Snapshot Meme: Gizmo Forever With Us!

Posted by: Allison Helps Cats on: February 21, 2014

• In: Teasers
• 16 Comments

Saturday Snapshot invites bloggers to share photos. Saturday Snapshot invites bloggers to share photos. This week, I’m posting an update on Gizmo. For those of you follow my blog, you might recall that Gizmo is a silky terrier senior whom my husband and I started fostering in December 2012. Six months later, due to his enmity with our cat, we gave up Gizmo to another foster family. They also found his care too much, and so after our June vacation, we took Gizmo back. This past month, Gizmo finally found his forever home—with us!

The most outstanding feature of Gizmo is how much he loves to play and go for walks. When he plays with his toys, he rips into them with full zest. Very few toys endure his tough teeth or his high energy.  The featured photo is of Gizmo with one of the only toys that has survived his tenacity. He also loves to do everything with passion. When he rough houses with my husband, Gizmo seems like a puppy. He growls, jumps, and excitedly whines. He also tries to play with our dog by bouncing around, but Barnaby just prefers to sit and endure the antics.

Gizmo gets no less excited about walks. For the first months of our having Gizmo, my husband and I sometimes had to both hold him to get on his halter. Over time, Gizmo has mellowed enough that one of us can handle the task. However, he still prances and excitedly whines the moment the leash comes out. On walks themselves, we limit how far we take him, but I think he would walk forever if he could. As an old dog, Gizmo does bumble and stumble about, but his desire to explore seems endless.

As I said though, we initially took Gizmo on as a foster dog. Our resolution to stick to that decision grew stronger, when every encounter with our cat resulted in confrontations. Needless to say, when we took Gizmo back, we had to come up with creative ways to make both Gizmo and our cat feel at home. My husband made Gizmo a bed which would allow him to sleep near us, but also keep him confined to the bed at night. My husband also partitioned a small section of our living room, so that Gizmo could roam without stressing out our cat.

Shortly after taking Gizmo back, we also almost lost him. Gizmo suffered a herniated disc. In doing so, he lost the ability to move his back legs. After seeing a specialist, we found out Gizmo still had deep pain, and therefore could potentially recover. We gave Gizmo regular treatments of steroids, helped him exercise regularly, and prayed. The paralysis also had other side effects, such as a lot of accidents in the house. The journey to recovery has been long. Inside, Gizmo had to use a cart and later pet boots. For walks, we had to take him in a pet stroller. If not Gizmo’s sheer stubbornness, the outcome might have been different. Fortunately, he’s one strong-willed dog. Over the months, Gizmo made slow progress. Just this week, Gizmo went for his first walk since his injury.

Gizmo had already been eleven when we started to foster him. He came saddled with Cushings, which means issues with appetite and thirst and muscle control. Yet he has never let this disease get him down. He’s a rambunctious puppy at heart. During the time of Gizmo’s paralysis, we saw his demeanor change. We felt disheartened and regularly hoped to see the return of the spunky personality which had so enamored us. Although his eyesight and hearing are now almost gone, and naps seem more frequent, Gizmo does once again seem to love life. It’ll be our pleasure to make this little guy happy throughout the rest of his senior years.

Related Posts

• Snapshot Meme: Our First Foster Dog
• Snapshot Meme: Our Foster Dog Returns!
• Snapshot Meme: Gizmo Sees His Former Owner

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