Daisy in her new home.
Miss Daisy’s story began with a caring woman’s post on IG Planet, a forum for IG lovers. A member saw an ad for her in a Texas paper and asked for help on the Planet on how she should handle such an ad where an ig was for sale. She purchased Miss Daisy from a puppy mill owner for the price of just $50.00. The miller said Daisy might be good for a couple of more litters, but she was too old to be a pet. Daisy was 9 1/2 years old and spent those years in a wire crate.
The IG Planet member brought Daisy into rescue, and they sent her to Tennessee for several weeks to be spayed, have a dental cleaning (in which some teeth were extracted), and have mammary tumors removed. After a recovery period, rescue moved her up to Wisconsin. Prior to this I had told Carol that I would like to try being a foster home and would prefer an older dog…the rest is history.
Miss Daisy came to us in September, 2006. She was nervous and hand shy, but would wiggle up to us for attention. Fletcher, my own IG, was less than thrilled with her presence in the home. But Cubbie, my Akita, accepted her immediately. Although she was pretty reliable on pee pads, she would also mark in the house. Daisy would stay with my husband two days a week while I worked in Green Bay. During those two days, she would inevitably poop in her crate while he was at work. We were beginning to despair of ever getting her on a schedule that would work. Using advice and support from rescue, we were able to get potty training under control by setting a daily routine.
Upon arriving in our home, Daisy began sleeping with me at night. So of course nights were not a problem! Her poor little bent legs, huge rib cage, and claw-like toenails as well as her scarred back spoke to the horrors of her previous life. (GREAT) In spite of her past, she immediately wanted to engage with us. Our attitude was that she wasn’t here to make us happy; she was here so that we could make up for her past treatment by “humans”.
It’s funny that people say “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” because she looked quite homely to us when she first arrived. Now we think that she is beautiful. More and more, she endeared herself to us. We talked about how she would need a very special adopter who was willing to tolerate potty mistakes and her desire to spend much of her time alone on a comfortable bed (usually my husband’s). Prior to making the decision to foster Daisy, I made my husband a promise that we would not keep her. I felt that I could offer more as a foster parent and I really didn’t need a third dog in our apartment. We are in our 60′s and will be RV’ing full time in a year and a half, and three dogs would crowd us.
Well so much for good intentions and promises. On Christmas Eve I found a card under the tree addressed to me from my husband and the boy dogs. They had voted that Daisy should be a permanent part of our family. Daisy had abstained because she felt she could not be impartial. That left the decicing vote to me.
Well…Miss Daisy has a new home. I swear, since that evening she is livelier and seeks more attention from us. I know, I know, dogs don’t understand these things. Tell that to Daisy.
Since coming to us Daisy has experienced camping, play dates, trips to the groomer, and boisterous family events which include two golden retrievers. None of these situations upset her. We want to make her life as colorful, comfortable, and pleasant as possible for her remaining years.
