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Hi, everyone! Soose here! Well, what did you think of the "soose cats"? On this page, are the "soose dogs". They are all pure-bred German Shepherds. As in the previous page, each pet has a story to tell. So, without further ado, please meet:
Heidi turned 2 years old in January of this year (1997). I bought her at the neighborhood pet shop when she was 9 weeks old. She has an aggressive nature about her that is sort of disappearing as she gets older.
In December, 1996, it was discovered that she had a pancreatic disorder. She had lost 15 pounds! And for a dog, that's ALOT! She underwent many tests before it was diagnosed that the pancreas was the culprit.
She is now on prescription dog food (both canned AND dry), and on a prescription medication (Viokase powder), which has to be mixed with her food twice a day. She has gained back almost all the weight she lost, and according to the Vet, is at her ideal weight now. Most importantly, she plays well, eats well, and looks GREAT! You would never know that anything was wrong with her, if you didn't know her medical history.
Heidi lost her fight with her pancreatic disorder in May of 1999. She will be greatly missed.
Now, continue on down this page, and meet Helga!
Helga is 2 months younger than Heidi. She turned 2 years old in March of this year (1997), but wasn't expected to live past 1 year of age. Here is her touching story:
Two months after I bought Heidi, I was shopping in the pet shop where she came from. The manager of the pet shop (her name is also Helga) came up to me and asked if I knew anyone who would be interested in acquiring a dog that had a severe heart murmur. I told her that I didn't. She told me that it was a German Shepherd, it was approximately 9 weeks old, and if she couldn't give the dog away, it would have to be destroyed, which she didn't want to see happen.
I went back home and told the family about it. My brother had always wanted a dog of his own, and thought that this was his chance. So, back to the pet shop we went. My father says that if my brother hadn't taken Helga (the dog), HE would have.
At the pet shop, we saw the pup. She could barely stand on her own, and had to have a little help in walking. She was SO weak! And she seemed to know that "the end" was near. My brother almost cried. We took her, and just for the heck of it, paid a penny for her. Helga (the person) gave us a bunch of free stuff to go with Helga (the dog), too.
When we took her to the Vet's for a required check up, the doctor on duty shook her head sadly and said that she didn't think Helga would live past a year. Because of her condition, the Vet did not charge us for the visit.
Back at home, my parents fell in love with Helga. Although my brother didn't cry when he saw her for the first time, my mother DID cry. Helga was the most pathetic sight--a VERY sad looking dog, indeed! We didn't know how long she would live, and decided to make her life as enjoyable as possible. All of the other animals immediately accepted Helga, as they probably sensed that she was not a well "baby". It was at that time, that we decided to name Helga (the dog) after Helga (the pet shop manager), because of her great love and concern for pets. Evidentally, Helga (the dog) was not first, nor the last animal that Helga (the person) had saved from "death row".
After months of love, attention, exercise, and good food, Helga began to improve! Her first birthday came and went--she continued to improve. And now, she's over 2 years old. She weighs about 95 pounds (she's the biggest of the 3 dogs), and on a scale of 1 to 6 (1 being the best, and 6 being the worst), Helga's heart is rated between a 2 and a 3. Her heart will never be completely normal. But, it has greatly improved from when we first brought her home. She has become quite a good watch dog, too! She's an excellent example of a medical miracle, as she never has been and is not now on any heart medication what-so-ever.
In March of 1999, my brother came to town from the state of Washington to take Helga back with him. As was mentioned earlier, she was originally his dog and he had a home and a yard big enough to keep her in. As of this writing (April, 2002), she is alive and thriving in Washington State.
Early on the morning of September 29, 2005, Helga crossed over the Rainbow Bridge. This wonderful animal defied all the odds as she was not expected to live past 1 year of age--she lived to be over 10 years of age. She was quite a dog.
Continue on down the page, and meet Thelma.
Thelma's story is a story of the love, devotion, bravery, and common sense of a dog toward and for her mistress.
On January 5, 1995, Southern California was hit very hard by a terrific storm. Rain came down so hard, that one could not see across the street! It almost looked like fog, but it was actually a VERY heavy downpour. My brother did not drive at that time, but Mom still DID. Because of the severity of the storm, my mother drove over to pick him up from work. She took Thelma with her.
Most of the streets were flooding fast, and the street that my brother's employer was located on was one of those streets. Evidentally, from different witness accounts, as Mom tried to enter the flooded street, the car stalled. She apparently panicked, and perhaps had a heart attack--everyone that saw this is fuzzy on the details. My mother passed out, fell forward, and slumped over the steering wheel. Thelma, sensing that something was terribly wrong, began to bark, trying to attract the attention of any passers-by.
Eventually, some office workers from across the street noticed the commotion going on in the car. They dialed 9-1-1, and the paramedics were summoned. After the paramedics arrived, my brother appeared. Thelma was scared, nervous, and worried about Mom; but had the presence of mind to let the paramedics into the car to help her--and not fight them. According to my brother, when they carried Mom out of the car, her face was literally BLUE!
After the ambulance left for the hospital with Mom and my brother, they left Thelma in the car, which by then, was flooding inside. All the car windows were left rolled completely down, and the car was left unlocked. Thelma could have easily gotten out, but stayed there to protect "her" car, and to wait for her mistress to return.
My brother phoned Dad and informed him of the situation, and Dad in turn, phoned me at work to inform me. The storm was at it's peak when I had to leave work and rescue Thelma. What would have normally been a 15 or 20 minute trip, turned into a 2 hour trip, as most streets were heavily flooded, and vehicles of every type were abandoned where they stalled. My car seemed to have God on it's side, for it drove through the flooded streets like they weren't even there! But, traffic was heavy, resulting in delay after delay.
By the time I reached Thelma, the car was half under water, and I had to wade through it to get to the car and to Thelma. Thelma, at first, didn't recognize me, and was not going to let me near "her" car. But, when I spoke to her, she immediately realized who it was, and melted all over the place. She seemed VERY glad to see one of her family. She was completely soaked, and the backseat that she was sitting on was under water. The inside of the car was a mess! I helped her out of the car and got her to my car, then drove home to Dad, who was VERY anxiously waiting for ANY news about ANYTHING.
As soon as I arrived home, Dad wanted me to take him to where their flooded car was. When we arrived, most of the water had subsided from around the car. After a few minutes, Dad was able to get the car started, and back home we went--me following him in my car.
Eventually, Mom recovered, and came home from the hospital after about a week there. But, as time went by, Thelma's hips and hind-quarters began to weaken and "sag". We took her to the Vet's, and we were told that because she was forced to stay in that cold, wet car for over 3 hours, she had developed a bad arthritic condition which would never go away, and most likely get worse. She, indeed, paid a price in order to help her mistress.
Today, my brother drives, but Mom has been forbidden to, as she has had other heart attacks since then. Thelma is on special medication that allows her more maneuverability in her hips and hind-quarters. She still has trouble getting around at times, but if she was not on that medication, she would not be able to get around at all.
Thelma is truly a heroine in our eyes! If it hadn't been for HER, Mom might not be with us today.
Poor Thelma.... Mom and Dad were killed in an automobile accident in February, 1998. Thelma did not live long afterwards. She literally grieved herself to death over Mom's passing. Thelma joined Mom and Dad in September, 1998.
Well, there they all are--the "soose cats" and the "soose dogs"---"SOOSE PETS"! I hope you enjoyed meeting them just as much as I enjoyed telling you about each of them.