a little and a lot

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Introducing...

...the newest member of the Faris family!  


Surely I didn't get your hopes up.  This new addition does not resemble a baby.  Somehow in these crazy times we have found ourselves with a new dog!  

Here's a picture of the first year I had Owens.  It's almost as if he just found out that five years later he would have to share the house with another dog...


It all started when Leslie announced to our Sunday School class that she was looking for a home for an abused dog.  I looked at Nick out of the corner of my eye.  He said, "Don't even think about it...," knowing that I am a sucker for the cause of animals.  I got some more information from Leslie after class.  It was a 2-year old dog that was being kept outside in a cage all day long (in the middle of the Memphis summer!) without any food or water--the only water in his bowl was rainwater mixed with dirt and leaves.  You could see all of his ribs.  She was sure he was going to die if nothing changed.  

We decided we would take him in as our "foster dog" while Leslie looked for a suitable family to take him in.  At least in the meantime he would be uncaged in our big back yard (with ample shade) and we could give him food and water and love.  I was out of town for work the week that Nick went to get him.  Not knowing what to expect, Nick was surprised by his sweetness.  He was not mean (as we feared he might be, out of defense), he quickly learned how to sit and fetch, and he closed his eyes in sheer pleasure when Nick scratched him behind the ears.  (The above picture is from the day Nick brought him home--don't worry, we took that inhumane prong choker collar off of him as soon as we figured out how!)  

Leslie took the dog to get his shots from a local low-cost clinic, and while there, they discovered he had heartworms.  If you don't know much about dogs, heartworms are a very serious condition that will kill dogs.  It is very costly to treat a dog with heartworms (we're talking several hundreds of dollars), and doing so puts their lives in risk.  (They have to poison the heartworms and as they die, the dog must stay inactive and calm because they could travel to the lungs and cause respiratory failure.)  After Leslie told us this sad news, a conversation ensued between Nick and me about how the dog had grown attached to us (well, mainly Nick, whom he pretty much worships), how no one would want to take him into their family if he had heartworms due to the cost and extra effort, how we even feared that he might be placed with another person who would mistreat him...

We decided that, upon receiving help with the cost of the heartworm treatment from some friends and family Leslie had solicited, we would make the dog a permanent member of our family.  

So, without further ado, I present to you... 
Moses Faris!

We named him Moses because, although he is a mixed breed, he has a lot of Shepherd in him.  (And Moses was a shepherd.)  Moses also had a rough start before he became a great hero of sorts.  Moses wasn't too keen on public speaking, and neither is our Moses--he doesn't bark!  Mostly, though, we just really like Elton John's "Border Song" and for some reason it comes to mind when we think of him!  ("Holy Moses, let us live in peace / Let us strive to find a way to make all hatred cease / There's a man over there, what's his color I don't care / He's my brother, let us live in peace.")

Moses' recovery begins tomorrow, with The Big Surgery.  You know...the one where he "loses his manhood."  The timeline for his recovery is:
  • Tomorrow - Neutering; Xray of his heart to determine the stage of the heartworms
  • 10 Days Later - Get stitches removed; Kept overnight for observation as they start him on heartworm preventative meds (This can sometimes have a negative effect on existing heartworms, so they have to make sure nothing crazy happens)
  • August 5 - Begin weekly Obedience Classes for 5 weeks
  • Afterwards - Heartworm Treatment; He will have to remain very calm after the treatment for four weeks - no exercise!
You can be praying for our patience and Moses' quick recovery--he should be as good as new by the end of September!  Until then, he is feasting on Milkbones and honey.

Note to All You Dog Owners Out There: PLEASE make sure your dog is on some form of heartworm prevention!  We give Owens a chewable tablet (he loves the taste!) every month called "Heartguard."  As you can see, it is much more safe to your pet's health (as well as to your wallet!) to prevent this very dangerous condition.

8 comments:

L said...

i'm so excited for yall!!! what a sweet dog. dogs are like tattoos...once you get one...you can't shake the itch to get more. hehe...that was cheesy! keep us updated! love you!

Unknown said...

oh this post did not disappoint! I am absolutely so thriled about this. Driving home last night, Jonathan kept saying, He's in the perfect home... and he really is! And I love his new name.

Got some more fundraising to do, but it's looking good for us. Be sure to post a picture of him washed, cleaned, and with his extra weight on when you can! I am just so proud and happy for his progress, he's like a brand-new dog. Almost brought tears to my eyes (i'm serious) seeing how healthy and happy he is last night (except the worms around his heart). Thank you, thank you, thank you Farises.

Kat at Muddy's Bake Shop said...

Yay!!! We've had a bulletin on our corkboard at the shop about him, so I'll have to print your blog post and tack it up next to the flier!

A few of us here would like to help out with the heartworm cost if y'all are still looking for help. Leslie knows how to get in touch with me.

Yay for Moses!!!

Amanda's News said...

AWWWEE! I LOVE how you guys have opened your home to such a needing dog! I know Moses will just love his new owners:)

khovater said...

Ok,ok, the post was endearing. I admit it and even though I totally anticipate never having a Moses, Owens, etc. of any kind I am glad that there are people out there that love animals as much as you guys. There I said it.

Unknown said...

thanks Kelly!

Ashley @ pure and lovely said...

aaaaaaawwwwwwweeeeeee GOODNA GACIOUS!!!!!!

glad you adopted him how sweet. dogs are the best. love the name. perfect. you have been busy, you animal rescuer, you!

Kristy said...

Wow! You got a new dog! Hope he heals and recovers well.


Adopting Rhet: Click on the timeline above to read more