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Our thanks

Our thanks to the HFL staff who lovingly cared for Pooh in his infirmity for nearly a year, and to John Lambert, of K9 Hydrotherapy, for his kindness and skill in helping our Pooh and giving him comfort and happiness in his last months.

Pooh, we love you and miss you. Rest in peace.

Pooh in his cart inside the dog building
Hydrotherapy enabled Pooh to use his quadriplegic cart. Above, Pooh's excitement at being able to stand up is evident.

In loving memory of Pooh

Pooh

Pooh, a senior black and tan Doberman, came to HFL from New York. We will never forget Pooh's indomitable spirit and determination to have a happy life after his terrible suffering before coming to HFL.

After he became progressively more lame, x-rays revealed that Pooh had been shot with a 22 caliber gun, not once but twice, in the shoulder and back before coming to HFL. After being shot and then abandoned in terrible condition, he ended up in an overcrowded animal control facility on Long Island and narrowly
escaped death. He then spent a year locked in a small cage, 20 hours per day, waiting for a new home, which never materialized.

The rescue group sent him to HFL where he blossomed and thrived with love, attention and freedom.

Eighteen months after coming to HFL, Pooh became progressively more lame until he lost the ability to use his back legs and then all four legs. Spondylosis, severe arthritis, the gunshot wounds and his hard life had taken their toll. Nothing helped him until we
discovered K9 Hydrotherapy, where the warm water sessions in the pool were able to restore some of Pooh’s mobility and flexibility, enabling him to make use of the quadriplegic cart we had made for him.

Pooh in hydrotherapy pool with John Lambert
Pooh in the hydrotherapy pool with John Lambert of K9 Hydrotherapy. More photos: Pooh in a wagon. Getting a free ride can be nice too. | back to original photo

Despite the indignities of his condition, Pooh bore it all with good humor and patience, always cooperative, no matter how he had to
be moved around so that we could properly care for him.

Pooh loved nothing better than to sit outside on a beautiful day at HFL, with his girlfriend Skya, a Rhodesian mix, and quietly watch the world go by. He loved being in the center of things, right in the main entrance of the dog building, where he would be sure not to miss anything or anyone. He would bark for attention and give everyone a big smile if they would give him a treat or a cuddle. He had a loving light in his eye and a spark that his disability never
diminished.

Pooh developed a sudden and excruciatingly painful onset of
osteosarcoma in the shoulder, near where he had been wounded with the bullet years before. Surgery was not possible. Pooh was released from his suffering, with Lisa, HFL director and Julie, HFL animal care specialist at his side, in late December 2006.