Goodness, gracious, here's a heartbreaking story in need of a happy ending. Brace yourselves.
Someone dumped three five-day-old puppies on an Arlington school campus. FIVE-DAY-OLD PUPPIES. Is that heartless or what?
The puppies wound up in the care of DFW Cocker Spaniel Rescue. Why? Because when the puppies were that young, nobody could tell what breed they were and someone guessed cocker spaniel.
They were poodles.
Beverly Miles of DFWCSR asks about the dumpers, "Do these people have no hearts at all?" I guess we just have to be grateful that there are people with hearts working at that school and in rescue groups.
And that brings us to Misty, the 4-month-old standard poodle. "Needless to say," Beverly says, "someone wanting to adopt a poodle is NOT going to look for one at a cocker spaniel rescue site." So Misty is due some extra publicity.
The problem with the poodle puppies was that in addition to being dumped in such a despicable fashion, they suffer from a congenital condition called "lymphedema," a swelling of their limbs. One of the puppies was in such severe stress that she was euthanized.
This condition is, generally, treatable and not a threat to the dog’s congeniality and ability to charm humans.
(You can look at Misty's photos and her story at www.dfwcockerrescue.8m.com/ Click on "available cockers" and go to Misty's mugshot and click on it. FYI: Tri City Animal Shelter in Cedar Hill has an older cocker available, also. Purebreds wind up in city shelters all the time.)
One of the surviving sisters has been adopted, Beverly says, and the adoptive pets and the family vet are working to make sure that dog has the best of care. Now, its is time for Cocker Spaniel Rescue to find a home for Misty the Poodle.
"She's a beautiful dog and smart (as most poodles are)," writes Beverly. "As you can imagine, DFWCSR has invested a lot of money in vet bills for these puppies."
The adoption fee for Misty is $200, which won't cover the cost of her medical care or puppy shots and spaying, but will give an adopter the opportunity to say, "I got this poodle and helped cocker spaniels at the same time!"
Our cocker spaniel Inky has been raised among mutts and cats. Such an eclectic upbringing does not appear to have affected his personality. I'm not sure how a poodle's personality will be affected if she has been raised by cocker spaniel people. She probably will only be sweeter and more charming and, of course, willingly susceptible to complete spoiling. Bless her heart.
