Dash

In Loving Memory

Dash, then Tiny, was at the county shelter for much longer than is usual for a small dog. It didn't take long to figure out why -- he growled at everyone and disliked being handled. He had recurring kennel cough and spend a lot of time in seclusion, which also limited his chances of getting a new home. When he bit a child, we became his only chance. With some trepidation, we decided to take him into our program. His first foster mom, Lisa, couldn't keep him when she took in a returned Chihuahua that she'd fostered before. We asked Marci to foster him.

Marci wasn't intimidated by his tough exterior. She liked his spirit. She almost named him "General" because he walked with his tail straight up in the air and his head held high. She decided on "Dash" instead. He learnt to trust her and she, in turn, fell in love with him.

Dash wanted affection from people but on his terms. He'd jump on your lap and growl at you when you tried to push him off. He seemed so vicious but his bark was much worse than his bite, so to speak. Marci called his growl his purr. He liked other dogs, especially big ones. Marci didn't need a leash with him; he never wandered far from her. He loved his walks and his bright, red harness. The first time she put it on him, he happily pranced around in it.

Dash's favorite place was cuddled under blankets, especially with his foster brother, Paco. Sammy, another Chihuahua, came to live with them and Dash was very happy with his little family.

From the start, Dash had problems keeping food down. In December, he suddenly became very ill with what turned out to be aspiration pneumonia. After several trips to emergency rooms and vets, we found out that he had a condition called megaesophagus. Dogs with this condition struggle to keep food and water down. The pneumonia is caused by regurgitated food being inhaled into the lungs. We realized that what was diagnosed as kennel cough at the shelter was probably fluid in his lungs. Over the period of a week or so, his pneumonia worsened and he ended up in the emergency room again.

Dash's long-term prognosis was poor. After a lot of discussion and much soul searching, we decided that the best thing we could do for him was end his suffering. Marci and Caroline spend a couple of hours at the hospital with him on his last day. He was very content having Marci by his side. He still managed to growl at Caroline but it came out as a gurgle. Although it was very painful for Marci, she stayed with him right up until the end. As the injection went in, he moved his head to see her face; she was the last thing he saw in this world.

Marci words: "Dash will truly be missed. I will always think about him when I'm out there saving more dogs just like him. What calms me the most is knowing that Dash didn't pass on a shelter table, but with me, someone who loved him like her own. He was a very strong pup through all of this and his strength will keep me going and give me the courage to rescue more dogs, even if they aren't in the best of health; they all still deserve to have a second chance at life."