We are making great progress on our Thanksgiving Match but still have a long way to go. Thank you for anything you can do, your participation is critical to our success. Click HERE to donate. This week's story is about Hamish who is again typical of the transformation that our lucky rescued PYRS can experience.
Hamish's Story as told by his foster, Colette
Hamish originally came into GPRA from a shelter unable to move, with a temperature of 103.5 and with Respiratory Corona, Parainfluenza and Mycoplasma Cyanos. He was only 2 years old. Hamish had to stay in isolation at the vet for four weeks before he was able to go to his foster home with us. Hamish was our sixth foster.
Hamish had been a stray in the North Georgia mountains, caught on the side of the road, and a complete smelly mess. When I picked him up from the vet, he had to be carried through the doors. Hamish was (and sometime still is) scared of doors. He would only walk the perimeter of the waiting room - never straight across. Tail down, head low, he slinked around, trying to avoid detection. I thought the ride home was uneventful, if not a bit stinky, until I opened the minivan door to discover he had chewed through not only his leash, but four seat belts as well! Fortunately, the driver's side was okay. I considered that a plus.
Clearing the mats from his coat took almost two hours, but there was a beautiful Pyr under there, and he got along well with our other GPRA Pyr, Naughty Nick, and our 14 year-old, alpha-female, Black Lab rescue, Lizzie.
Hamish just wouldn't go outside, or upstairs, or through doors, or out in the open. The first few days were a challenge, as moving a scared 75 lbs. Pyr took both Steve and I and a boatload of determination. We had to enlist one of GPRA's Directors, Heather, to help teach us how to handle him.
Eventually, things got easier and we started to fall in love with this cuddly fellow. We loved his crooked smile. We loved the way he would run up the stairs and run back down. We loved how he loved walks. It wasn't as if we were looking for a third dog, but there he was, and we were a pack. We foster failed and adopted him.
Within six months, both of our other dogs had crossed the Rainbow Bridge, and we were heartbroken again. But Hamish helped us through. This is a boy who knows when you are sad, comforts you, asks to go on walks when he sees you moping around and gives the best hugs. We're down to a one-dog household, but Hamish has enough personality to fill the space.
