if you can help please contact:Norris Animal Hospital @ 865-494-5501, me @ 865-209-0808, or send me an email to: jackpot604@aol.com. Sure would appreciate your help. This sweet thing needs a miracle and a very kind heart willing to take her in.
Thanks so much. -Christina Eich
CALLIE'S Story"Do you believe in Divine Intervention? How about just happening to be in the right place at the right time?Well.... I think sometimes things just happen the way they do for a reason. Here's why.....
While at Norris Vet today (Tue 2/11) checking on a cat, a man called saying he was on his way in with a Collie that had shown up at their home about 3 weeks prior. He said she's older and had been badly neglected, but they took her in and cleaned her up and have been nursing her back to proper health. However, they just found out his wife has cancer and needs immediate medical treatment for which they will need to travel and the future is uncertain. He said they had tried to find a home for "Callie" but hadn't had much response and unfortunately didn't have any more time to keep looking as they have to leave to get treatment. He couldn't bare the idea of her being placed in a large shelter where she would be overwhelmed, scared, and likely euthanized and he feared it might not be humanely. So with a very heavy heart he said he was bringing her in to give her a peaceful passing so he would know she wouldn't be abused or suffer. (Ya, tugging on your heart? Tell me about it, how sad.)
Well.... I was about to leave when Lisa, at the front desk brought it to my attention that he was coming in and was there anything I could do. I told her I wold stay until the gentleman got there and see the dog and see if there were any other option for her. When they arrived you could see the sadness and feelings of guilt in the mans face. He was heartbroken to be doing this. He felt she had been so badly mistreated prior to her showing up at their home and they had just spent several weeks nursing her back to health and reassuring her that she would be safe. They were not expecting their own life changing news to force such immediate changes. So I made the offer that if he was willing to hold off just a little longer I would do all I could to try to help find her a home rather than end her life. The tears of relief and appreciation began to roll down his face. Clearly the stress of his families situation and feeling incredibly guilty for what he felt he was going to have to do was weighing on him heavily.
So, my friends, I have a little bit of time to try to find this beautiful girl a home to live out the rest of her remaining years. There is a lot I don't know about her, but here is what I do know. She showed up on their doorstep about 3 weeks ago. They said she was a dirty, matted mess, with a giant thorn bush imbedded into her coat so badly that she couldn't lay down without being stabbed with the thrones. They took her to a groomer and the best solution for her at that time was to just shave her and let her coat grow back out and her skin heal. Once shaved, he said she immediately showed an improvement in personality. You know how you feel after you've had a long hot shower or a day at the beauty parlor. I imagine she was quite happy to be free of all the dirt, mats, and weeds. She was very underweight as well, so they have been feeding her several times a day and she looks to be back to a good weight now. Dr. Bowling at Norris Vet gave her a quick look over for me and said, the shaved coat can be misleading, but she is approx 9-10 yrs old. She appears to be a little hard of hearing but will follow you around in a heart beat. Her teeth could use a little work but overall, she looks pretty healthy considering. She's very friendly and they said she gets along with other dogs.
I don't want to sugar coat it though, this sweet girl has clearly had a rough life and will likely need a little extra TLC. The man said she likes to lay outside in the sun "when it's not freezing", but is also very happy laying next to you on the sofa. She's just very happy to be somewhere warm and safe, and receiving some kind of affection. Which is clearly something she had been doing without for a long time. Poor thing.
I know there are people and/or organizations out there that have real soft spots for our senior dogs that need a loving home to live out the remainder of their life. I'm sure hoping you all can help me find such a family or place for this sweet girl. I can tell you that when they told me the dog was coming and was there anything I could do to help I was like "Oh man, why me?" Then I thought, well... because this is what I do. I can tell you I am no miracle worker, but when he pulled up and Callie came walking in, I knelt down to meet her and looked in her eyes and I was hooked. She is so kind and just wants to be loved. I couldn't bare to just walk away and allow them to put her down without at least trying to help.
So once again, I reach out to all of you to see if you can help me with the challenge I feel was placed in my hands for a reason. I think Callie would do great in a home with an elderly person since she is not going to be super energetic, or somewhere she will have a nice yard where she can bask in the sun (when it ever warms up again). She seems very gentle. It's hard to get a good picture of how beautiful she likely is because her coat is completely shaved right now, but if you meet her, as I did, I promise you her inner beauty just reaches right out and touches your heart. If you think you can help me help Callie find a home I sure would appreciate it. For now she is staying at Norris Animal Hospital. If you'd like to stop by and see her I'm sure she'd love the company."
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