Willow

Kelly, our San Antonio Intake Evaluator got a call from the shelter, "We
have two goldens here, come take a look."  Without hesitation she was off to meet them.  The male was healthy and ended up being reclaimed by his owner.

The female was coming to GRR.  This is what Kelly wrote after meeting her at the shelter "She can't weigh more than 30 pounds.  She is young, a year?

Sweet as can be...even as badly as she must feel, she still jumps up and
down and tries to reach you with her paw through the gate.  She is a licker and has such a sweet look.  Her whole backbone can be seen, it breaks your heart.  She is the thinnest dog I have ever seen in our rescue."

Meet Willow.  Yes, she is thin and needs to gain weight. She is on medication to get her healthy, but she will be OK.  This little girl is a survivor, she has a sparkle in her eyes that tells you she is special.  What do you think?  Are you the special family that Willow has been waiting for all of her life?

Watch Willow's web page for updates from her foster family.


December 6, 2002 - Look at Willow now.  She has gained weight, she acts like
a healthy puppy and she if full of spunk.  Can you believe this is the same
emaciated dog who arrived in foster care only one month ago?

 

December 11, 2002

Willow has been with us for a little over 3 weeks now.  She is just a doll.
I have never met a dog who will actually give hugs like a person.  She wraps
her legs around you while you are sitting and then snuggles her head
sideways into your shoulder.  It is such a loving gesture.  She'll sit like
that forever if you don't move her.

She has adjusted beautifully to our home and all of the activity around
here.  One of her favorite pastimes is playing with our 2 other dogs.  She
has learned how to initiate a good game of "bitey head".  When we first got
her, she was more of a watcher than a doer, but now she is right in the
middle of all the fun.

Wow!!!  What manners she has learned.  Willow can go on record as being the
fastest when it comes to learning not to counter surf.  The first night we
had her, we literally had to place her outside in order for us to eat
dinner.  We even tried eating standing up at the kitchen counter, but she
was relentless.  Bless her heart, she really felt like she had to get food
wherever and whenever she could, but who could blame her?  As you can see
she came to us half starved.   Nothing was safe on the counters for several
days.  We learned the hard way just how far she could reach.  It only took a
few days for her to figure out that food was coming at regular intervals,
and plenty of it.  No more counter surfing.  We can leave anything we want
sitting out and she doesn't even act like she notices.  No more doggy feet
on the counters!!!!

No longer does Willow look like skin and bones.  It's hard to believe what a
difference a few weeks makes.  She is a happy, healthy, lovable and active
puppy.  We are crating her during the day while we are working and Willow is
fine with that.  It took a bit of coaxing, and sometime carrying to get her
into the crate initially, but now she goes to her "box" when you tell her
it's time.  She even chooses to sleep in there during the day if we are home
on weekends, etc.  We leave her out in our room at night and she has free
roam of the house whenever we are home and awake.  We have not had any
problems with her chewing or getting into anything that is not meant for
dogs, except for the initial food problems.

As I type this, she is laying at my feet with our cat and one other dog
patiently waiting for me to stop and play with her.  I can't imagine a more
special dog.  To have such a wonderful personality after all the hard times
she must have endured, is amazing.  We are so proud of her and will really
have a hard time letting her go, but a loving forever home is what she
needs.

I know there is a special family out there ready for this very special girl.
 

View Pictures Here