Rudolph the Long Haired Doxie

Well, you've already met Cinnamon the Wonder Dog.

And then we added Gracie.

Now, welcome Rudy to our happy zoo!

Rudolph the Long Haired Doxie, Had a very wiggly nose... (sung to Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer)

Rudy was put in a shelter drop box on Christmas morning. Abandoned. Given away. Cast aside. He was 12 or so years old and in bad shape. Thank goodness for Peace of Mind Dog Rescue! This organization specializes in animals that have owners that can no longer care for them AND in older dogs that would be euthanized because they don't fit shelter adoption age requirements. Rudolph was obviously in the latter category.

We got Rudy as a foster dog right after the first of the year. He had horrific breath and was still, um... 'intact' as they say in vet speak. What that meant was the poor Gracie was the constant object of Rudy's affection. Constant. Non-stop. All the time. No Viagra needed. I couldn't take it. It was awful.

A week after we got him, Rudy went to the amazing Dr. Judy Force for dental surgery (and to get 'snipped' - thank God!). He had loose teeth and of course that long fang of his had to be removed. We thought is would be a couple hours. That would have been bad enough. But no - Rudy's mouth was worse than anyone had anticipated. Poor little 12-pound boy was in surgery for almost 5 hours. In addition to being neutered, all of his teeth were removed. He had six holes in his mouth that went into the bone. The holes that were in his upper mouth went into his sinus cavity. Food got in there and that's why he smelled so bad. Those holes had to be repaired. Dr. Force said that Rudy's mouth was in her personal top two of the worst cases she had ever seen.

So, three months and three surgeries later, Rudy has become a big part of our family. He is funny and makes us laugh. He doesn't stink. He leaves Gracie alone. He puts Cinnamon, a dog four times his size - in her place. He runs up and down the hallway, stays right at my heels when we go to the beach, and eats like there is no tomorrow. Poor little guy will always have a droopy nose as the bone in his nose and jaw have deteriorated away. Rudy is a good reminder to all of us that dental care is really important and we need to floss. Floss, people!

I believe we are done now. one adult child, three dogs, six inside cats, seven mousers (well, we're up for a few more mousers), and three chickens. Well, we might get a few more chickens, too. You know - we're a farm. And we might get some goats, too. But that's another day. And another story.