Bad, bad, bad couple of weeks

I am not even sure how to start. We have had such a bad couple of weeks.

Not DREAM as a group -- the organization is healthy and doing well. All foster dogs are well-cared for, thanks to our wonderful foster homes all over Atlanta.

Our own dog, Jack, went down in the back with a disc rupture on June 11 when I came home from work. It happened in seconds. After our experiences with fosters Luke and Tabby, we luckily knew exactly what had happened, and only a few hours later, Jack had his surgery. He has had a rough recovery. He was in the hospital at UGA for a week. When we brought him home, he was listless. We found out later he was dehydrated. He probably also was reacting to the pain medications. He wouldn't eat. Those issues took 2 days to resolve. It was like he gave up on life. We cried so much. We thought we would have to euthanize him, which we could barely even consider. He still cannot walk, but we know we can deal with that. As long as he is not in pain, and happy, that is enough. If he is meant to walk, I will get him there with swim therapy and whatever he needs. We express his bladder 6 times a day, along side of Luke and Tabby. His cart comes in about a week.

In the midst of all that, Delia had her puppies. At risk of sounding trite: what joys they are, and what a good mama she is! She had 6 babies, with absolutely no fuss. They are now 10 days old. We can't wait for their eyes to open. It is strange as a rescuer to whelp and raise puppies -- so much of what we do is intended to AVOID this very situation. But Delia was almost ready to give birth when we got her out of animal control. So, here we are: 6 tiny puppies in the house. But they have doubled in size in the past week.

Jack is now back to something like his old self. He is more cheerful, and such a loving boy. He gives kisses again. He went for a little walk today in Luke's cart. Delia and her babies were a welcome distraction. So far, she does all the work -- but I know that will change soon!

We seem to be out of the woods now. Thank you to all the dachsie lovers who helped us. Here is Delia in a shot I call "Milk Machine." Those babies look like they are bellying up to the bar, don't they?

Our latest rescue addition: a little foster baby with a birth defect: his urethra is external. We're evaluating surgical options now. More on Andy (Andi?) later.