Saturday, May 20, 2017

The Happy Ending

It turns out that the stray has a name - it's Lucy.

Late last night, I got a message from a local woman who was sure this was her dog.  Since I had several people tell me that they were sure this was their dog, I asked her for some pictures and some history about her.  She was able to provide both, which the other people had not.

Turns out that Lucy is a purebred Bull Mastiff who never quite fit the breed description.  I thought she was some variety of Boxer/Mastiff/something crossbred, but I was wrong.  I told Lucy not to worry since she is not the only one around here who does not fit the mold.  Personality means much more than breed standards on this hill and Lucy certainly wins on that score.

Lucy's people live in the nearby village, next to the church.  About a month ago there was a large funeral there with a lot of cars and people.  Somewhere along the way, Lucy got let out of her fenced yard and went for a walk about.  Since she is not normally a wanderer, I suspect she met a porcupine somewhere near this time and, after an unfriendly introduction, panicked and took off.

In the short time Lucy was here I saw in her the personality type that I affectionately call the clueless coward.  She is inquisitive and curious and has no compunctions whatsoever about striding into a new situation and introducing herself.  At the same time, she is timid, easily startled and backs off at the slightest hint of rejection.  I can very easily see Lucy walking straight up to a porcupine and then taking off in terror when she hits the quills.

Lucy also has some kind of neurological issue that I noticed the first time I let her off the lead.  She was wandering around, checking things out and then started trotting in circles.  The circling was clearly a compulsive behavior.  She could be stopped or distracted out of the circling, but she didn't seem to have a lot of control over it.  Apparently, she was born with some neurological problems and has had this issue her whole life.  It is generally manageable and not a big issue in her own environment, but it is easy to see how a dog like Lucy could get lost in the woods.

She has been out on her own for about 4 weeks and I don't think she would have lasted too much longer on her own.  She was badly dehydrated, malnourished and exhausted when I found her.  After sleeping for almost two days straight, drinking copious amounts of water and getting a LOT of food in many small meals, she is well on her way to recovery.  She even felt well enough to go for a walk with Connor and I this afternoon, staying on her feet this time.

Afterwards though.....

This picture really sums up the colossal personality difference between Connor and Lucy.  They got along well enough, but are so different they may as well be from separate planets.  It is hard to believe they are actually the same species.  They got along, but did not interact much as they clearly did not speak the same language.

A few hours later, Lucy's people showed up to get her.  They had given up hope of finding her, but thanks, once again, to the blog, they have been reunited.  I am very glad to have been proven wrong and find that Lucy was not abandoned after all.  I am also glad I was here to help her when she needed it and I hope she has a long and happy life - at home in her own yard and on her own couch where she belongs.

Bye Lucy, it was nice meeting you.

19 comments:

  1. So nice that there is a happy ending to this story.

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  2. Thank you Kris for talking her under your wing and helping her.

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  3. What a great ending!! I'm SO happy she was reunited with her people and that you found her. I have had boxers all my life and thought for sure she was a boxer mixed with something else too. Thank you for sharing her story with us and for taking her in!!

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  4. Happy ending for Lucy. I'm thinking that overall, she was in the right time and the right place to be found. Glad it worked out. She was in the best of care during her recuperation.

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  5. Aww, yay! I'm so glad she was reunited with her family. :) Also glad you found her!

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  6. Wonderful news! Nicely done Kris! Happy life Lucy!

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  7. I was telling my husband this story yesterday, so happy it worked out, but I'm very disturbed about people claiming an animal is theirs when it is not. The only reason I can come up with for this is that the animal somehow became an internet celebrity - you took lovely photos and described her personality so people decided to lie and try to get her. She's an uncommon looking dog, no one could mistake her for another.

    I just can't stop thinking What is wrong with people!

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  8. Thank goodness. I am also so glad that you were cautious about finding her owners.

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  9. You are a good egg. Thanks for helping a sweet soul when it needed it most.

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  10. I'm happy Lucy is reunited with her family but was kind of hoping you'd have a cuddler at last!!

    These acts of kindness and compassion seem lost sometimes in a world of cruelty and turmoil but they have enormous powers of influence that quietly keep Grace alive. Thanks Kris.

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  11. this warmed my heart. Thank you so much for taking her in

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  12. It is so wonderful that poor, lost Lucy came across you and not someone else. You were exactly what she needed. I couldn't agree more with Shelley. Your compassion and caring for creatures is the kind of thing the world needs more of.

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  13. I was wrong too. Thinking she had been dumped. Yeah!!! Thank you Kris. Now she is back with her loved ones. Maybe they learned a lesson too. Put a lock on their gate. Best way to keep her from being let out again.

    Good deal! I love a happy ending.

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  14. How wonderful....just the best kind of result.

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  15. I'm so glad Lucy found you. You saved her life. Doesn't she have the sweetest face! You have such a good heart.

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