be near them when she sleeps at night and likes to be able to check in with them during the day. MAESSR’s seniors are the absolute finest kind!!! Wouldn’t you like to welcome Sadie into your home?
Update 06/26/2018: “Sadie has some big news to share: after diligently working on hand signals and checking in while on walks, she had her first walk entirely off lead!”
Sadie visited the vet to keep tabs on her thyroid level and test results came back good, indicating no need for any medication at this time. This will be something her family in her forever home will need to have evaluated by their vet. She also had a weigh-in and has lost three more pounds. That’s a total of a bit more than five pounds in two months. Yay, Sadie – keep up the good work! The vet feels this is a healthy rate of loss for her, not too fast and steadily making progress.
Sadie has had a little occasional cough since coming into foster care and the vets believe this is all allergy-based. Giving her more frequent baths to keep the pollen off her was recommended. It is helping her feel better. Sadie’s ears are prone to infection so they need to be cleaned weekly. If her ears do irritate her, she hasn’t shown any signs of it. Her foster parents are using Zymox at the vet’s direction to help keep away any nasty infections and it seems to be working.
Sadie has some big news to share: after diligently working on hand signals and checking in while on walks, she had her first walk entirely off lead! She was so cute while her foster parents got the younger pups harnessed up. She patiently waited, looking at her foster mom like, “Hey aren’t you going to leash me up?” Finally everyone was ready and Sadie seemed confused, but once through the gate she realized what was happening. She had the freedom to run with her foster siblings in the fields. She took off down the driveway to the back field running, ears flying, and smiling with the pack. She seemed happy to have her new-found freedom. She frequently did as she had been shown, by stopping and waiting when she was out in front, always making eye contact with her foster parents. Wahoo Sadie, you go girl! Her foster mom and dad think Sadie really enjoyed it; she ran and ran but at times decided she needed a little slower pace and stayed close to her people. She’d do fine with a brother or sister who could help her but seems to do fine on her own as well.
Sadie recently went to the groomer to get her coat trimmed up and nails trimmed. She did just great. After all, a gal needs to be ready and “gussied up” for the warm summer months.
Speaking of warmer weather Sadie is enjoying some special “treats” known as Pup-sicles in her foster home. She loves to snack on partially frozen or chilled watermelon and cucumber slices. She doesn’t handle homemade Frosty Paws made with yogurt, bananas, or strawberries very well; they may be a little rich for her and upset her tummy. Other than that, she enjoys her cool snack on a hot day.
It’s summertime and Miss Sadie is enjoying every minute of it. Wouldn’t you like to pass the dog days of summer with her at your side?
Update 05/22/2018: “She has become the nurturing granny to the new puppy in the house, even tolerating the little one’s thinking her ears are chew toys.”
Sadie is adjusting well to the routine in her foster home. She’s eager to be part of the family and enjoys camping out for a little TV time with her foster siblings and family. She’s even enjoying time in her foster dad’s lap for snuggles. Sadie mostly lies in a dog bed; the furniture is just too high for her to jump up on…but this gal is determined and tries. She’s grateful for a boost onto the sofa anytime!
Sadie loves to go for walks but watch out – this gal can move quickly! She will pull to get where she needs to go in a hurry. She’s eager to catch up to her foster siblings out in the fields and enjoys some running around the bushes a few times with the younger pups.
Aside from walks and snuggling, Sadie’s favorite thing is food! She loves her food and her treats. Known to sniff at the other dogs’ bowls to see if there is anything good in there at meal times, Sadie will try to take a treat away from the other dogs if she can. Yep, she’s been successful at taking it right out of their mouths! Need to watch this girl – she’s quick and sneaky on her counter attacks for snacks. There was even one incident where someone managed to get a bowl down from the counter at meal time. Sadie and another small dog were gobbling up the food when it was discovered. Who the culprit was that knocked the bowl down is yet to be determined, but Sadie was right there partaking in the festivities of eating it. Yes, she can jump!
Sadie gets along very well with the other dogs in her foster home. Frequently she is seen giving them kisses! She even cuddles up with them for a good night’s rest. She has become the nurturing granny to the new puppy in the house, even tolerating the little one’s thinking her ears are chew toys. She’s so patient and is teaching the baby how a proper pup should behave. Good job, Sadie!
Sadie is not much of a barker but will let her people know if something is “off” or if they are on the other side of the fence and she can’t get to them. She loves her people and just wants to stay close. She has joined in the “train” of pups following her foster parents all over the house. She doesn’t need to be stuck to them like glue everywhere they go; she just wants to know where they are. Her foster mom works from home and Sadie will lie in the living room, occasionally coming into mom’s office, to make sure she is still there. Since she is totally trustworthy in the house, Sadie is not crated when her foster parents go out. She cries a happy cry when she greets her people when they return home; she even does a little happy dance. It’s so cute!
Sadie returned to the vet’s office for a weigh-in and had lost two pounds after two weeks in foster care. Woo-woo, Sadie! Because she was losing weight and her thyroid level was only a bit “abnormal,” the vet decided to wait to start any medication for hypothyroidism. She doesn’t display any of the typical symptoms of thyroid problems as she’s active and moves around a lot. She’s due for a re-check at the end of the month.
Sadie is your gal if you like reading, watching TV, and going for a stroll (or even a slow-steady jog.) And maybe she’d like to go swimming with you, too. This lovely senior sweetie will make someone a delightful and devoted companion.
Original: “Sadie is a gem of a gal and is going to be the perfect companion for some lucky family or person.”
Sadie came to MAESSR’s care when her family in Pennsylvania was moving to an apartment with many stairs. They felt it was in Sadie’s best interest for her to move to a new home where she could navigate fewer stairs to climb. So, lucky Sadie is now a MAESSR girl!
This lovely lady is an absolute sweetheart. She rode in the car and was extremely well behaved during her five hour trip to her foster home, and then to the vet’s office a couple of days later. She loves car rides! She does need some help getting in and out of the car, especially an SUV.
During her vet visit Sadie was a sweet lady and didn’t seem to mind the poking and prodding, getting her vaccines updated, or having her nails clipped. What a good girl!
Currently Sadie is on a healthy diet. She’s off to a good start losing to a healthy weight, which will contribute to her joint health. Although she cannot hear, she does know some hand signals and will come to her foster parents if they wave at her. She is learning to check in with them so she can play with the resident Springers in the large field at her foster home. Sadie hasn’t ventured far and is getting to know her new home and yard well. She enjoys her walks and being outside in the fenced area of the yard. She reportedly likes to swim; that was evident when she arrived. Ms. Sadie hopped out of the car, saw the water, and decided she needed to go investigate immediately! She was not allowed in the water due to the low temps, but once the water warms up she can swim as much as her heart desires. Swimming will be good, helping her to lose weight and keep her legs limber. She is currently on a once daily medication for arthritis but gets around very, very well. She even uses the stairs to the porch instead of a ramp.
Sadie has shown no issues with being fed with the resident Springers and tolerates her piggy foster brothers sniffing to see what is in her bowl. She will watch the humans eat and gets a forlorn look in her eyes but doesn’t really beg. She does sniff to see what may be up on the counters, but this little lady is too short to counter-surf. She has not tried to get in the trash which is in a cabinet to keep the resident Springers out. At night Sadie sleeps in a doggie bed in the family room or in her foster parents’ bedroom.
Sadie is totally trustworthy and has full run off the house when her foster parents are out. She will come get them and whimper when she needs to go out if they are not near the door. Otherwise she waits at the door to go do her business.
Sadie is a gem of a gal and is going to be the perfect companion for some lucky family or person. Check back for updates on this sweet little lady.