A lot has happened since we updated what has happened at Meade Canine, if that makes any sense! (It does). For a so called ‘little’ rescue more dogs have been saved than most people could even imagine, many local dogs have been spayed and neutered and endless stories could be told about those wonderful dogs who have passed through the Meade Canine portals. Unfortunately I don’t ‘blog’ or ‘tweet’ or whatever is the ‘in’ way to advertise oneself so when people forward videos of 16 dogs munching down we think “well, maybe we SHOULD youtube, blog, etc. because we’d post videos of SIXTY dogs munching away at the same table. And when there is a spat it tends to be rather humorous – two old guys with a few teeth between them do a bit of shouting then fall over in the bowls! You get the picture.
But that is not to say life is always fun and games at Meade Canine. We endlessly take on tough cases. Young, strong, pregnant, gravely ill, septic from years of abuse and we could go on. Just about every dog we take in has exhausted other options so they are far from perfect when they arrive. No options left for pets, unlike humans, means one thing; no nursing homes, no assisted living. So watching the dogs we take in grow and gain strength and thrive means a lot. It means a lot too when our supporters ‘get’ what we do and understand how much it means to rescue a dog left to die in a field or a dog pound. Or bequeathed to a family with no interest and no where to turn; a dog considered old by the standards set by a so called dog loving population.
Our friend and colleague Elaine can first hand attest to the joys of watching a throw away mess of a dog THRIVE. A dog who must have suffered terribly the last few months or even years before Meade rescued her and Elaine adopted her. Elaine loves to tell Breezy’s story and sing her praises when she makes strides a year after a first month of not even knowing if she would gain the strength to even rally. There are many of those stories. Stories of adopters who never knew the joys of seniors until they met Meade. And the surprises seniors bring. Yes you can teach old dogs new tricks but even more importantly you can teach them love and care and strength.
Try not to believe the myths …the costs of having a senior dog are higher, the pain greater, the worries 10 fold. Remember dogs do not have to be old to come down with cancer or experience seizures. Remember that regardless of the post cards and emails you receive from vets, old dogs no longer need booster vaccinations or blood tests for every little thing that might show up, a day of good old colitis, a strained leg. Make sure their teeth and gums are clean and make sure they are spayed and neutered to avoid those very real issues like testicular cancer and pyometras. Both of those can be common in old dogs.
Old dogs love the beach, they love convertibles, they love going out to dinner, they love snuggling, they love playing ball, they love toys, they love to eat and they even do zoomies and happy dances once they know they are truly loved. They give so much back.
And when they reach the very end, often much longer than we ever expect, it hurts of course. The best remedy is to honor that dog by taking in another. Because it never ends. There are always dogs who need homes, who want so badly to make someone laugh and love again. It is what your dog would have wanted, we know how much they want to help us, isn’t it time we keep giving back to them ?
Thanks everyone!
Charlotte, the dogs and cats, volunteers and friends
Meade Canine Rescue
PO Box 252Creston, CA 93432
805-239-4004
501c3
Giving old dogs new lives
