Update on the Journey of Joy the Dog

For those of you who are following the story of a Miniature Pinscher dog named Joy who was found abandoned in a rest area along Interstate 35 the day after Thanksgiving, we are happy to report that she now weighs 18.8 lbs, 2.6 lbs down from her original weight of 21.4 lbs! (normal weight for an adult Min Pin is 8-10 lbs) We are also happy to report that in the time she has been at Prairie's Edge Humane Society she has also lost 1.5 inches from her waist. 

Joy has been a very busy girl these past few weeks getting lots of exercise, learning that it's ok to eat out of a dish and making new friends!  During this time she has gone from waiting in her bed for us to pick her up and carry her to the PEHS business office and coax her to walk a short distance to excitedly greeting us standing at the door of her kennel and walking through the entire shelter on her own.  Joy is very curious and investigates every corner of the building every day. She has gained so much more strength in her legs, increased her stamina and is more comfortable when she does have to lie down.  She has discovered her voice and is much more confident as well.  She lets us know whenever a new person comes through the front door or if she thinks the kittens are playing too rough!

Joy can now stand on the scale during her weekly weight checks instead of her weight requiring her to lie down after a short time.  She is getting lots of exercise by walking laps across the lobby of the shelter, being rewarded with a treat of low calorie/high fiber food, which she loves.  Just shake the container and she comes running, well...as close to running as Joy can do!  Our wish for Joy is that someday she will be able to run.  Right now she does a fast shuffle, but is bending her knees a little more each day as she is becoming more physically limber.  She also walks to the mailbox each day, sometimes taking the long route unless it is too cold outside.  She does not like the cold outdoors so she wears her sweater and we don't spend as much time outside when it is very cold.  We do more indoor activities with her.  Our veterinarian is very happy with her progress and we are waiting for the day that she is at a healthy enough weight to have her spay surgery.  That will be Joy's next major goal.

It's so fun to watch her as she gets so excited with everything around her.  She seems to be experiencing many new things and wants to be friends with all of the other shelter animals.  We are not sure if she is experienced with being around other animals, other than the dog she was found with, if that is why she gets along so well with all of them or if she just does not know what a cat or a rabbit is so therefore does not have the knowledge that she could chase them or bother them.  She simply wants to be their companion. She has such a sweet personality that even the Tom cat Godric who is also allowed to wander the shelter building and is notorious for not being a big fan of any dog, has tolerated Joy as she simply ignores his attempts to be annoyed with her. 

Joy is allowed to wander the shelter each morning while the staff goes about their daily duties as it is a great way for her to gain more exercise.  Her first stop is always the exam room area to greet Kyle, our Canine Care Manager who is one of her favorite people.  She then makes a stop at each kitten cage to see what the kittens are up to before moving on to the cat colony where she checks out all of the residents and seems to say hello to all of the cats.  She then moves down the hallway where she loves to stand and look through the glass door, watching the kennel attendants tending to the other dogs at the shelter.  She is not able to be in the same area as the dogs available for adoption yet, but that is our ultimate goal for her. After a quick check of the laundry room and greeting the rest of the staff she makes her way back to the lobby to watch "Nibbles" the rabbit play while staff cleans the rabbit cage. We then do "laps" with her across the lobby and down the hallway for exercise.  She currently can do about four or five of these before she gets a bit tired. She then has her breakfast and spends the rest of the morning following staff around or retracing her original route to check on everyone several more times during the morning. By the afternoon she is very tired out and still spends the majority of the afternoon sleeping. 

She is now eating all of her food out of her dish instead of wanting to eat off the floor.  This may not seem like a big deal but it is a big accomplishment for Joy.  When she first came to us she did not seem to understand that it was ok to eat out of a dish or understand that dog food was for her and she did not have to scavenge for her food.

Joy has spent some time at my home with me and my pets.  I live with two Basset Hounds and a cat.  My dogs love to play but they seemed to realize that Joy was not physically able to do the same things as they were and they seemed to be keeping an eye out for her, did not play rough around her and allowed her to snuggle with them on their beds or on my couch. When they would all go outside, they would wait for Joy as I had to carry her down the steps and off the deck as she is unable to manage steps at this point.  Sophie my Basset/Lab mix seemed to want to show her around the backyard and gave another shot at play time with her new friend.  Joy made a good attempt to keep up but was just not physically able to do so.  Molly my Basset Hound kept near Joy, following behind her at Joy's pace.  When in the house Joy was very curious about my cat.  Lucy is 19 years old, deaf, rules my house and couldn't care less about the dogs.  She allowed Joy to follow her around until she determined she was bored with yet another dog and returned to her chair to sleep. I believe that animals understand more than we give them credit for understanding.  They are sympathetic, therapeudic and love unconditionally. I felt like a proud mom who had watched her children care for another child who was in need of a friend.  Joy simply wants to be loved. She will cuddle next to you on the couch for as long as you will sit there.  She loves to burrow herself under a blanket or pillow.  Joy was a very tired dog by evening, but also a happy one! She went to bed in her crate at 10 pm and I didn't hear a peep from her until 5:30 am!  She will spend this coming weekend at my home as well. 

Joy is simply a "joy" to spend time with.  She does have some very specific special needs right now and is unable to physically do a lot of the things that most dogs can do so you have to help her to do them but she is so grateful and loving in return.  She is a special "little" girl who we hope will some day be a special addition to someone's family.  We will keep you updated on her progress and we hope to one day announce that Joy is available for adoption! I have attached a few photos of Joy's adventures over the past few weeks.