Hazel

Mooncroww · 03-07-2011, 08:28 PM

I didn't go looking for a Basset Hound, one actually found me. I woke one morning a few months ago and put the two family dogs out in the back for a romp. After a while I heard some barking and went to see what the problem was. Both boys were at the fence barking their heads off. When I went around front I found the skinniest, saddest looking dog I'd ever seen.

She seemed friendly enough and licked my ankle when I went outside. I ushered the boy dogs inside and got her a bowl of food to eat and called the local Humane Society to come and get her. The man on the phone suggested that if she wasn't mean and I felt safe enough, that I should perhaps try to find her a home myself as if he came to get her there was a good chance she would simply be put to sleep. I said that I would tell my husband and we would talk about it. Meanwhile, I herded the dog into the backyard and shut the gate. She crawled under the deck to get out of the scorching heat and seemed glad to be off her feet.

My husband was reluctant to take her in. We feared she had fleas or perhaps some other contagious disease that might spread to our other dogs. However, when he arrived home he called her out from under the deck and she licked his hand and he was lost.

She was in rough shape, her paws were severely swollen from walking the burning pavement (it was easily 100 degrees that day), she was dehydrated and starved. The vet looked her over and said she was very underweight and they didn't expect her to weigh 30 pounds. She miraculously weighed 35, but sadly she was heart worm positive.

It took a lot of thought, but we decided to pay for the treatment. The vet gave us a considerable discount. She has finished her treatment now, and is without worms, though she still has a slight cough if the weather is cold or especially wet.

We named her Hazel Mae. She is currently laying beside me on the couch, shedding copious amounts of fur (I've been told this is normal) and watching her brothers intently. There have been obstacles to keeping her, the main one being her desperate fear of my husband. We assume she was mistreated by a man before showing up at our door. The vet thought she'd been starved and beaten, then dumped when she turned up heart worm positive.

She is very loved now and I wouldn't have it any other way.

MollyMcFrecklesMom · 03-07-2011, 09:01 PM

What a sad story little Hazel has, but at least she has a good life now. Bless you for helping her. You and your husband are kind souls.

Annie714 · 03-07-2011, 09:13 PM

Thank you Mooncroww for saving Hazel

DaisyBasset · 03-07-2011, 09:55 PM

Aww so sad. You did a wonderful thing! My collie/shepherd mix that passed away in August showed up in similar health and fear 10 years ago. It took about a year for her to trust and about 3 years to completely settle in. It was worth it all though, every day she would just look at me with the most peaceful eyes and relaxed ears and say "thank you" in her own way. I'm sure it's tough for now but I promise, it will all be worth it!

Mooncroww · 03-07-2011, 10:13 PM

We like to say that she climbed up the right set of stairs. We are the biggest bunch of softies in the world when it comes to animals. She is getting more trusting as the days pass. She was okay with the male vet, but my husband and a family friend of ours freak her out. She just rolls over with her feet in the air, or cowers and walks sideways away. We had a small victory when we started having my husband feed her and giver treats.

She's the sweetest dog I've ever seen. My son, who is four years old, adores her. The other two dogs, a Patterdale Terrier and a Gordon Setter get along with her pretty well. The Gordon Setter finds her annoying, but they don't fight or anything. She is a good addition to the family.

jaleely · 03-07-2011, 11:11 PM

it's so wonderful you took her in and took care of her! It's so sad she had to go through anything bad. : (
That was my suggestion, was to have your husband feed her. I rescued a dog once (a chihuahua itialian greyhound mix) who was terrified of men. He now lives happily with my mom and dad, and loves my dad to bits.
So, it will come with time.
Try to have him lie down and play with her, as well as even lie down to give her treats. Sometimes it's the tall bigness of men that also scare them. Also, it will seem to her like he's submitting...which i wouldn't normally suggest a dog to think that of a human, but if she's terrified of him she needs to feel a bit more brave.
Everytime he calls her or says her name or talks to her, he should reward her for not being scared.
It will take time, but she'll be okay! Awww poor lil girl!

Mikey T · 03-08-2011, 01:47 AM

Quote:

the main one being her desperate fear of my husband. We assume she was mistreated by a man before showing up at our door.

Actual most such fears are general from a lack of proper socialization as a puppy rather than mistreatment. A puppy that has little or no contact with men when an adult with fear them. A dog that has been abuse by a man will general fear than man but not all men. Of course there is no way of knowing for sure.

Was Your Dog Abused?

Top Ten Common Dog Fears and Phobias
[quote]
It may surprise people to learn that it is fairly common for dogs to be afraid of men. While in some cases this fear may stem from being abused by a man, most of the time it is due to lack of socialization. Dogs who are fearful of men should be slowly desensitized to men in a nonthreatening manner. Keep in mind that a fearful dog may growl, snap, or bite someone as a result of this fear.[/url]

Quote:

She was okay with the male vet, but my husband and a family friend of ours freak her out. She just rolls over with her feet in the air, or cowers and walks sideways away. We had a small victory when we started having my husband feed her and giver treats.

I would suggest CAUTIOUS CANINE - HOW TO HELP DOGS CONQUER THEIR FEARS, 2ND EDITION

for a systematic counter conditioning/desenstization program to help with her fear. other resources include fearful dogs

Boomer's Mom · 03-08-2011, 10:35 AM

What a sad, sweet, wonderful story! May you have many more happy years with Hazel!

klm42005 · 03-09-2011, 09:03 AM

What a heart warming story...God bless you and your family....we need more kind hearted people like you in the world...Here's to many happy years for you and Hazel....

Woody and his Mom Kristi

mhvonalmen8908 · 03-09-2011, 09:37 PM

Poor Hazel! I'm so glad you decided to take her in and took care of her heartworms too. She'll give you tons of love and joy to thank you for taking her in. Enjoy her. She'll make you laugh and drive you nuts at times. But the laughs far outweigh the frustrations. Good luck and welcome to the forum!

03-07-2011, 08:28 PM	#1 (permalink)
Mooncroww Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Posts: 7	Hazel I didn't go looking for a Basset Hound, one actually found me. I woke one morning a few months ago and put the two family dogs out in the back for a romp. After a while I heard some barking and went to see what the problem was. Both boys were at the fence barking their heads off. When I went around front I found the skinniest, saddest looking dog I'd ever seen. She seemed friendly enough and licked my ankle when I went outside. I ushered the boy dogs inside and got her a bowl of food to eat and called the local Humane Society to come and get her. The man on the phone suggested that if she wasn't mean and I felt safe enough, that I should perhaps try to find her a home myself as if he came to get her there was a good chance she would simply be put to sleep. I said that I would tell my husband and we would talk about it. Meanwhile, I herded the dog into the backyard and shut the gate. She crawled under the deck to get out of the scorching heat and seemed glad to be off her feet. My husband was reluctant to take her in. We feared she had fleas or perhaps some other contagious disease that might spread to our other dogs. However, when he arrived home he called her out from under the deck and she licked his hand and he was lost. She was in rough shape, her paws were severely swollen from walking the burning pavement (it was easily 100 degrees that day), she was dehydrated and starved. The vet looked her over and said she was very underweight and they didn't expect her to weigh 30 pounds. She miraculously weighed 35, but sadly she was heart worm positive. It took a lot of thought, but we decided to pay for the treatment. The vet gave us a considerable discount. She has finished her treatment now, and is without worms, though she still has a slight cough if the weather is cold or especially wet. We named her Hazel Mae. She is currently laying beside me on the couch, shedding copious amounts of fur (I've been told this is normal) and watching her brothers intently. There have been obstacles to keeping her, the main one being her desperate fear of my husband. We assume she was mistreated by a man before showing up at our door. The vet thought she'd been starved and beaten, then dumped when she turned up heart worm positive. She is very loved now and I wouldn't have it any other way.

03-07-2011, 09:13 PM	#3 (permalink)
Annie714 Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Huntington Beach, CA Posts: 1,164	Thank you Mooncroww for saving Hazel __________________ Blog about the antics of Annie and I. http://thechickandthehound.blogspot.com

03-09-2011, 09:37 PM	#10 (permalink)
mhvonalmen8908 Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Sumter, SC Posts: 671	Poor Hazel! I'm so glad you decided to take her in and took care of her heartworms too. She'll give you tons of love and joy to thank you for taking her in. Enjoy her. She'll make you laugh and drive you nuts at times. But the laughs far outweigh the frustrations. Good luck and welcome to the forum! __________________ Megan & Chris -Mom & Dad to Doppler (2 year old Basset/Redbone/Golden mix) and Virga (1 year old Basset)

03-07-2011, 09:01 PM	#2 (permalink)
MollyMcFrecklesMom Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Southeast PA Posts: 1,182	What a sad story little Hazel has, but at least she has a good life now. Bless you for helping her. You and your husband are kind souls.

03-07-2011, 09:55 PM	#4 (permalink)
DaisyBasset Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Camp Hill, Pa Posts: 24	Aww so sad. You did a wonderful thing! My collie/shepherd mix that passed away in August showed up in similar health and fear 10 years ago. It took about a year for her to trust and about 3 years to completely settle in. It was worth it all though, every day she would just look at me with the most peaceful eyes and relaxed ears and say "thank you" in her own way. I'm sure it's tough for now but I promise, it will all be worth it!

03-07-2011, 10:13 PM	#5 (permalink)
Mooncroww Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Posts: 7	We like to say that she climbed up the right set of stairs. We are the biggest bunch of softies in the world when it comes to animals. She is getting more trusting as the days pass. She was okay with the male vet, but my husband and a family friend of ours freak her out. She just rolls over with her feet in the air, or cowers and walks sideways away. We had a small victory when we started having my husband feed her and giver treats. She's the sweetest dog I've ever seen. My son, who is four years old, adores her. The other two dogs, a Patterdale Terrier and a Gordon Setter get along with her pretty well. The Gordon Setter finds her annoying, but they don't fight or anything. She is a good addition to the family.

03-07-2011, 11:11 PM	#6 (permalink)
jaleely Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Ventura, CA Posts: 942	it's so wonderful you took her in and took care of her! It's so sad she had to go through anything bad. : ( That was my suggestion, was to have your husband feed her. I rescued a dog once (a chihuahua itialian greyhound mix) who was terrified of men. He now lives happily with my mom and dad, and loves my dad to bits. So, it will come with time. Try to have him lie down and play with her, as well as even lie down to give her treats. Sometimes it's the tall bigness of men that also scare them. Also, it will seem to her like he's submitting...which i wouldn't normally suggest a dog to think that of a human, but if she's terrified of him she needs to feel a bit more brave. Everytime he calls her or says her name or talks to her, he should reward her for not being scared. It will take time, but she'll be okay! Awww poor lil girl!

03-08-2011, 10:35 AM	#8 (permalink)
Boomer's Mom Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Nebraska Posts: 1,736	What a sad, sweet, wonderful story! May you have many more happy years with Hazel!

03-09-2011, 09:03 AM	#9 (permalink)
klm42005 Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Port Clinton, Ohio Posts: 437	What a heart warming story...God bless you and your family....we need more kind hearted people like you in the world...Here's to many happy years for you and Hazel.... Woody and his Mom Kristi

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