STRAWBERRY FIELDS FOREVER

We loaded up the 4-wheel-drive sleigh with bags of pet food and Peaches and Beau, too, and headed out to the Sacramento County Animal Shelter before the rain started up again. We let the dogs run in the spacious dog park to get some fresh air before we dropped off the donations. While I was there I had to go see if Strawberry, the basset pup I posted about earlier, had been adopted. Fortunately, she had been adopted. It's a good thing, too, because I fell in love on the spot and would certainly have brought her home and had three-wet-dog nights (like I had with Beau last night when he came in from the rain) from now on.

What a little beauty Strawberry was, and so sweet. Oh, those wonderful paws! Big old flippers that she will surely grow into. Though technically a tri-color, her coloring was predominantly red. Her head was entirely red, and she was far prettier than most bassets I see in shelters. I can't imagine how she ended up there, unless she has issues that weren't immediately apparent.

I can't help but think of our little Bramble, the basset I adopted in 1996 from the city pound. He was about the same age as this dog, four months old. He developed distemper, and we lost him just 16 days later. It was the worst 16 days of my life. Four different vets misdiagnosed his condition as kennel cough, pneumonia, and just about everything else. but never distemper. Discharge from eyes or nose is never a good sign, and can sometimes be more serious than kennel cough. Just a cautionary tale about adopting young pets from facilities where they may have been exposed to diseases. Always get them checked out thoroughly by a veterinarian right away to be sure your pet is healthy. Having said all that, I hope that it's Strawberry fields forever for that beautiful basset pup and her new family.

The Sac County Shelter was a beehive of activity this morning. Though I did see a couple of people drop their pets off at the surrender office, which bothered me mightily and made me want to ask them why they would do such a thing, especially at Christmas, I'm happy to say that a crowd of people was lined up to go in when we arrived near opening time (noon), presumably to adopt a pet. Now, I'm very glad to see so many people adopting pets for Christmas, or any time of year, but I fervently hope that those homes will be forever homes and there will be no returns after the holidays are over and reality sets in again.