Meet my foster dog Benny. He is totally blind and the sweetest dog you’ll every meet.
Benny spent most of his life living with a hoarder. He was kept on a chain outside all of the time. It’s hard to imagine how hard this little boy’s life has been.
If you are wondering why I’m writing about a foster dog on my real estate blog, it’s because everyone deserves a great home. Even a dog. Especially Benny.
You’ll be seeing more dog rescue stories here on Arch City Homes in the future. I’ll also be sharing information dog owners need to keep in mind when they are thinking of buying or selling a home. You can find all dog related blog posts at the new Dog Lovers Corner.
Benny’s Story:
I’ve been fostering dogs for a few years now, and occasionally get a message from someone in the dog rescue network about a dog who needs a foster home. A while ago, I was asked if I could help with with a couple of small dogs from an animal hoarding situation.
I already had a full house with a couple of foster dogs and had to say no. It sounded like other rescue groups stepped up and placements were found for a number of animals including dogs, birds and even a peacock. So I filed this one away in my head and moved on…there is always another rescue plea and it helps to stay focused on what you CAN do, rather than what you had to turn away.
Faster forward a few months. All of my foster dogs had been adopted and I was ready for a new foster dog. I checked with St. Louis County Animal Control, but all of their small dogs had already been placed with other rescue groups. My next message was to Amanda with Stray Angels to see if she knew of any small dogs that needed a safe place to go. Within minutes she spoke to the relatives of the animal hoarder from a few months ago and found out they still had 2 small poodles.
That was December 28.
The week it rained and rained. Highways and neighborhoods were flooded throughout the St. Louis region.
I immediately imagined two tiny poodles huddling together, trying to stay warm as it rained for days on end.
The relatives had moved the poodles, normally kept outside all of the time, into a stairwell landing between the kitchen, side door and basement. While the dogs were out of the rain, they still weren’t in a warm dry house.
I couldn’t leave them out there even one more night so I jumped in the car and drove in the dark from my home in Webster Groves to Millstadt, IL.
The owner had been hospitalized and her kids met me at the house. They clearly wanted a better life for the dogs. To my horror, I realized there were other animals at the house that I would be leaving behind when I left. I got as much information as I could about the one dog still outside on a chain and the 2 cats that had spent their entire lives locked in a small bathroom, and then loaded up Benny and Snoopy into my car.
Thumper was so matted that his collar had to be cut off. He had been living with a heavy chain around his neck for so long that he walked with his head just inches above the ground.
This cat was the friendly one. The other cat was supposedly semi-feral and the relatives planned to let it loose outside with hopes it would find its way to the other cats that lived on their own in the woods. It turns out, the semi-feral cat had a claw that was growing into its paw. I would be wild too if I was living in pain all of the time!
The story has a happy ending. I immediately let Amanda know about the remaining animals and within 3 days they were all taken from the home and placed in foster care.
Just two weeks later, Snoopy went to his forever home. He now has a devoted mom and two poodle brothers.
Now it’s Benny’s turn.
The vet is guessing Benny is roughly 10 years old. He is blind and has a little cough we were working on, but is otherwise in good health.
Help me find Benny a forever home.
All you have to do is share this blog post so people can see his video.
I’m looking for a home in the St. Louis area with someone who is retired or home most of the time. He gets along with dogs just fine, and I’m positive he would simply ignore cats. He loves people of all kinds, but due to his blindness, I’m looking for a quiet home without children. All he really needs is someone who wants a furry baby for company. A home where he can be coddled and carried around from one part of the house to the other.
He isn’t fully house trained, but as long as you take him outside on a regular basis and crate him when you aren’t home, he rarely has an accident in the house.
UPDATE: It only took 2 weeks to get Benny house trained. He can’t tell you when he needs to go out, but if you put him on a schedule, he will hold it until his feet touch grass.
Benny doesn’t need a lot of outside space, but he does need a fenced yard. It actually doesn’t need to be a real fence. A small area with a garden picket fence would be fine. He won’t try to break out of the yard. He just needs to know where the boundaries are and have a safe place to get a little exercise and enjoy a warm spring day.
If you are interested in adopting Benny, please contact me or go to Senior Dogs 4 Seniors and fill out an application. Donations to help cover his vet care are also appreciated. In 2015, Senior Dogs 4 Seniors spent over $90,000 on vet bills!
