Bridgett

Ok, I know this blog chronicles Chili and the events surrounding his surgery. However, it wouldn't be complete without a post about his sibling, our other pup, Bridgett. I'll give a back story, and let you know how she is coping with his surgery.

When we moved to Raleigh in June of 2007, we just had Chili. Once we both had full time jobs, we realized Chili would be bored and lonely at home alone all day, so we made the decision to get another dog. I looked on Petfinder.com and found Bridgett's picture almost immediately, listed as "No Name Chihuahua Mix". She looked so similar to Chili, and had a pathetic little look on her face, I was so drawn to her (we have the picture saved somewhere, but I can't find it!) She was located in Florence, SC at a rescue group called Home Away From Home. The woman who ran the shelter rescued animals from animal control that were going to be euthanized. She managed to get Bridgett and a couple other dogs the night before they were going to be gassed. She was taken to a volunteer vet and given her shots, and was spayed as well (she had at least 1 litter of puppies in the past). I made an appointment to meet her about 5 days after her surgery.

On September 21st, 2007, we drove down to Florence with Chili and met Bridgett (the rescue group had given her a name the day before, and we didn't change it, as it seemed to fit her). Chili was in love with her, and we couldn't resist her cute face. We were told her estimated age was around 4. We paid the adoption fee and brought her home. The first few nights were very rocky, and after a few weeks, we realized how much psychological damage she had from her previous life, which mostly likely included homelessness and abuse. After a week or so, we took her to our vet for a checkup. She ended up being older (about 7) and having more issues than we thought. Hook worms, slight heart worms, a cloudy eye, ticks, ear infection in both ears, a heart murmur, and a fatty tumor on her side. She received medicine for both the hook worms and the ear infection, and we removed about 7 ticks from the inside of her ears. She had the sutures from her spay surgery removed, and was started on a heartworm preventitive (since her positive was weak). She needed to gain a few pounds, and she had hardly any back leg muscle, probably from being crated at animal control and the rescue group. Her eye had a calcium deposit, so there wasn't much we could do, but it doesn't cause her pain, she just can't see well.

Over the next few months, she went on routine walks, had a steady diet, and got plenty of sleep in her cozy bed. She gained a couple pounds and formed her hind leg muscles, and the fatty tumor ended up disappearing all together. On her next vet visit, her heart murmur had disappeared, and the heartworm test was an even weaker positive. She was still very skittish and had trouble trusting people. However, she slowly began to gain confidence, and loved to play with Chili, and followed him everywhere.

We bought a house and moved in June of 2008. Bridgett was completely my dog by then, the 2 of us had an inseperable bond. However, trouble soon struck. 3 weeks after we moved, Bridgett was on a walk with Ian (she's still nervous around men) and got startled and slipped out of her leash and ran off. Ian chased her for almost an hour before she ran out of sight. I came home from work and helped look for her, as did many of our neighbors. We had to go to bed that night without her. I quickly printed up flyers and posted them around the neighborhood and some surrounding areas. I contacted the microchip company and listed her as lost. I also called animal control, the humane society, spca, and 7 different vet clinics in the area alerting them to look for her. I went to work the following morning in tears. My boss understood, and sent me home to look for her again. Our friends came and also helped look, once again to no avail. The following morning (I had now not slept or eaten for 2 days) I looked again. I didn't want to face the chance of going to work again without her home. Suddenly, I saw her dart across our neighbor's yard. I called to her, but she ran off. I grabbed food, and kept looking around, knowing she'd be hungry. After 30 minutes, I got discouraged and headed back to the house. Lo and behold, Bridgett was sitting on the porch, and ran up to me once I came around the corner. 3 weeks later, she ran off again, this time from my in-laws house. She snuck out the door, looking for me (we had left out the same door about an hour earlier). She was only gone about 6 hours before some good samaritans called (my father in-law had posted signs) and told us where Bridgett was. We chased her down, and again she ran up to me once she saw me. Both times we were so lucky to have a happy ending. Needless to say, she is now under lock and key, and I'm the only person that takes her anywhere!

Every day gets a little better with her. She continues getting bolder, and loves to play more. She still loves Chili, and always follows him around. Which brings me to another subject: how she has handled Chili's surgery. Obviously, the surgery was a huge deal for Chili, but it had a huge impact as well. When she was left alone during the day of Chili's surgery, she didn't quite understand. But when Chili didn't come home that night, she was clearly distressed and worried. She pouted in her crate for most the night. When we brought him home, she was still a little befuddled. He was loopy from pain meds, and was confined to his crate with a bandage and his cone on. She didn't understand at all. Then came the week when he spent the day at the vet, and she was home alone. I know she was lonely, and probably a little jealous. She still tries to play with him through the crate. Whenever he goes on walks around the cul-de-sac with us, she follows him off leash, never going more than 15 feet from him. She sits near him whenever he is out of the crate. And I think he's missed her too. He now licks her head and ears, which he never did before. I think they'll both be glad when restrictions are lifted for Chili!

Here are a few pictures of Bridgett. These were taken around 9 months ago, and she looks even better now! I think she is genuinly happy with us, and hopefully we don't have to worry about any more runaway episodes!!!