Kicked out? Again?
By Nakoami Stallard
21 Apr 2008
Moosie. What is there to say about him? Well, quite a lot actually. Two owners back, before he reached us, he was a well-loved, slobbery, pampered, healthy great dane. His family, a sweet married couple, took him everywhere, had him neutered, made sure he stayed healthy and happy, and loved him to death. Then his family couldn't keep him. They picked up kayaking, for which there is no room for a huge dog. They passed him on to a couple they knew, who they thought would take good care of him and acquired a lapdog that would fit in their kayaks.
But, the couple, two men that I know and love dearly, kept him inside for about a week. Then the novelty of having a great dane wore off and they got their next dog, which took poor Moose's place. Moose was promptly kicked outside and left in a small kennel. Yes, food and water was provided, but after being so well loved and taken care of and then this, Moose became depressed. He wouldn't eat. The guys wouldn't even take him out of his kennel for exercise. Moose began to drop weight drastically. No one cared enough to take him to the vet. He was skinny, alone, and unhappy.
One of the two men happened to be the hairdresser of my family. As he was cutting my hair, he mentioned that he had a great dane that he and his boyfriend were trying to get rid of. My mom decided to go look at the dog, since our friend said we could get the dog for fifty dollars. We pull up to the house and are escorted to the kennel that Moose was in. Next to it was several other kennels, where other dogs were in just as bad of shape as he was. The guy clipped a lead rope onto Moose's collar and led him out of the kennel. Moose began to shake and love all over us. Our friend told us that Moosie was his boyfriend's dog and that this was the first time he had been out in quite some time. Moose was scraggly and only weighed about a hundred pounds soaking wet. That may sound like a lot of weight, but we are talking about an adolescent great dane! His healthy weight is around a hundred and fifty pounds. This dog needed help. We promptly handed the guy fifty bucks and took Moose and two other dogs that were in horrible condition.
Moose was elated! He got to be around people! We let down the truck's tailgate and Moose jumped in. After getting home, we fed him, brushed him, and let him inside. He still remembered to not potty on the floor after six long months of being kept in a kennel that had driven him into depression. The next morning, he had thrown up every bit of food we had given him. We knew he had food available at the other house. It had been in his food-bowl at the other house and he hadn't been going after it like that was the first time he had eaten in a while, so we knew something was wrong. He was reloaded in the truck and in the vet's office by the time the clinic was open. She was immediately concerned and checked him out. He had worms so bad he could not keep food down. She gave him medicine, a special type of food, and some other stuff to generally get him healthier. Within a week, he had gained ten pounds. He steadily gained weight and was rid of the worms. But soon he had other problems, or so he thought.
My little brother wanted a white german shepard, so, for Christmas, my mother got him one. Inside dog, of course. Instantly, Moose was jealous of him. If the other dog, Copper, was petted, you had to pet Moose too, or Moose would bowl poor little Copper over. Eventually, he got over the whole deal with Copper. Then, no one was home to let the dogs out so we had to put them in the barn during the day. Moose became insistent when he was out that you were going to play with him. He has hyperactive tendancies on a good day. Now, he was insane.
The dogs were allowed back in after a while. Everything started to settle down. Well, before long, Copper figured out how to get out of the fence when the dogs were let out on potty breaks. Copper also discovered the neigbor's chickens and started killing them. At my house, if an animal kills another animal, severely injures another animal, or is aggressive to humans, it has to be put down. So, Copper, um, vacated the premises, I guess is the nicest way to put that. Moose was the only inside dog again.
Now, a tiny problem has entered Moose's life. A really tiny problem. My brother brought home a half-lab, half-border collie puppy the other day. Moose doesn't think too much of it and growls at it if it horse-plays too much near him. Sugar, the puppy, also likes to play with Moose's toys, which Moose does not appreciate. Moose acts worse to this puppy than he has to any of the other dogs that have come and gone, although, the only other inside dog has been Copper. This puppy will not stay inside permanently, he is just brought inside every so often to be played with. I hope Moosie can chill out with his jealousy. I understand why he is the way he is. He's so worried that another dog will come along and he will get kicked out. It's so sad. Well Moose, I hope you realize, you're stuck inside whether you want to be or not. You're not going anywhere!
