Elvis age 5, came to GRR after being abandoned in Nacogdoches.  A kind animal attorney called GRR and asked if we could help the homeless red boy find a happy life.  Happy and bouncy, Elvis arrived in Austin.  He was thrilled to be loved and in the house with a family that loved him.  A routine trip to the vet for a check up revealed a lump in his mouth on the gum.  “He’s fine and healthy but we’d better remove it just to be safe…” said the vet.  The simple procedure was scheduled and Elvis did great.  He settled nicely into foster care and got this report:

We named this handsome red stray Elvis because when he wags his powerful tail his entire back end wiggles. My daughter wanted to call him "Wiggle Worm" but we settled on Elvis, after another who had swivel hips!

Each dog has its own set of baggage and challenges, and Elvis' seems unique.  He has a habit of bringing us the ball, enthusiastically wagging and wiggling, then begging to play.  He is quite vocal about it, too.  The noise is kind of a cross between heavy breathing (he'd make a great obscene caller) and a whine.  We'd be very happy to play with him, but he won't give us the ball.  It's like he is begging for the correct command, but we don't know it.  We've tried everything we can think of, including, release, drop it, give, please and even a few in Spanish & French.  We really don't think it's a language barrier because he does sit and down so well.  We're working on training him to drop the ball by rewarding him with treats, but he hasn't caught on.  Basically, I have a treat, he has the ball. He smells the treat, wants it, but won't drop the ball and can't figure out why he can't have both.  I flick the ball out of his mouth and say "Good Boy!" and give him a treat.  We're trying…!

A week later, the phone call comes:  “We got the pathology report back from Elvis’ limp.  It’s not good… it’s cancer.  He needs to see a specialist right away.”  Reeling with shock that anything major could be wrong with this sweet, goofy dog we took him to the specialist for a consult.

The foster family loved him so much that they had decided he could stay with them for whatever time he had left.  “He’s the greatest foster we’ve ever had…”  Prepared for the worst, we made the trip to the specialist.  The records and pathology report was reviewed:  the vet smiled and said, “This is fine, you don’t need an oncologist, you just need an expert surgeon, I’ll go get one.”  A few minutes later they returned and explained. 

Elvis had a rapid growing cancer in his mouth.  Left untreated, it would take over his mouth, he would not be able to eat and that will kill him.  HOWEVER, this form of cancer does not spread outside the mouth.  It does not go to other areas of the body like many cancers do.  Once removed, he will be cured since it doesn’t spread.  This was great news – he could be saved and would be fine! 

Elvis had the surgery on 5/2 and came through with flying colors.  Here is his after surgery update:

Elvis is progressing so well from his surgery.  The day I picked him up (2 days after the surgery) he acted like nothing had ever happened.  He had boundless energy, wiggled, wagged and even jumped when he saw me (I felt missed and loved!).  He came home that day to play with his foster sister, Tess and all the kids.  We were amazed.

The next day, Elvis was pooped!  He had obviously overdone things in his enthusiasm and had to take it easy.  As the days progress though, he has become his old self with no side effects.  We have taken away the tug and the balls so he's a bit bored.  He has seen balls though, and you can see it in his eyes, (and his wiggly back end) that he is just raring to get back to his favorite pastime - not giving us the ball.   No, I am sorry to say we had not found the magic word before surgery for giving us the ball.  Once we get the go ahead from his doctor (follow up visit this Thursday) we'll go back to solving the mystery.

Elvis' newest update:

We have had Elvis for two months now.  He is such a great dog.  If we wanted two dogs permanently, the family has all agreed that Elvis would become our second dog! (If we were to keep him, our fostering days would be over because I can't picture life with three dogs and three kids. I feel fostering is the greater cause, so Elvis needs a home.)

People have read about Elvis' medical travails - from which he has recovered with no noticeable scars, emotional or physical.  It's just four weeks post surgery when he had a piece of bone just smaller than a sugar cube removed from his upper jaw, and you'd never know there was a piece missing, either from his behavior with items in his mouth or from looking inside his mouth.  We've told of his attachment to his tennis ball.  We thought at first he was waiting for some command to drop the ball that we couldn't figure out.  We tried everything we could think of, including French & Spanish.  We have come to the conclusion that Elvis, no matter how much he loves to chase the ball, prefers the game of keep away.  Yes, I have tried the multi-ball method, but he does not drop the first ball at my feet to fetch the second ball.  Instead, he drops the first ball where the second ball lands and brings me the second ball, so that I am the one fetching the first ball to try again. 

Elvis loves to play tug with his foster sister, Tess.  He even allows her to drag him across the floor with the tug, which we all think is hysterical.  Elvis is very tolerant of Tess and his toys.  She loves to tease him by taking his ball (a toy she would rather leave than take).  The two of them prance around until she gives the ball back.

During thunderstorms, Elvis is uncomfortable, but not panicked.  He pants, but tolerates the disturbance pretty well - even when his foster sister was cowering in our bed, he preferred to remain in his crate (with the door open) to weather the storm.

One night last week when we were watching Animal Planet, Elvis' attention was drawn to the television where he spied some Akitas.  He walked straight over to the screen, cocked his head, and wagged his tail.  It was if he was saying, "Hey. Look, there's another dog."  We've had dogs come and go here, and this was a first.

Elvis is also the first dog we've had that enjoys a two-way conversation.  We can get him to speak when he brings over the tennis ball.  If you are animated enough, he starts to moan & whine back as if saying, "Please, please, play with me," while his back end is in major wiggle mode - watch out for that tail!

Elvis is loving, affectionate, well behaved, housebroken, crate-trained, vocal, polite on a leash, and goofy.  He is a wonderful guy with big brown eyes that are just pleading with me to find his forever home.  Saying goodbye to Elvis will be the most difficult farewell we have done, but when we do, it will be because it is best for him.  He deserves to be loved and confident in his place in someone else's home & heart.  After everything we have been through together, Elvis will always have a place in my heart!

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