Sunday, July 10, 2016

Arcadia!

Arcadia Florida that is, located a little over twenty-eight miles east of here, inland.
Known for its antiquing, rodeos, fresh produce, yes including oranges, and yet we weren't there for any of that!
Animal Ark of Arcadia was our destination and where Gus became ours on December 27, 2014, they were the liaison between Canine Castaways and our adoptee, it is also a veterinary clinic.

PTSD is not only a all too common malady of soldiers these days, but also a legitimate one found in too many rescue abandoned and mistreated domestic animals.
Prior to us receiving our Gus AKA Gaston, he was living on the wildly exotic streets of Naples Florida, and exaggeration, poetic licensing let's say; that is until Animal control picked him up!
Where they neutered him, gave him the proper inoculations and his ID chip, and from there he was sent to Arcadia where he received his first grooming, or maybe the other way around, his story is unclear, so we cannot determine how his extreme fears began.
Mainly they manifest themselves in many issues of being disturbed while asleep, being bathed and groomed, or picked up, towels, plastic bags, or being examined and given shots during veterinary exams.
Yep Cujo had nothing on sweet little Gus whenever any of those things are going on!
Our little Dr. Jekyll and Mr.. Hyde fellow can become quite incorrigible.
Now about a year and half later Hubby and I had a discussion about him, he had bitten us both a few times out of fear, and his previous grooming situation was too expensive for us to maintain for years and years as well as his medical needs. You see the vet we were going to was charging a few hundred dollars each time to put Gus under anesthesia for grooming and exams and that was every couple of months!
I truthfully told Hubby that we cannot financially handle this; I still take care of all bills, it is my nearly only contribution these days.
With confusion, tears, misery and literally at my wits end a few months ago I called the Ark where we had picked up Gaston then from for adoption and asked for help while explaining like I just did here our situation.
We have always had pets, but never a problem of this extreme like this before.
Even the sweetest dogs had bitten me, but only once and all was forgiven and then never ever again.
Gus is a repeat biter, and he was getting into a very untidy matted dirty mess and would not allow anyone to take care of him.
All the other dogs I was able to care for or at least send them to a groomer without the groomer saying that they wanted to eat them!
Pricing seems wrong to mention with any living things need, but let's get real we were getting gouged and until we were exonerated by the Ark we even questioned whether we were being too cheap and maybe animal parenting is something we should have to reconsider at this point in our lives.
But the woman I spoke to there was wonderfully compassionate and understanding and recommended one of the foster parents who is a groomer and lives in our town, and so we spoke and she suggested a playdate with her and her foster four legged pups, but sadly that was months ago and one of hers was quite ill on IVs and we had been postponed.
Gus has been a mess for a couple of weeks now, too long to go for anyone who loves animals.
But we had no alternative, and tried calling her again, that is Hubby did.
And so last week on Wednesday Gus had his first playdate with her four-legged kids.
He played well, but flunked bathing and clipping!
So she agreed he did need to be "put under", he had unsuccessfully tried to bite her twice.
And she called the Ark and they offered on Sunday, that is today, to put Gus under and get the job done for a nominal fee of free!
Although, in the future there will be a charge, about every three months of forty-five for sedation and forty for the grooming, manageable, and YAY!
Hubby and I ate lunch nearby at a local eatery while we waited for word that Gus would be all done, and he was.
Looking rather well groomed, but groggy, sadly again, no other choice; it is hard to do, believe it or not.

And so there are truly good people in this world who understand, remember that folks.
Gus is happy, Hubby is happy and I am happy, so a win, win, win!

Love to all, be well, peace and blessings!

And next time please be here or be square, ya hear!  

PS their vet is now Gus's new doctor!

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