Autumn - In Foster Care

Name: Autumn

Breed:  Hound/Beagle Mix

Sex: Female (unknown if altered)

Age: Estimated 10-12 years

Location: Johnson City, TN area

Vet Info: She has just been to the vet, she is approximately 10-12 years old.  She weighs 38 lbs and is about 10-15 lbs underweight. No parasites evident, she does have an ear infection which they will be treating.  No HW test was performed.

Owner Info: One of our volunteers was notified by her vet about this dog.  A woman found her as a stray wandering in traffic. The woman stopped and picked her up and brought her to the vet to see if she was microchipped (and she is not). She is blind - estimate between 8 - 10 years old....maybe a hound/beagle mix?  The woman's guess on weight was about 40 lbs...but the dog is very skinny. Very skinny, no collar.  The woman is going to take her to her vet and will keep the dog for a little bit, so the dog is safe for now. The woman has 6 dogs of her own with 3 small kids.  Our volunteer asked if she could keep the dog separate from her dogs / kids and provide a quiet / safe area for her to regain her strength which she can and will. She's doing well - she's eating, drinking, sleeping and just wants to be loved.

They can only keep her until Tuesday, October 6 as they are leaving to go out of town. Any foster homes available?

Update 10/3/15:  She is good with both men and women, but is startled by her good samaritan's small children and likely needs quiet time to recover and feel safe. Her good samaritan tells us she's very friendly!  "She seems to be adapting well. She is very friendly. As long as you let her know you are there, she wags her tail and begs for a belly rub."

The cause of her blindness is unknown, and her good samaritan tells us she appears completely blind.  She also shared more details about her vet visit.  "She appears to be completely blind, but the vet was not sure what caused her blindness. She has cataracts, but they aren't bad enough to be causing the blindness.... She is 10 - 15 pounds underweight. The vet believes she just hasn't been able to find food. Blood work would need to be done to rule out other issues. She has an ear infection - meds received from vet to start treating. Since bringing her into our home she has been eating, drinking, voiding and having normal bowel movements. No parasites were found in her stool sample. Unknown as to whether or not she has been spayed. No visible scars noted to indicate surgery."

Update 10/16/15:  This beautiful girl now has a beautiful name... .Autumn!  One of our foster homes had a chance to spend several days with Autumn while her good samaritan was away. 

“I've had Autumn from Saturday to Thursday am.  The person who found Autumn went on vacation and returned Wednesday night.  I gave Autumn back to her Thursday at 10:00. but wanted to give an update on her.  She does not want to take Autumn to the shelter as she would be put down.  Autumn definitely belonged to someone, she is very comfortable in the house, knows how to walk on leash and loves all people.  

She is wonderful - a total love.  Will flip over for belly rubs almost as soon as you start petting her.  She ate well and definitely is gaining some weight.  Her ears seem to be clearing up but still has goop coming out when I put the meds in (2x / day).

I've kept her separate from my guys - however, I did want to test her with this aggression because it doesn't seem to fit her personality.

On Saturday, my boxer, Bear and Sunny (my Aussie) were in the screened in porch (we have rails up also so no one can go through the screen).  We have a deck next to the porch so Autumn and I walked up to the screen.  She was definitely aggressive but it seemed more like a defensive aggression.  So I removed her from the deck.

On Sunday, we tried again and she walked up to the screen and nothing....her tail was wagging, she was smelling the air, but absolutely no aggression.

Monday and Tuesday, I did it again - each time, no aggression.  Tail wagging and head high smelling the air.

On Wednesday and Thursday, I brought the crate into the living room and put her in it, then brought Bear into the room.  Bear walked up to the crate and Autumn was wagging her tail with no sign of aggression again.  She wasn't happy being in the crate, but no aggression towards Bear. I put Bear on the other side of the gate, which blocks the living room from the rest of the house.  Bear was with Sunny on the opposite side of the gate.  I let Autumn out of the crate, put her on leash and walked her up to the gate.  Again, tail was wagging and no sign of aggression. I kept her with me in the living room all day on Wednesday and Hero, Sunny and Bear have come up to the gate to see her and she hasn't paid any mind to any of them.  She's been walking around the room and goes past the gate often - will stop and smell, then continues on her way.  I put her back in the expen in the living room and let the other dogs wander around her and still no reaction.

My thoughts on this:  I think she is newly blind, out on her own for God knows how long, and she's been scared.  I don't think she would be dog aggressive given the proper slow introductions.  The foster home would just have to take it slow with her.  The vet that saw her thinks she has a lesion somewhere between her eyes and brain, no significant cataracts.  I'm not sure if the lesion will heal and she'll regain some or all of her sight or if she would need some other type of treatment.

She loves squeeky toys!

If anyone can foster this sweet old girl, please send an email to the foster team.”

Update 10/22/15: Autumn continues to do well!  Please read her update below, and check out her beautiful new photo!  Autumn is still waiting to find rescue or a new home.

"Autumn is doing very well!! She continues to eat well so she has some meat on her bones now :)  She LOVES her belly rubs!! She's a big lap dog who really needs someone who has more time for her. With 3 little boys and 6 dogs of our own we feel bad that we don't have more time for her. We are really hoping we can find the perfect forever home for her - she is super sweet and deserves the best!!  We really appreciate all your help."

Update 11/12/15: Peggy has heard from Autumn's good samaritans, and they're not able to keep her much longer.  Autumn is becoming urgent!  Peggy writes, "The people that found her can't keep her much longer and she'll be turned into the shelter here.  The shelter won't keep her long as she is blind, so I'd say she's now coming close to critical."