Classy Sassie – soon settled (Oldies Club)

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sassiethinks

October 09 We’ve had an update on Sassie’s story and some new photos of this beautiful older lady.

Dear Friends….

As it is almost 8-months since Sassie joined our family we thought we should send you an update as to how she is.

Back in February we drove to Plymouth to pick Sassie up from her ‘Foster Family’. She immediately settled in very well with us, in fact much easier than we anticipated. She was so relaxed and laid back nothing seemed to phase her. The two cats soon became used to having her around, although one of them is still very wary if Sassie gets too close.

She enjoyed her twice daily walks, come rain or shine, and she is very good company.

We were a bit surprised that from the onset she seemed to have what appeared to be a mind of her own, more so than other dogs. She would never respond to any commands, but we put this down to “old ladies stubbornness”. We have an aunt like this so we are used to it, but it was not long before we found that it was not down to stubbornness at all. She was profoundly deaf.

Later we found that if we stood behind her no amount of shouting or balling would prompt a reaction, but if we stood in front of her we had more luck. We then attempted commands in sign language, and were pleased to find she responded immediately, even at a distance. It turned out not a problem, because once aware of her deafness all we had to do during walks was make sure she could see us, then flap our arms about as if we are insane. Sassie reacted instantly, as did the passers by.

Then in late April it happened. Sassie was extremely subdued throughout the day and “off colour”, if an all black dog can be off colour !. That evening she seemed well and truly down. At about 9.30pm we heard noises and it appeared she had suffered a severe stroke. We called the vet immediately and he confirmed that it was indeed a stroke, quite a bad one. We were surprised to learn that dogs do have a better chance of coming through a stroke than humans, but it would be a case of ‘all or nothing’ in the next 24-hours. The vet suggested we gave Sassie 24-hours to see what would happen, but if there was no improvement or if there was further deterioration he would have to call again, and we knew what that would mean.

The next day Sassie was a little better, and although she still could not stand or walk, we were greeted with somewhat brighter eyes and a wag from her tail. By the afternoon she managed to get to her feet and stagger a few steps, similar to those I perform when coming home from the pub. She continued to improve day by day, and after a week she was not far from her original self.

Then, over time we noticed other changes, the most dramatic being that she seemed to have regained her hearing. This was astounding, and we were quite dumfounded to find that she could hear, even though her hearing is perhaps still only 70%. She now responds as well as any dog with two working ears.

Over the past few months Sassie has continued to improve all round, and she seems to have even regained some of her youth. She is now really quite “bouncy”, enthusiastic, playful, and even can make the stairs !.

Sassie is now happier and brighter than we have ever seen her, and we are so glad she came to live with us.

Best wishes, Anton & Margaret, and Sassie, Fudge, & Millie.

sassiesmile

Doesn’t Sassie look well! We’re so pleased to hear that she’s made such a good recovery after her serious illness.

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8/9/09 Sassy hasn’t been well but with loads of love and care from her owners she’s well on the road to recovery. Well done, Sassie.

saffy5

We’ve had lovely news from Sassie’s new owners who sent us these gorgeous photos.  They say

You will be pleased to know that she has settled in really well, and she is getting along very well with our two cats.   She really looks forward to her two walks each day, and seems very relaxed all
round…. a real Old Girl !.

Best wishes, and once again many thanks

sassy2

saffy3

We were really pleased to get this great update and to find out how sweet Sassie had settled down in her ideal new home.

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