July 15, 2002 - Maleah has been too funny lately. She is so happy and so silly now, and it’s fabulous to see her in such a state. Yesterday she was rubbing her head all over me and wagging her tail…it was too cute! I’d been petting her, but stopped, so she came up to me and rubbed her funny little head all over me, wagging the entire time. I laughed, pet & loved on her somemore, stopped and she did it again. It got to be a game for her, as she got fiestier and fiester each time she did it, wagging harder and rubbing that goopy nose on my clothes. She was having a ball!
She even pawed me! Yep! I got the pyr paw which was delightful! She has a lot of personality, that’s for sure, and it’s starting to come out. She likes to sit at the front door, on the door mat, and hang out for a bit, enjoying the sunshine. She then trots in, excited about her treats, and waits expectantly.
She’s even dancing! Yep! She has started this little prance dance when she wants her treat or if she wants to go outside, etc. It’s adorable! I have one other pyr that does that and I’ve always said he dances like a TN walking horse…now she’s doing it, too. Perhaps I could make them a dancing team and do a fundraiser? ;-)
And guess what? I see less rib! yeah!!! I do believe there is actually some meat covering those ribs! As soon as she is totally free of the kennel cough, I’ll take her in to weigh her. I can’t wait to see how much she weighs! I’d even swear she got a little taller…probably just my imagination, but I’d almost swear to it. AND, I’d say ther’s more hair, too. Yipee!
She’s making major progress, that’s for sure, and boy is he absorbing the attention. Can’t say that I blame her, and I’m happy that she is…she deserves some good loving!
July 11, 2007 - Maleah and I enjoyed the sunshine today, as it was truly beautiful outside. She explored the yard a bit, and then we sat on the porch to just spend some time together and absorb the pretty weather. She seemed to watch the breeze, became alert when the cars drove by, and she listened to the outdoor noises.
I then got the bright idea to grab the camera and take pictures since it’d been two weeks (13 days). She’s grown hair sporadically across her body, and her skin looks soooo much better. She’s actually grown a lot of hair on her face, although much of it is still very short and hard to see unless you’re right in front of her. So we got the camera ready, and the first picture told me exactly what she thought about the situation:
However, she was very good about “putting up with me” as I continued my photo shoot. Not that I gave her much of a choice. Unfortunately for my animals, I LOVE taking their pictures.
I watched her as she soaked in the lovely day, and to me she looked so beautiful. I love her bedroom eyes, so common with pyrenees…so emotional, so kind, so “mom you’re really on my nerves.” She has opened up so much, and it’s such a delight to see. She is eating VERY well at 7-8 cups a day…hehe…she’s drinking well, learning the routine of eating, going potty, coming back inside and gettting a treat….’stare at the box and WILL THE TREATS when mom is moving slowly’…which admittedly seems to work pretty well. 
She is so good when I clean her nose, as she still has some drainage that is slowly going away… I am your typical annoying mother that says “come here and let mommy me clean your nose.” So she sits, lets me pick (sorry, I know that’s gross!), clean, and get her nose back to normal. Obviously not her favorite part of the day, but she is sooo good about it. I always kiss her on her bald (but hair is growing!) little head afterwards and she wags her tail.
Speaking of wagging her tail, she’s doing it a LOT lately! Yep! She wags when we go out, wags when she’s done, wags for treats, wags for dinner, wags when I come in to talk to her…she’s getting quite waggy! Yesterday she made me laugh b/c I’d slept in a little bit and was late for breakfast. WELL! … after her potty break she promptly came back inside and stood impatiently next to the bag of food. When I (again) wasn’t moving quickly enough for her taste, she began hitting the bag with her nose DEMANDING breakfast! She was so insistant that she almost didn’t let me get into the bag b/c her nose was in the way! I just laughed at her and told her how funny she was…she ignored me and ate….annoyed but satisfied.
She’s really coming out of her shell and feeling so much better. Her skin…I was petting her today and although some of it is still scaley, like sunburnt skin flaking, there is a lot of it that is so baby soft. Hopefully her supplements are helping and it will continue to improve.
I placed new pictures up today on her photos, trying to take shots to show how hair has popped up in places, show her skin, etc. there’s a picture of her neck and one of her ear that shows how flakey they are…but still improving!
One of my favorite moments today was when I sat with her and was petting her sweet naked head. I stopped…and she nosed me for more. It was a gentle touch of the nose to my hand, so I continued to pet her. If I stopped at all…there was that gentle touch of her nose…it was precious. She’s such a remarkable little girl…I”m so proud of her!
July 8, 2007 - Maleah ate 8 cups of food today!! And of course, let’s not forget the treats!
July 7, 2002 - Maleah was feeling good today and enjoyed the sunshine. She continues to make progress and open up. It was very cute today b/c Aunt Bernie came to visit! When Maleah walked out the door, Aunt Bernie began talking to her…and immediately Maleah’s tail began wagging. She sat on the front porch while we talked and enjoyed the bright and cheery weather. She trotted around the yard again today, watching birds, things blow in the wind…she was very alert and willing. She tires easy, naturally, while still recovering, but she really enjoys the time she spends outside, with me, eating, etc…she even kissed me today! :0) She was standing and waiting on me to go potty each time today, too, as well as excited about her dinner. And, of course, she was looking for the treats…those are super! She knows where they’re located, and she sticks her nose in that direction, looking at me expectantly. Her personality is starting to show, and it’s adorable. Watching this progress is great! What a stoic little girl!
July 6, 2002 - Well, Miss Maleah was full of herself today! She wolfed down another 4 cups of food, some treats, and actually refused to go into her kennel by locking her itty bitty body up (you’ve seen the demonstrations on “America’s Funnies Home Videos,” i’m sure….). She even “Hmph’d” when I cleaned the yuck off of her nose where it’d drained out and caked up. I did laugh at her for it, though, which of course made her “HMPH!!” yet again. I thought that was a good sign! Of course, I got tickled again. :-D She trotted through the yard and even held her head up proud. It was a joy to see! She wagged her tail when she saw the other animals and tried to visit with them (there was interference by mother, however…”HMPH!”). To boot…when I went to her crate to walk her this morning…she wagged her tail when she saw me. It was awesome! BAYTRIL IS THE BOMB!!! hehe!!!
This is the part that’s so wonderful…I love watching that Pyr come out in her! She’s too adorable for words!
I almost hold off on mentioning this out of sheer fear and murphy’s law…but her ear hematomas are no longer there! It is utterly bizarre! In all the years of rescue or as a veterinary assistant, I’ve never seen such a thing. Perhaps it wasn’t true hematomas? Perhaps it’s just a miracle? I certainly don’t know, but keep up those prayers that they don’t come back!
July 4, 2007 - Well, this morning Maleah looked better and was ready to go out to potty. She’s been more alert today and finally ate about 4 cups of food! You can already tell the medicine is kicking in, so I’m so relieved. I spoke to her last evening…”don’t give up,” I willed…”Mommy is going to get you through this, I promise. I’m here.” I repeated myself several times while I stroked her bald head. My heart went out to her…I knew how exhausted she must have been, and how respiratory infections make you miserable when you’re generally healthy, let alone emaciated and compromised.
It’s hard not to want to comfort her and hold her while she sleeps. She’s like an infant, longing for your affection and security. At the same time I could see her looking at me and saying “Moooom, let me sleep, will ya?” I love to see that Pyr disposition come out in her…it lets me know she’s not given up.
She’s resting well with her blanket and bunny, curled up in a little ball. I think she actually looked at the sunshine today and welcomed it. Big prayers she continues to respond to the medicine…she has so much life and fight in her! What a beautiful soul!
July 3, 2007 - Maleah has been doing better but now has a respiratory infection that developed rather quickly. We pulled out the big guns med-wise, so I’m anxiously awaiting for those to kick in. I am worried about her, but talked to the doc late this evening. I do hope by tomorrow that the meds will start to kick in. I told her this evening that I knew she felt bad, but to know that she’s going to be okay. I do worry, and if she’s not better soon will take her into the doc. I’ll be saying big prayers for her tonight.
**Special note: Despite her feeling totally horrible, she never turns down that cheese!! She won’t eat anything else, but she LOVES some cheese!!!!
June 30, 2007 - I went to take Maleah out this morning to go potty, and she looked at me as if to say “5 more minutes?” I coaxed her outside and she did both jobs. As soon as she was finished, by golly, she was ready to go back inside! She had no complaints with heading back through the front door, that’s for sure.
She’s was very alert today and ate a good portion of food. She’s enjoying those treats, too! I’m giving her Flax Seed Oil with Omegas 3,6, & 9, “Treatamins” by Dr Goodpet, and she’s eating “Nature’s Logic.” She’s also getting her antibiotics. I’m going to get some “Maximum Protection” by Dr Goodpet, as well…that stuff is fabulous! Of course she’ll get all the treats she wants, as well!!
Unfortunately, she now has bilateral ear hematomas. I guess she shook her head too much last night because she didn’t have them yesterday. That’s an additional fun surgery that she’ll have to endure…*sigh….just what she needed.
Bath wasn’t the best part of the day…she didn’t love it, to say the least. She stressed herself out pretty bad and had a horrendous cough attack. She looks so much better, though! I used a medicated shampoo, so it got rid of all the junk and yeast on her. She actually looks clean! She’s sooooooo tired, though. She’s zonked now as a result. She was most annoyed that I wanted to take pictures of her…the look said it all. She wanted to SLEEP!!
All in all it was a good day. Rest is important for her right now, so she’s getting all she can. She is interested and wagging her tail when she sees the other dogs in the distance. Unfortunately she has to wait before she can mingle. I look forward to her spending time w/them, however, as generally other animals do a great deal for the special needs dogs and aid in their recuperation a great deal. …But for now we’ll rest.
June 29, 2007 - I met David today, the transport volunteer, and picked up the Pyr I was taking into rescue. I had visions of her appearance, especially after seeing her picture, and wondered if the photo made it look worse or better. I wondered her weight and age, and thought about all I needed to do to improve her health. I was so anxious last night I couldn’t sleep, for I just wanted to get her, put my arms around that poor baby, and bring her to safety.
David was so kind to her and handled her gently. I was grateful for his assistance, as she was so fragile. When he opened the back of his SUV, I saw her lying there, curled up in a ball, and my heart went out to her. He said she’d slept the entire trip. I had to touch her and let her know she was okay, so I rubbed her naked little head and said hello. She was warm, so I assumed she had a fever. She reeked of infection and yeast, and simply looked horrid. You could tell she was exhausted as she coughed wearily. The look in her eye, however, gave off a faint spark, and I knew without question that helping her was the right thing. We gave her a potty break, placed her into my car, and my new rescue and I were on our way.
I decided to name her Maleah because it meant “Unique Little Girl/Beautiful Young Woman” and quite simply had a lovely ring to it…it was beautiful, just like her.
The travel back was less than desirable due to what I swore was a Monsoon! I prayed for the wind and rain to lessen, and for no tornados, so I could get her to the veterinarian. We were delayed a significant amount of time, but finally made it. When I arrived everyone looked at her in surprise…”poor baby!” was the first thing that came out of their mouths. They placed us in a room and the fun began…there was this neat little thing called a “treat.” Miss Maleah came alive! She couldn’t get enough of those…she was in total heaven munching on the treats! She even counter surfed looking for more. She then began exploring, and even knocked the door out of my hands so she could trot around the hospital…tail wagging the entire time!
Dr Myers came into the room and said “Oh my gosh….” He then bent down and began to baby talk her, gently rubbing her face. She immediately wagged her tail in response. We went about a thorough check up, and Miss Maleah was ready to go home. We were to continue treatment for her sarcoptic mange, meds for her skin and kennel cough, give her a medicated bath, and deworm her. Thankfully she was heartworm negative! YEAH!!!
I finally made it home…it had been a long journey, but one well worth it. Maleah heard the other dogs barking and you could tell she wondered what was taking place. I carried her inside, and she positively responded to the home-like atmosphere. Her crate was waiting, prepared for her arrival with a soft blanket inside. After a big day of travel and attention, Maleah was exhausted, so I placed her in her crate. It was good to see her in my home…all I wanted to do was hold her, but I knew she had to rest. She then ate and drank well, and snuggled into her kennel with her blanket and stuffed bunny…she fell asleep right away.
I sat and watched her, amazed that she was still alive, still alert, still wagging her tail and responding to the human voice and touch without anger. She was an amazing girl with a lot of fight left in her…I was in awe. Then, before I turned out the light, I whispered…”Your safe, sweetie…you don’t ever have to worry again…I promise.”