This is for our Little Sweep Pea "Tia Maria"and her Popkorn Oscar. They are a love story.
Tia comes from The Steinbach Puppy Mill. Where she was abused by man and fellow animals.
Only to be taken to another home in the city, where he was abused more by man and some more animals. Then she went into a loving home with 4 very active, load children, who didn't mean to frighten poor Tia with their playful children's noise. She never heard yelling that was fun before. Mind you she did try to fit in, but a lass her old owner lived right next door and she felt he was still her Owner. She needed to get away from him once and for all.
My Girlfriend Esther asked us to spend New Year's Eve with them, she also had Tia's old owner their as well. So I seen a lot first hand and heard some things I can't talk about just now, it makes me mad and want to cry. I will tell you he bragged about how he abused her, I listened with contempt and was proud of friend for taking her and keeping her safe.
Then my Girlfriend Ester, asked me if I wanted her, She said, she was having a very hard time managing her with him living next door. She said, I had been doing such a great job with my little Popkorn, she was sure I could wonders for Tia. I tried to explain to her he was a different story, he was not abused, he was breed to be a show dog, but was born with what they call birth defects, an extra toe and cruet line on his face. Ester went on as if I didn't say anything. She went on about how Tia and Popkorn got a long great. Mind you he has always been happy and friendly. But he was lonely, and she reminded me of that. I had complained he was always trying to take off on me to play with other dogs in the neighbor, and those days we had like a dozen. I did give that a lot of thought. I knew what it was like to be lonely. That was part of the reason I wanted him in the 1st place. Then she went on telling more of poor Tia's awful past, breaking my heart and really making me think.
I really thought about those, 1st 8 months of her little life and I could see she had a lot of healing to do and it would take more then 8 months to heal, it could years, then there was other unknown things that I wondered about. after I thought about it all well I guess you could say the rest is History.
He was trilled to have her come into our home and has showed it everyday since. He won't even look at another dog, if it upset her and it did most times. He was the only dog she has ever trusted or been close too. We did try to make her more social and we all did well with her, but you could always tell there was that underlieing miss trust. We found accept her feeling and respecting them helped a lot.
She has done wonderful in so many ways and we have to give him 90% of the credit. He kept showing her time and time again everything is fine. For years he won't eat until she ate first.
But sometimes somethings can never get better no matter how hard you try. Because she was starved so badly when she was a baby she didn't get the important nutrients she needed for her poor little bone and it gave her some unfix able spinal problems. Which has caused her to loose the use of her back legs. Mind you her little mind and attitude got way better, as did her confidences and self esteem, but her poor little body didn't. We tried our best to guess her the best food, but nothing her stop the damage done. The Vet only gave her like 6 or 7 years and then said we'll have to put her down. That was 10+ years ago. He said, she would be in a great deal of pain and the pain killer would hurt her stomach, I still have some of those pills. I rub her when she looks like she is hurting, or give her a warm bath and now she even like the blow drier and sleeping in front of the heating duct.
It is our Anniversary Jan.1st. It will be 16 years since we got her
Her Birthday is April. 1, 1992, she was 8 months old when we got her.
8 months in Dog time is already getting getting older.
What I am trying to say is 8 months of abuse is a long time.
In Tia case it was her whole so far.
She was so sad when we got her I never thought we could make her happy.
And to tell you the truth I don't think it would have been as easily done or as well done without my PopKorn Oscar. He was in love at 1st sight.
He made me Proud, he gave her a welcome I couldn't believe.
He gave her his bed, he gave her his toys, he gave her his food, but he also gave her his "Heart".
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