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Old February 4th, 2006, 02:47 AM
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nonee bee nonee bee is offline
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Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Surrey, BC
Posts: 5
The Strength from Within

Bambi came into our life when she fell out of the back of an SPCA van one Sun afternoon in November 03. She was nothing more that skin and bones, and she had been surrendered by a family that did not have the means to care for her. The SPCA had been notified of Bambi and her canine companion and had given the family the option of surrendering them or having them seized. Looking like a lost little dear Bambi found her way that day at the SPCA.

Immediatly, they started looking for foster homes for both the dogs. And, my mother and I having been instanlty captivated by Bambi and amazed that in such a state she still had the the spirit to wag her tail and give wet kisses offered our home that very day. She weighed in at a measly 25 pounds and had so little muscle and fat that she could hardly walk. The first vet to see her placed her at about 3 years of age. She was not house trained and was petrified of every noise and movement. The vet warned us that her chance of survival was slim, she was so under weight that he was concerned that some of her vital organs might not be able to properly extract the nutrients she would need from the food we fed her.

Initally feeding only tablespoons at a time we struggled to deal with all of her anxieties and health issues. She had awful separation anxiety and would jump our baby gate to get to us if we were in the next room, but at the samne time she still couldn't make it down the back steps to the yard without falling. She cried each and every night, all night for the first 9 months as we tried to crate train her. The tip of her nose was raw from hitting it on the top of her kennel. Anytime anyone walked into the room she was in she would bark, she was scared of everyone and would cower at the sight of a stranger. She went into heat as soon as she started to put on weight and was spayed after she had been with us 6 months. She weighed in there at 45 pounds and the vet placed her at only about 1 year old. Her teeth,coat and energy level improved drastically in that time and she was like a new dog.

Through all of her issues there was always something about her that made it all worth while. Bambi has a gentle spirit, she has a depth to her eyes that you don't often see in dogs. She is a free spirit, outside she likes nothing more than the opportunity to really run, she has excelled at agility and it has worked wonders in boosting her confiedence. She is an eager student and loves to be taught anything new. She throws herself into each behaviour she learns with tremendous enthusiasm.

Now, 3 years later her weight at a slight 50 pounds she is my pride and joy. Her face brightens my day. Her spirit pushes me forward, I am so thankful she came into my life. Having the strength to come back from the brink of death came from within her not from anything we did. She is my miracle dog. We still have a few things to work on, she lacked proper socialization as a puppy and some of her social skills leave something to be desired. New places still frighten her but concidering where she came from she couldn't be more perfect.
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