The Gentlest of Giants

 

Our neighborhood watchdog has now become OUR dog. Here's the long, heart-wrenching, yet infuriating story.

 

I had last seen Giant (or Bear, as his previous owner called him) over a month ago, limping up to our farm through the back pasture. It took him all afternoon to reach our house, as he would have to stop and rest every couple of steps. We knew he was injured, but didn't know how. When he left our house later that day, I assumed he'd go back home and his owner would see his crippled condition and would take care of him.

 

Two days ago, Giant showed up at our house just in time for morning chores. He was just as cheerful and sweet as ever, but physically, there was a much different story going on. It was apparent his left hind leg was broken, when we saw a bone protruding from his skin at least an inch to an inch-and-a-half. The leg itself was just dangling. He had no control over it at all, and could no longer use it.

 

We drove down to the owner's house (two farms behind us) and spoke with his owner. At this point we didn't know if he even KNEW about Giant's condition, as he is a farm-dog and lives with the sheep (or at least, is supposed to). The owner informed us that, yes, he "knew that 'Bear' was injured... had been hit by a car... about a month or more ago... but at this point, there was NOTHING that could be done for him." This owner had basically decided to let his dog die. He even said that he couldn't bring himself to shoot him... he couldn't live with the guilt. So, his solution was to let the neighbor kid know that if he sees Bear to go ahead and shoot him (but in the meantime, he was perfectly fine letting him wander around with his leg dangling- no doubt in tremendous pain).

 

To make matters worse, he then says that he just can't spend that kind of money on vet bills to fix a dog that "won't stay home." And just so you know, this conversation took place in front of his brand new shop building... a nice metal building with roll-up doors on a concrete slab, with his custom-built, 6 year old home to the right of us... complete with a Mercedes in the driveway. Yes, we could easily see they were hurting for money (that was sarcasm, by the way).

 

Handy Husband and I were FURIOUS.  

 

So we left the owner there, along with his two brand-new Great Pyranees puppies (Giant's replacements) and returned home to promptly lock Giant up in the haybarn. There was no way we could turn our backs on this wonderful dog. He may not be the best sheep-dog, but he is one of the gentlest dogs with the sweetest souls you could ever know. He didn't deserve to be treated that way. NO animal deserves that.

 

This morning, we loaded Giant up into the car and took him in to the vet's office. We explained the situation to them, and their response was, "So, it looks like you got yourself a new dog!"

It only a took a moment for the vet to see that Giant's leg was, indeed, irrepairable. He said that if he had been brought in after it first happened, there is no doubt that the leg could've been fixed and fully functional. But at this point, amputation is the only option we have to save Giant's life. If left untreated, gangrene will eventually set in and likely lead to his death.

 

We left Giant there at the vets, where he will undergo the procedure tomorrow. He has already been put on painkillers and antibiotics. Hopefully by Monday or Tuesday, he'll be able to come home... where he will be loved and cared for as he should be.

 

I had originally intended to get long-winded and opinionated at the end of this post, but decided to leave you with a couple of appropriate quotes that sum up my feelings pretty well:

 

 

"The purity of a person's heart can be quickly measured by how they regard animals." ~ Anonymous

 

"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." 

~ Mahatma Gandhi

 

 The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.  ~ Martin Luther King Jr