Springer

Occasionally a dog will
come to MAESSR’s attention
that is in dire need
of help. Sweet Sadie, otherwise
known as Sadie 17, who
came from Pennsylvania, is
one such Springer. Sadie, who
is 12 and had been a family’s
companion since puppyhood,
found herself struggling in her
“golden years,” a time when
life shouldn’t be so difficult.
We aren’t really sure why Sadie
suffered such a drastic change
in her living arrangements,
but it was reported that when
her caregiver moved out of
his parents’ home, he left
her with them. For whatever
reason, the remaining family
members banished Sadie to
an outdoor pen, where she’s
spent the past three years of
her life. There, poor Sadie, a
loving and affectionate dog,
was isolated and deprived
of companionship. Her only
shelter was a plastic dog house
that had no blankets or any
of the comforts of “home” as
she previously knew it. Sadie
suffered through the intense
heat of scorching summer days
and endured the extremes of
sub-zero winter. Kind attention,
warm baths, and even the
basic grooming that all dogs
need, were a thing of the past.
All Sadie felt against her skin
was the mud from the filthy
pen in which she lived, mixed
with tangled dreadlocks of
hair. For three years Sadie was
left to survive on her own, deprived
of the love and care of
those she had always considered
her family. Over time, her
neglect became an increasingly
painful reality.
Fortunately, when Sadie’s
owners went out of town,
they asked an acquaintance to
check on her while they were
gone. When this kind-
3
Sadie’s New Lease on Life
LINDA PLATE
SADIE SUFFERED THREE YEARS OF NEGLECT …
www.maessr.org
hearted person saw poor
Sadie’s condition, she could
not allow her to suffer any
longer. She quickly carted
Sadie off to a groomer, where
she was bathed and her badly
matted coat was shaved. After
so many pounds of tangled,
twisted, sun-bleached hair
were removed, she was literally
half the size she had appeared
to be. When Sadie’s owners
returned home, her “savior,”
who was concerned for her
future, convinced them to relinquish
her to MAESSR so she
could get the care and nurturing
that all dogs deserve. After
Sadie joined her foster family,
she received the attention she
needed and blossomed into the
beautiful girl we see today.
Despite three years of unconscionable
neglect, Sadie
is in very good health for a
girl her age. She will turn 13
in March, and still has quite
a bit of spring in her step!
She’s at a good weight and
shows little-to-no signs of the
arthritis that some dogs her
age tend to exhibit. Her hearing
is somewhat compromised,
but her foster mom believes it
to be more “selective hearing”
than actual hearing loss.
Sadie’s eyes have the clouding
that all seniors tend to get,
but her eyes are healthy and
she doesn’t have any apparent
vision loss. She is heartworm
negative, but does have the
Lyme antigen in her body.
She’s received a full course of
antibiotics as a precautionary
measure, but is completely
asymptomatic. Sadie benefits
from a small dose of a relatively
inexpensive medication for
incontinence, which is something
that tends to afflict many
of our more seasoned Springers.
continued on page 6