COLUMBIA, SC.....Happy Mother's Day to all the Mom's out there.   I decided that today would be the perfect day to introduce you to one of the sweetest dogs you will ever meet.  Say hello to dear Rosie.   She was picked up as a stray in horrible condition in Jacksonville, NC.  The day her stray hold was up she was scheduled to be put sleep because no one was willing to help her given her medical condition.  Rosie is approximately six years old.  We rescued her almost eight weeks ago.  The shelter originally thought she was ten based on how she looked.   I could not bear to see this wonderful dog be euthanized, so I offered to take her.  Rosie was emaciated, had terrible skin, couldn't see, and her hearing was terrible from ear infections.   On top of that, she had been a Mother so many times that her mammary glands were loaded with large hard tumors that were hanging down almost to the ground.

We were not sure Rosie was going to make it, so we addressed one medical problem at a time.  This way, she had a good quality of Life for the time she had left.   When we originally got Rosie, she was in such horrible shape that she would not even hold her head up.  Life had taken a toll on her, and she was ready to give up.   Putting one foot in front of the other was just about all she could do.   The first month was spent putting her weight back on and getting her blood panel into the normal range.  Parasites were winning, and she was very anemic.   Slowly she began to feel better, and she started to get a little pep in her step.  Her eye infection was finally cleared up, and we discovered she had entropion lids that had to be corrected.  When Rosie's bloodwork was normal, she was finally strong enough to have her mammary gland tumors removed.  We didn't know what the biopsies would show, but we knew the tumors had to go.  Her results came back that she had benign tumors that were a result from having so many large litters of puppies.  She had obviously been used as a breeder for Bloodhounds.   

All throughout this process, we began to get excited about the prospect that Rosie might not be ten years old but might be much younger and will have a lot of great years ahead.   Our sweet girl got stronger and strong each week and decided that she had a lot to live for.   Rosie became transformed right in front of our eyes once she decided to fight to be here.  Her mammary gland surgery was long and complicated.  It took her two weeks to recover from the surgery.   You would never know the way she looks now that any of these problems ever existed.   Rosie has just had her entropion eye surgery done by Dr. Ann Cook in Mt. Pleasant, and she can finally see for the first time in a long time.   All we have to do is finish her heartworm treatment, and she will be ready to be placed in a new loving home.  

Sweet does not even begin to describe this amazing dog.   Her ears are so big and soft, they are like plush blankets.   When she shakes her head, she looks like the Flying Nun.   Rosie is amazing.   For all you Bloodhound lovers, you cannot do any better than dear Rosie.   She feels great and is loving being able to see and get outside to sniff everything.   After an hour of sniffing, she wants nothing more than to curl up for a nice long nap.

We decided the best day to post for Rosie was on Mother's Day.   Her bills are extensive because of all the surgeries she has had, but the Life we saved makes it all worth while.   Her Life had been one of hardship up until we rescued her.  We didn't think she was going to live very long, but she has proven us all wrong.  Rosie has a lot of living left to live.   Please, fill out our Adoption Application if you are ready to be showered with pure unconditional love.  You will never regret the day you allowed her into your heart and home.