TOMMIGIRL'S STORY
Writes Rita Ferrer, of ATRA (Airedale Terrier Rescue and Adoption): TommiGirl is a cute little old ladydale, aged 13-1/2. She's small - about 44 pounds tops - and could gain another five or so pounds. She's a sweetheart. She quickly wormed her way into my heart. This poor girl spent several years in a flea-infested rat trap home and, lately, four months in a kennel. Her owner wasn't able to care for herself & her dogs but no one knew this, so TommiGirl was very neglected for a long time. FINALLY, last month, we got her owner to sign her over to Rescue. Now she has lots of cushions to sleep on and we're here to give her lots of love. She is totally deaf. Her ears have been infected & swollen for years. She has horrible bad breath & several visibly-rotten teeth. All the tests & the vet say that some dental work will make her feel much better. We're looking forward to that. What pain she is enduring, yet she's a happy, happy soul. She is always good-natured and she does little dances sometimes. She found all of the soft dog beds to her liking. She likes me to cuddle her head & scratch her ears. Her back legs are pretty stiff, but she can walk around on her own and even bounds in the snow across the yard when she first goes outside. She sleeps through the night on her orthodogbed in my bedroom. TommiGirl keeps trying to get Toby to play . . . pokes him with her nose and even has been seen playbowing. Toby would rather she go away, but he's always like that. She's started playing with the soft toys a bit. I am having trouble figuring out how to really bond with her without my "happy voice" since she can't hear me, but I smile & kiss & hug. She follows me everywhere and gives me lots of happy faces & tail wags. What a joy to have her in our family . . . safe & warm & loved. On 27 February, Day 14 of the Senior Airedales Fundraiser, Rita writes: TommiGirl is HappyDancing TommiGirl is home again, happy dancing around the house. She had 11 teeth removed yesterday, her ears cleaned and a thorough assessment. I was really worried about the strain of such teeth work on a 13-1/2-year-old granny'dale, but she came through with flying colors. The vet gave her two thumbs up!! He said she was in the top five of worst mouths he'd seen this past year and she was number one for knock-you-over bad breath. Now she has no decayed & infected teeth in her mouth, and I can give & get kisses from her that smell like real doggy breath. The vet also x-rayed her heart & lungs Her heart is strong and not enlarged and her lungs are clear! He says now that we've solved the mouth problems, she should have at least a good couple of years! When she got home, she charged(!) through the house and checked out all her beds & the kitties. She gave Toby some NOSEPOKES and said "I'M BACK!!" She will be on antibiotics & some pain meds for a couple of weeks. Follow-up in a month. Anyway, I'm a very relieved FosterMom and giving her soooo many hugs & kisses. The JOY of caring for a Senior 'DAle is neverending. TommiGirl is here to say, "Please remember the SENIOR AIREDALE FUNDRAISER!!" TommiGirl wins a Daily Prize! Rita won Daily Prize 10 (Canada Day, viewable HERE), and this is what TommiGirl has to say about her new Hippy Dippy Doggie Coat: I'm stylin' now!! My Hippy Dippy Doggie Coat arrived today. Mom let me try it on to see if I would like it! The wind is howling and I don't like being outside, but when I went out with my coat on, I felt very toasty. I haven't had my coiffure renewed yet so I'm still pretty scruffy and curly but I think I look plenty CUTE! Thank you to Maureen for making this wonderful coat and donating for a daily prize. I'm so LUCKY! Thank you for everyone who helps with the Filled with Love for Senior Airedales Fundraiser. I LOVE being a spokesdawg for other dogs just like me who need a new leash on life.
Thanks to National Airedale Rescue, the Filled With Love for Senior Airedales Fundraiser, and all of you who donate to this cause, many more dogs will have all they need to live the rest of their lives with love! THANK YOU. Granny'dale Extraordinaire TommiGirl P.S. You can see that Toby grump peering out the door at me . . .
On 14 March, TommiGirl gets de-fuzzed. Rita writes: She's a Beauty! TommiGirl enjoyed her day. She feels so good.
	She seems so happy. The gals at the groomer said she was very good. They let her take a nap about half way through because she was getting too tired to stand.
	She was glad to see me and gave me so many kisses when I got there to pick her up. What a reward! Adopting a granny'dale is the BEST!
OLD DOG Darling, the hesitation in your step makes my heart ache, knowing that you're wondering, hoping, is this the last home? will I have to move again? how will she know who I am? Beautiful, I see your history in your eyes and in those small quirks, in your startles and starts. oh, I know I'll never know the whole story of you but together we can patch things up, heal old wounds, soothe old fears. Beloved, I respect your years, and I promise you will grow old with me in comfort, in love, in safety. and when your years are done, I will see you through your passing, and keep you close in my arms, in my heart. You will live forever. T. Nesbit, in Memory of Duchess Claire June 2001

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