Lucky Dog Blog: Curly's Story

Well this is the week. And as we prepare to take Curly in it is becoming very apparent that we made the right call. Although he shows signs of rallying some hours, he's not fooling me. He is doing more things that indicate he is in pain and barely moves all day. And with the wonderful Winnipeg weather we are getting (-25C this morning), even Curly's morning pee is becoming more of a challenge. As a tribute to our furry old senior, we threw a going away party on Friday. Thanks Drew and Kamila for the pound of roast beef for Curly's last week. He's already in heaven. He LOVED it.

So here is Curly's on-line going away party:

I never planned on adopting dog, let alone bringing home Curly, a senior dog, home from the Humane Society. In fact, I had never stepped foot inside the Humane Society before that day. For good reason. I have gone into the Winnipeg Humane Society twice and now we just happen to have two dogs. Coincidence? Not a chance. I don't have the power to go in and not take a dog home. Especially the ones who have issues. My friends are convinced that I get a discount.

I met Curly on January 13, 2005. It was my first week working with Bonnie and Quinn at Lucky Dog Biscuits and I was going on a ride along to our Winnipeg accounts - including the Humane Society. Bonnie convinced me to take a look around. I didn't even get past the puppy cages when I saw this face...

looking out at me amidst the chaos. Under his cage read, "Curly is looking for a good retirement home." Seriously - how could you resist?

Since we had just lost JJ in November, I wasn't sure that I was ready for a dog again. Life was busy and I wasn't sure if it was fair to subject a new (old) dog to our frantic pace. But it really didn't look like he had many prospects. His breath would knock you over from 5 feet away because of the rotten teeth and he barked non-stop during the visit. Ick! Not my idea of fun BUT he was so cute and sad with his head in his paws, and it seemed a shame that someone just gave him away because he was old. No kidding - that's what the file said. Here's the Humane Society ad that came out a day after I adopted him.

I've always been prepared for this time to come with Curly because I honestly didn't think he would live to 13 let alone 15. He had a persistent cough, horrible teeth and more lumps and bumps than a Winnipeg side street. But every time I took him in for a check-up his heart was strong, appetite was good and all the bumps were just fat. (I can relate Curly - I have a few of those too).

He was not a very affectionate dog. I suspect he was treated unkindly in his previous home. He didn't seem to like human companionship and shied away from men for the first year. He's still not affectionate but he has his moments. And we appreciate those moments even more knowing that he is discerning on who gets his attention.

Thanks for being such an easy dog Curly. You really turned out to be an extraordinary pet for such a questionable start. And thanks Leeanne for fixing his teeth and keeping him comfortable in his final weeks.

I just wish we had Curly from the start. I'm sure he would have been a fantastic puppy since he was such an entertaining senior.