Lillie

Her eyes were the first thing I noticed. They were swollen and crusted with dried pus and debris. Still, this dog seemed to anticipate kindness and she nuzzled into my hand as I examined her sad bony body...

The dog, a Standard Poodle named Lillie, was being surrendered to the Pound. The owner knew that Lillie might be euthanized and she even gave a donation toward the cost of that service. For a dog in this deplorable state, that might be the kindest action for her.

After a real close examination though and spending some time with this lady dog, I called Critteraid and asked Deb to come by and meet her. By gently washing away some of the eye goop, Lillie could partly see from the one eye. She lay rested on the grooming table while I fingered my way through the barbs of speargrass. By the time Deb arrived, Lillie was ready to meet new friends. Deb said she didn't look like a Standard Poodle - her head was more like a Greyhound. Her hip bones seemed to just be a rack to hold her poodle curls. As the Coordinator for Critteraid's Dog House Division, I had already decided that Lillie was a perfect candidate to be taken in by Critteraid. We set the wheels in motion for her to begin her journey on the road to recovery.

Truthfully, I hadn't seen anything like this for a very long time. This dog was absolutely filthy and was pierced by speargrass everywhere...including her eyes. Slowly I was able to remove it piece by piece but it was clear to me that Lillie needed the care of a veterinarian. The next day, Dr. Kaplan of the TriLake Animal Hospital in Winfield, examined Lillie. A medical protocol was worked out and life with Lillie began in earnest for my husband, Don, and I.

Lillie's teeth weren't bad but her breath was foul. I got in her mouth with my flashlight and was able to pull out two globs of hair that were rotting away in between her teeth. The roof of her mouth was bleeding - more speargrass. The hospital had flushed out the puncture wound on her left side and removed more speargrass as well.

What a darling dog! We started her on epsom salt foot baths to help draw some of the toxins from her feet. They were already starting to bleed and abscess from the infection from the speargrass. The baths gave her some relief. Through all of this and more, Lillie didn't flinch, nor did she even whimper. She nuzzled in close as if to say "thank-you".

When we got her bloodwork results back from the lab, we felt like celebrating. Lillie was becoming a normal dog! YIPPEE!

After that, Lillie had surgery on her feet and the speargrass came out of her pads daily.

There were so many good people who wanted to adopt her. One Vancouver family, in particular, had heard about Lillie while they were away in Arizona on business. They kept emailing and started phoning. They had a standard poodle and a toy poodle, as well as a cat that thinks he's a dog. They sent us a video using all the photos that were posted about Lillie with the music of, "You've got a friend in me". Their calls were daily. Even the cat called. They came home early from Arizona and headed up here to meet Lillie. They applied like everybody else but their connection was amazingly strong to this poor waif.

Lillie went home with them on the condition that she visit the veterinarian weekly, which she did. Every week she grew better, stronger. She was playing with the other two dogs almost immediately and her connection with the cat, Stevie, is unbelievable. They walk together at night as an entire family and Lillie has taken over the role of matriarch. They were so pleased every time she gained a bit more weight and proudly send us photos of her new "bum".

One of Lillie's favorite games now is to play tag with the other dogs around the pool table or around the pool. She, however, got smart quick and went under the pool table to catch one of the other dogs. She goes to work with Mom, Dad and the gang where the staff spoil her incessantly and she brings absolute joy to everyone she meets.

Meet the new Miss Lillie!

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