HIYA!! SAVANNAH HERE!!!
Today I have another interview for my series…
Life Changing Interviews With Savannah
My special guest today comes from a well known CAT BLOG…yes…that’s what I said…a Woofie living most quietly on a very populated CAT BLOG.
What?? You say!!…and yes, I agree…this is one very, very special woofie indeed…let me introduce you to my pawsome Real Rescue Dog…
GRETE
APAWS!!! APAWS!!! APAWS!!!
Grete is a proud member of Cory Cat Talks blog…let’s get started…
Savannah: Hiya Grete! I can’t tell you how purrleased I am to be having this woof session with you!
Grete: *wags tail* Hi there Savannah! I’ve been looking forward to meeting you. Wanna see my ball? It squeaks! *squeaks ball*
Savannah: MOUSES!! Grete! You are right, that ball really has a great squeekr to it…thanks for sharing that…ummmm…that nice noise…(Savvy takes paws off ears)…must be your new ball…
Thanks so much Grete. Now first, I think readers will want to hear how you came by your name. It is an unusual name, don’tcha think?
Grete: Well, it might be unusual to some, but it is really familiar to me!!
When I was advertised on Petfinder.com, my name was Gracie. That was my name in my previous life. Mom and Dad actually LOVE the name…but it belonged to Mom and Dad’s Guardian Angel Borzoi…the amazing Gracie. Mom and Dad didn’t want to upset me too much so they thought that they should change my name to something not so different. So they kept the GR and came up with Grete.
I love it! It was good to have a fresh new start and a cool new name.
Savannah: Actually, I think it is just purrfect for you too. Now, just to get started, will you share with all of us how you arrived in your furrever home?
Grete: I had a very interesting and confusing start in life. My first home…well; I think that is where I was named Gracie. Anyway, from what my mom was told I was picked up by Animal Control in a county about 30 minutes from where I now live.
When they picked me up, I had a microchip, but I was traced back to an owner who was forced to give me up…they did that in a completely different county than ours…about 45 minutes from where I now live.
This is where it gets really confusing. The county where I was given up originally sent me off to a local rescue group that adopted me out successfully.
But it wasn’t so successful after all since I ended up on the streets once again…no one knows how or why. By the time my Mom and Dad found me on the Animal Control website, through Petfinder.com, I was 22 months old.
I was lucky that Mom was looking at Petfinder on a regular basis. One day, there was my photo and Mom and Dad immediately dashed off to meet me. When they got there I was in a concrete kennel. All the other dogs were barking and jumping up and down, but I just sat there. After they sprung me, we had a meet and greet on the lawn and I immediately took it upon myself to plant a kiss on Mom. It worked! Mom and Dad also asked them if I would be ok with cats and they thought I would.
Next thing I knew is that Mom went in the office and Dad stayed with me outside. After what seemed like forever, they invited me to jump in the car. I hopped right in and I knew this was my lucky day.
Savannah: Oh Cat! Grete, you must have been soooooo excited to busted out of jail and then you got a car ride to your new home…PAWSOME!!
So, how did it go with the cats…aren’t there several over at Cory Cat Talk??? And maybe give a few woofs about any challenges you had to face when you moved into your furrever home? You know, was it hard to show your REAL SELF at first??
Grete: Well, I thought I had it made once I jumped in the car. They took me home and let me come inside the house. They kept me on a leash the whole time. I didn’t understand…but once the door opened I saw all of these kitties!
Whoa! I barked one bark. “HELLO”!
I think it was too much for them because I saw a few of them go vertical…almost hit the ceiling! It was awesome! (snicker, snicker…)
Now, I help Jonesie with her garden and we share jokes together…
I think my biggest challenges in the first couple of weeks were meeting and getting to know my new “pack”…I realized I was now a cat herder. To keep us all safe, Mom and Dad kept me on a leash at all times, even in the house.
Flash forward, and you can see that now we sleep together…that’s me with Cory…
At first I was deemed the perfect dog, but as time passed and I got more comfortable, some of my issues came out. I was deathly afraid of lights like car headlights, flashlight, even sunbeams when they flicker out of control. I was also afraid of sirens and I would howl mournfully every time I heard one. Vacuum cleaners are evil and I run and hide when mom takes it out of its hiding place in the closet.
Savannah: Oh Grete…I don’t think fear of the evil HOOVER is considered a “challenge”…why the humans should know better than to ever use those loud evil machines around any of us furramily. Sheesh…you are not alone in wanting that wicked HOOVER to be dedded!…just sayin’…
Sorry Grete, I interrupted you…keep going…
Grete: heh…heh…no problem Savvy. Glad to know I am not alone in fearing that HOOVER!
So, health wise, I had an intestinal bug and my system was all messed up. That took awhile to get all better. The worst of it was that my Mom was taking me on long walks and she started to run with me. I loved that time together, but it didn’t take too long for Mom and Dad to discover I had pain in my elbows. I was diagnosed with bilateral elbow dysplasia!
Savannah: OH Grete! You just couldn’t catch a break in the beginning, huh?…what happened??
Grete: After my diagnosis with bilateral elbow dysplasia we knew I’d have to get treatment…but one day I was playing with my Dad and I put my paws up….and my paw got caught in his pocket. The next thing I knew I was howling with pain. It was horrible! Dad felt guilty. I knew it was not his fault.
This meant my treatment became an emergency. I was scheduled to have my first surgery on October 1st 2008.
I had to be on total rest during my recovery and then gradually I could go out in the backyard, on a leash of course.
My second surgery happened in December of that same year.
Did you know that once I was all recovered from my elbow surgeries I thought I was DONE!
But, the biggest surprise of all was when I went into heat! When I was adopted from Animal Control, Mom and Dad were told that I was spayed. Well, I was not! Ha! So, I went in for my spay surgery in April of 2009. I had 3 surgeries in my first year in my new home.
Savannah: Grete, you were so brave having to go through so many surgeries as soon as you got to your furrever home; please tell us about the great progress you made when you started to work with your Mom and Dad to help you become a furramily?
Grete: My progress in getting acclimated was not easy. I went to basic obedience class when I first arrived, but that was not enough for me. I had issues. Mom and Dad took me for 8 weeks of private lessons with a woman who specializes in German Shepherds.
I was very over reactive to other dogs. I would bark like crazy if one got within 50 feet of me…or more. We practiced a lot…the trainer had 3 German Shepherds so I had to get used to having them walk by me…me walking by them. Me getting used to seeing them when they weren’t where I expected them to be. That helped me a lot.
I also passed the test at doggie day care so I’m approved to go play with the other dogs there. I really don’t like being anywhere away from my family, but Mom and Dad say it’s better that I have a place I can go when needed.
Savannah: Grete, your rescue is so impawtant for others to learn from. Of course, we adult shelter rescues sometimes have challenges that we cannot tell our new furrever furramily…we have no “human” voice.
But no matter, we all have so much joy and love to share in our new homes.
So I promise, this is my last question; can you offer any advice to our readers to help them support their adult rescue dog, or one they may be thinkin’ about bringing into their home, through its recovery process?
Grete: Mom remembers talking to someone who was complaining about an adoption fee for a purebred dog. They were looking for a “free dog”. Ha! There is no such thing.
If you think about it, Mom and Dad adopted me for $100. Yes, a bargain I know! I also came with a certificate for an initial exam, and coupons for doggie stuff.
To be real…you know how much I really cost? Now my mom will tell you I’m priceless…but for those looking to adopt you might as well get full disclosure.
Between all of my doctor visits, surgeries, medication…by elbows cost around $10,000.
My spay surgery was about $450.
My dog training lessons…mom can’t remember, but that was an additional cost of several hundred dollars.
This is on top of all my expected expenses of food, boarding, squeaky balls, licensing…and regular vet care.
I want to let everyone know that there is no such thing as a free dog.
I was VERY lucky that my Mom and Dad were willing to do whatever was necessary to take care of me. It could have easily been curtains for me if the people at animal control figured this out before my Mom and Dad sprung me from that awful concrete kennel.
I’m a lucky dog.
Also, with all of my rescue issues, with love and patience, I’m much better about all my fears. I no longer howl when I hear a siren. I still don’t like the vacuum cleaner but I know it will not harm me.
I whine and talk a lot and that has never changed. It never will. It’s who I am.
Savannah: (Savvy reaches over to Grete and gives her a gentle paw pat…)…Oh Grete…you have so much wisdom to share with all of us. I cannot thank you enough for coming to have a few woofs with me.
Anything else you want to add???
Grete: When you adopt a rescue dog, you have to be prepared for all of the suitcases of baggage we may bring along. Be patient…understand that we may need time, veterinary care, obedience lessons. I found my beloved forever humans…
…and I have forgiven them that they did not tell me I was going to live in a cat house.
…Anywho, I still would have said yes!!!
Grete, you are so right about being one lucky woofie!! Give me some high paw pats!! whap, whap, whap!
Pawsome interview!! Thank you so very much.
Well, that’s it for today. Hope you will all hop over to where Grete lives and let her know how much you enjoyed her interview today.
Thank you ever so much for visiting and learning about Grete and her adult dog rescue story.
Paw pats, Savannah
Savannah's Paw Tracks 