Shep 

Shep was my first dog.  Growing up we'd had cats in the house but never a dog.  I'd always wanted one so the first time the opportunity arose off we went to Battersea Dogs Home in London.  Having passed the mandatory suitability test we went into the kennel block.  I had imagined numerous runs containing hundreds of dogs and puppies so was surprised to find only about 20 adult dogs.  We spent about half an hour walking round the kennels, reading the information cards on each pen and had just about given up when I saw a black and white nose peering out from the bedding area - instantly I knew this was the dog for me.

We read his information card which said he'd been handed in by his previous owners, was likely not house trained, didn't get on with cats and it was not known if he got on with children.  We asked the kennel staff for more details and got him out of his run to see him up close.  Despite being told that Basil, as he was then called, was destructive and had been handed in because he was unmaneagable my mind was set. It was February 6th 1993 that Shep, this then 1 year old Labrador x Border Collie came home with us.  The years since then have been, to put it mildly, interesting.

My first lesson in dog ownership was learned the hard way, namely that you  should spend a lot of time in selecting the right dog for you. To be honest I'd imagined getting a dog, going to obedience classes and having a perfectly behaved  companion.  While Shep was (and still is) a beautiful dog who can be very obedient (he has been to obedience classes and has passed his Good Citizen test) he has a very high chase urge and will try to go after cyclists, cars, lorries, cats, wildlife etc.  As a result he cannot be trusted off lead except in fenced areas so my dreams of doing agility fast disappeared, replaced by strong arm muscles and an almost psychic ability to spot cats and wildlife.  

The second lesson I learnt about taking on a rescue dog was that they come with baggage.  In Shep's case this involved chasing, chewing and barking. Now  with several years experience in dog rescue I know that many people would have returned a dog who behaved like this - for us this was never a consideration so we just dealt with each problem as we encountered it.  The chasing was resolved by keeping him on a lead and the chewing by keeping him in an area where there was nothing for him to chew. Over the years he's gradually grown out of his chewing stage, it's just a pity it wasn't before he'd eaten 2 sofa's, carpet, the kitchen lino etc.etc.

My third lesson in dog ownership was vets bills. From the start Shep had a funny gait and a terrible cough. Again while I had done my homework in as much as I had determined my lifestyle was compatible with having a dog, I hadn't fully comprehended how expensive dogs can be. Yes, there is pet health insurance, which I took out in the UK but this does not cover routine vaccinations or pre existing conditions which unfortunately all my rescues came with and which in 1998 cost approx. $5000 to treat.  Shep came to us with what we were told was Kennel Cough but which turned out to be lungworm. His strange gait has been diagnosed as dysplasia and arthritis which thankfully has not caused him any real problems.  Oh yes, he also caught ringworm from Bram.

In 1996 we moved to the USA and of course Shep came with us - I was amazed at the number of people who thought we should rehome them rather than bring them with us. Being the maniac he is I was worried how he would cope with the flight, I shouldn't have worried - when the airplane was being unloaded I could hear him barking at the baggage handlers so knew he was fine.  It took next to no time for Shep to settle in to life in North Carolina.  Our house has a lot more land than we had in England and is fenced in, giving Shep the opportunity to run to his hearts content.  He has adjusted well to life spending his days alternating between running round the yard, chasing the local wildlife and sleeping (still dreaming of catching that elusive squirrel), especially in the summer when he can be found under the air conditioning vents.

June 2003 - Routine bloodwork showed a high T4 level. An exam and ultrasound found a 1.0 x 0.4cm thyroid tumour which by the time of surgery on July 6th had more than doubled in size. Over 90% of thyroid tumours are malignant so we were elated to find he had a benign functional adenoma. These tumours do recur but being functional (producing thyroid hormone) we'll be able to monitor for a recurrance by simply doing regular thyroid levels.

July 2004 - Shep's bloodwork again showed a high T4. Fearing a recurrance of his tumour we went to NC State vet school and thankfully determined that the increase was likely due to his remaining thyroid gland starting to function, not because the tumour had recurred. Unfortunately later in July Shep became increasingly painful. An examination showed that his hips had deteriorated further. The only realistic option was a hip replacement, which he had on September 29th 2004. November 2004 - To say Shep did well with the hip replacement was an understatement. He was weighbearing the next day and the weeks since the surgery have been a battle between him wanting to chase birds and squirresl and me wanting to keep him very quiet to give him time to heal. He attends for physical therapy twice weekly which he dislikes intensely, however the benfits are obvious - he is now walking almost normally and his muscle mass has increased noticeably.

March 2004 - There has been no stopping Shep. A recheck in January showed his hip was looking great and he was discharged, finally allowing him to resume his mission to destroy the worlds population of squirrels (of course the squirrels have absolutely nothing to fear!).

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