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| Brookline Labrador Retriever Rescue Helping Labs Find Their Fur-Ever Homes |
| Jackie |
Until some nice people from Brookline came one day and took me out. It was great to get a second
chance! I was so pleased to be with my new foster family, they loved me and treated me very well. But
no matter how hard I tried, I could not act happy. I was not hungry and I did not feel like playing with my
new foster brother and sister. Nobody knew then that I was ill, very ill. When my new family took me to
the vet, they said my kidneys had failed and gave me very little time left to live. My foster parents looked
at me very sadly and I know it must have been very hard for them to decide what to do with me. I heard
them say that noone would adopt me now, that any treatment to keep me alive a while longer would be
expensive, that they did not want to see me suffer... I looked at them wondering if they would abandon
me. To make matters worse, it was very difficult for me to act lovingly, to wag my tail and show them
how grateful I was. It was just that I was feeling so sick all the time! I could not eat or drink much (they
did not know that I had very painful ulcers in my mouth and that my stomach was very upset most of the
time), my nose was very dry and I felt always tired, I barely had energy. I behaved very well, like the lady
I am, I never complained and tried to be as little of a burden as possible. Well, I was very lucky
because they started to take very good care of me, they made me special meals, gave me lots of love
and attention, and I soon felt better. Then, when my foster parents went on vacation, the Brookline
people took me to another fun place: a doggie camp where I had even more foster siblings! My
temporary foster parents were wonderful and they also wanted me to be well, so they took me to
another vet and put me on some medication that is helping A LOT! You see, I need IV fluids every day
to keep me hydrated. Since there is no dialysis for dogs, this is the closest thing they can do. I take a
medication called Carafate, which stops the acid reflux, and also aluminum hydroxide, which helps to
settle my stomach, twice a day. I can now eat what I like and drink without pain. Those ugly ulcers are
gone and I feel SO much better. They also control my blood pressure with something called Enalapril.
To be honest, these things don't taste great (even though they hide them in my food thinking I won't
notice!), but I am super good and take them without a problem because they help me. I'm also very still
when they inject the IV fluids, I never ever give them a hard time. I know they do it so that I feel better,
and I'm very grateful. I'm now back with my first foster family, but everyone at Brookline loves me very
much and I often hear that I am very sweet and special. Sometimes I feel a little guilty because I know
no one will adopt me and Brookline is going to pay for this treatment to keep me comfortable as long
as I need it. It might not be much longer, but I'm enjoying a day at a time, every single day. It's great to
have a second chance in life!
The Brookline people have this thing called the Bright Horizons Fund that they use to help pay the costs
for Labs like me who need special medical care. All the money in that fund comes from nice people
like you who want to help out the Labs. I sure would like to help get some more money in the Bright
Horizons Fund since they spent so much of it on me. But, I'm a little old and I don't have a job... so I
don't have any money to donate. Can you help me out? If everybody donates just a few bucks, I'll bet we
could get lots of money in the Bright Horizons Fund to help me and all the other Labs in Brookline's
care! I sure would appreciate it if you can help out!
Thank you for reading my story
chance! I was so pleased to be with my new foster family, they loved me and treated me very well. But
no matter how hard I tried, I could not act happy. I was not hungry and I did not feel like playing with my
new foster brother and sister. Nobody knew then that I was ill, very ill. When my new family took me to
the vet, they said my kidneys had failed and gave me very little time left to live. My foster parents looked
at me very sadly and I know it must have been very hard for them to decide what to do with me. I heard
them say that noone would adopt me now, that any treatment to keep me alive a while longer would be
expensive, that they did not want to see me suffer... I looked at them wondering if they would abandon
me. To make matters worse, it was very difficult for me to act lovingly, to wag my tail and show them
how grateful I was. It was just that I was feeling so sick all the time! I could not eat or drink much (they
did not know that I had very painful ulcers in my mouth and that my stomach was very upset most of the
time), my nose was very dry and I felt always tired, I barely had energy. I behaved very well, like the lady
I am, I never complained and tried to be as little of a burden as possible. Well, I was very lucky
because they started to take very good care of me, they made me special meals, gave me lots of love
and attention, and I soon felt better. Then, when my foster parents went on vacation, the Brookline
people took me to another fun place: a doggie camp where I had even more foster siblings! My
temporary foster parents were wonderful and they also wanted me to be well, so they took me to
another vet and put me on some medication that is helping A LOT! You see, I need IV fluids every day
to keep me hydrated. Since there is no dialysis for dogs, this is the closest thing they can do. I take a
medication called Carafate, which stops the acid reflux, and also aluminum hydroxide, which helps to
settle my stomach, twice a day. I can now eat what I like and drink without pain. Those ugly ulcers are
gone and I feel SO much better. They also control my blood pressure with something called Enalapril.
To be honest, these things don't taste great (even though they hide them in my food thinking I won't
notice!), but I am super good and take them without a problem because they help me. I'm also very still
when they inject the IV fluids, I never ever give them a hard time. I know they do it so that I feel better,
and I'm very grateful. I'm now back with my first foster family, but everyone at Brookline loves me very
much and I often hear that I am very sweet and special. Sometimes I feel a little guilty because I know
no one will adopt me and Brookline is going to pay for this treatment to keep me comfortable as long
as I need it. It might not be much longer, but I'm enjoying a day at a time, every single day. It's great to
have a second chance in life!
The Brookline people have this thing called the Bright Horizons Fund that they use to help pay the costs
for Labs like me who need special medical care. All the money in that fund comes from nice people
like you who want to help out the Labs. I sure would like to help get some more money in the Bright
Horizons Fund since they spent so much of it on me. But, I'm a little old and I don't have a job... so I
don't have any money to donate. Can you help me out? If everybody donates just a few bucks, I'll bet we
could get lots of money in the Bright Horizons Fund to help me and all the other Labs in Brookline's
care! I sure would appreciate it if you can help out!
Thank you for reading my story
Update: Jackie crossed over the Rainbow Bridge in
September 2006.
Hi, I'm Jackie, and I am 8 years old. A few months ago
one of my puppies and I ended up at the SPCA because
our family could not take care of us any longer. Shortly
after, my puppy was adopted. It was hard for me to part
with him, but at least he found a forever home and would
not have to live at the shelter any longer. I was sad and
did not have much hope. I am a very sweet and quiet lady,
it is really easy to be with me and to love me. But we,
older dogs, don't have much of a chance of being adopted.
September 2006.
Hi, I'm Jackie, and I am 8 years old. A few months ago
one of my puppies and I ended up at the SPCA because
our family could not take care of us any longer. Shortly
after, my puppy was adopted. It was hard for me to part
with him, but at least he found a forever home and would
not have to live at the shelter any longer. I was sad and
did not have much hope. I am a very sweet and quiet lady,
it is really easy to be with me and to love me. But we,
older dogs, don't have much of a chance of being adopted.
