She was completely amazed and amazing

Roxy couldn't believe it when we kept walking and didn't stay in the yard this morning. But she figured it out pretty quickly--the long walks are back! She went a full mile, sniffing every yard along the way.

A complete bill of health

Roxy was pronounced completely heartworm free today! She is well and looking great. I will be getting ready to post her on the BRAT website, www.basenjirescue.org so that she can find a forever home. This precious baby deserves the best. Sometimes I wonder if I should keep her myself. She has brought such joy into my home. But I believe that she would be happiest in a home as an only dog or a home with smaller dogs. She is fascinated by small dogs and is so gentle with them. I want to give her the opportunity to have a home that is the best fit for her.

We are celebrating today. It's been a long journey but today, Roxy is healthy. The long walks begin again!

Greeting the day with joy

When the alarm went off this morning, Roxy came bounding in to my bedroom ready to greet the day. She was all wiggles and jumps. I wish I could describe the complete change in this precious baby. I can honestly say, she is happy. Each day in a stable environment helps her understand that she is finally safe, and she is rewarding me with her trust and revealing the full depth of her sweet personality. I know she is saying, let's get to those long walks again. I am healthy. I am ready.

She goes Wednesday to the vet for a final round of bloodwork and I am confident that Wednesday evening I will finally be able to say, Let's go for a walk! If I think I've seen her fully joyful, I bet Wednesday evening will take it to a new level!

Roxy has started my week off on a great note.

April 24

Roxy spends the day at the vet getting one last oral dose, the final stage of heartworm treatment. I am so thankful she's done so well. She'll go back next Friday for two blood draws, and I am confident this is the end of the process. She looks amazing and acts like she feels great. I am looking forward to working her back up to those long walks she enjoys so much.

Four months

Roxy has been with me four months today. It's hard to believe. In some ways, the time has flown by. But when I reflect on these four months, I realize she has experienced more change than many dogs have in a lifetime. I cannot believe how much we've packed in to those 120 days.

She's gone from living on the streets emaciated and alone to adjusting to life in a house with another basenji and a foster mom to difficult and at times, debilitating, heartworm treatment to a healthy, safe, precious little lady.

It's been an incredible journey. It's been life saving for her...and life changing for me.

Last day of the pills

Roxy and I are celebrating the last day of her steroids! I didn't think they affected her this round as much as the last round where she was so sick, because this time she seemed to have much more energy and she never got sick. But as I've weaned her off from a week of full tablets to a week of half-tablets to a week of quarter-tablets, I have noticed a huge difference!

Her full personality is back. She's that sweet, energetic basenji that I had right before we had to start the Heartworm treatments. She is not self-crating as much--except when she wants to escape all the hectic activity in the house. She is going outside in the backyard and laying in the sun. She is following me around everywhere I go. It is good to have the full Roxy back!

She has one last round of oral meds on April 24, then a week later the final bloodwork where I am expecting her to be pronounced fully healthy. Then we'll start those looooong walks again! I know she's ready; I am ready!

Another great weekend

Roxy continues to blossom. I can see it in her eyes. I can tell she is feeling so much better. She actually wagged her tail when my children came for Easter dinner. This is the first time she has ever wagged that curly tail! She gains confidence daily. We had a great weekend. I am counting the days when the vet pronounces her completely healthy and I will be able to post her for adoption. She is going to make some family a great companion.

Iggy is found!

My precious boy, Iggy, has been found! Two girls found him in the subdivision next to my daughter's townhome complex and took him to the LSU Vet School, where we had registered him as a lost dog. They called about 1:30 p.m. today. My daughter didn't tell me, but brought him up to my office. I was in the middle of a call, yelled, "They found my dog," hung up on the caller and celebrated.

He is none the worse for wear because, as it turns out, the girls found him about 11 p.m. and had their friend keep him in his apartment last night. It was reported he slept under the covers and ate well. So much for a basenji adventure! Typical Iggy--using his charm and good looks to worm his way into a posh situation. I am so grateful for their willingness to take him in and to treat him so royally.

Upon their arrival at my office, I immediately picked up the phone and at 4 p.m. both Iggy and cousin Oscar, the mini doxie, were at the vet being microchipped. Iggy slept most of the afternoon but is now back to his old self, digging in the trashcan at last report...

I am grateful to the many prayers, advice and offers of support that came from my wonderful family, my dear friends and the incredible BRAT network. I would not have survived those 30 terrible hours without each of them. It's good to know there's someone to depend on when you are most vulnerable. Iggy and I are blessed to have them in our lives.

I understand it now

I've been blogging about how I couldn't understand how someone could lose their precious dog and not find it. I understand now. My other basenji, Iggy, got loose from my daughter's house. He's not wearing his collar. She let down her guard for just a second and in that split second, he was out the dog door and under her back fence. He's been with her at Camp Condo, as we call it, getting extra exercise while she was on spring break. He was getting a little chubby as he helped me put weight on Roxy!

We've searched and searched. It's been over 18 hours. Only one sighting. He's in a very populated area with lots of condos, townhomes and homes. Lots of fields and ditches and woods. It's like he vanished.

We've plastered the area with posters, run an ad in the paper, posted on craigslist, talked to people like pizza delivery men and the postman. And driven and biked the area over and over and over.

I'm on my way now to talk to joggers. It's spring break so a lot of the area is deserted (college area) for another four or five days. It was suppposed to be 35 degrees last night. I am beside myself with worry. Didn't sleep; kept thinking about him all alone outside thinking no one cared enough to find him.

My fears: he'll get hit by a car on one of the busy streets; someone will find him and keep him since he has no collar; someone will find him and think, how could someone lose this dog and not do anything to find him.

I understand it now. It happens in a split second and despite your best efforts, you can't find your precious baby dog. I will NEVER give up looking.

An interesting observation

My daughter and I traded dogs while she is on spring break. Iggy has gone to stay with her and hopefully lose a few pounds running up and down her stairs and running longer distances with her. He's gotten quite chubby. I am keeping Oscar, her mini doxie, who I kept for the four years she was at college. He has dropped four pounds since going back to live with her. So, yes, I admit it, I am a soft touch--which is why Roxy has gained weight! But she is not remotely chubby at 21 pounds. And I intend to keep it that way.

So Oscar is here, and Roxy's personality has blossomed. She loves small dogs! She slept all night on the bed with us. She is sitting again on the couch. She is following him around everywhere.

It occurs to me that maybe Iggy is too alpha for her, and it keeps her somewhat subdued. I plan to keep an eye on that when Iggy comes home. But it is another great insight into what kind of home will be best for Roxy. At first I thought she should be in a home as an only dog, because she seemed happiest in one-on-one situations, like the day I drove her around to give her some outside time (still no long walks). But I think now, that homes where there is no particularly dominant dog will be a great placement as well. This will open up more possibilities for a great forever home. I do know that a quieter home--older children, an adult who is home more than me, would be a great home. She loves children and while she is active, especially loooooong walks at least twice a day, she is most comfortable in quieter environments. I grow more confident every day that her forever home and the hearts of those in it are being prepared to take her in.

One week checkup is a success

Roxy is doing very well. She had a one-week checkup to assess her health after the last two shots. She looks great and is actually looking like she feels like her old self again. She has much more energy than she did after the first round of HW, which is difficult on me to keep her quiet, but I'll take the energy and sweet spirit over sad eyes and lethargy any day. She seems to have put the two-day vet visit behind her and really seems to be happy again. She did shake a lot when we went to the vet, but because nothing was done to her beyond an assessment, we didn't have the unhappiness that occurred after her overnight stay. I think the steroids are making her hyper rather than sick this time. Even the vet commented on how much energy she has.

I finally feel like we're on the last leg of this incredible journey. She will have one oral dose of meds in three weeks, then one more week of rest and the vet should be able to pronounce her cured. I am thrilled because I will then be able to offer this precious baby up for adoption into a forever home. It's the goal we've worked on for these past three-and-a-half months. I see nothing but happiness from this day forward.

And today is the beginning of another great basenji weekend. Though she can't walk and get overly excited, I have no work this weekend, so we'll have lazy days in the sun and lots of tummy rubs.

Breakthrough!

Roxy came in at 3:30 a.m. and slept on the bed at my head again. It was good to have her back! She's sitting on my bed watching me type. She's made it a great morning!