The Gas Station Adventure

Hey Everyone!

We have been quite busy around the WTC home and we wanted to share with you all why. This is a bit of a long one, so buckle in.

It all began while I was out for lunch one day at a gas station (yes I know, super healthy) I saw something that really tugged at my heartstrings. When I got back into my car I saw a dog that was laying on the ground right next to the front door.

She was not moving at all beyond what looked to be hyperventilating. I went back inside to ask the staff how long the poor dog had been there. They told me she had been there since the night before. Once I had confirmed she was not waiting on anyone in the store I went back outside to see if (or how) she would respond to me. I spoke to her and petted her and she kind of lifted her head but not much else. She was completely covered in fleas and ticks. I had never seen so many on a dog before. When she looked me in the eyes I could just see that she looked so tired, and this is when I knew I had to do more.

I was a little worried about her because it was a fairly hot day down here in this little border town. One of the girls that worked at the gas station brought out some water to see if the dog would drink it, but she refused. So I did what every other crazy white girl does when it comes to rescuing animals and decided to pick her up and put her in the car.... and in my true fashion, figure everything else out on the fly. So I did just that. I picked her up, shoved her in the car, and then realized: Oh crap. I have to go back to work for a couple of hours. What am I going to do?

I started calling vets to see if I could get her in some where. Maybe they could keep her while I was at work and I could come get her later? I was able to find a vet that could work us in around 3 PM, but they couldn't take her before. This was partially due to the fact that I was not an established client down here. I had still been taking Kali to the vet up North where I used to live. So again, I did what any sensible (or crazy?) dog lover does and started devising a plan to sneak her into my office until I could take her to the appointment. After a few phone calls I got her in the office, set her up with some food and water, and headed to the last meeting of the day.

Once I was out of the meeting I went back to my office to collect the sweet little dog I had found at the gas station. One of my direct reports was able to find a spare harness that they keep for their dogs in their car, and they let me borrow it. We got her fitted and I snuck her back out to the car. We were finally ready to head to the vet! She looks thrilled right?

We got to the vet and just like I had to pick her up to put her in the car at the gas station and carry her in and out of my office I had to carry her into the vet. At this point I was starting to wonder if she was leash trained, or really had any training at all. Once inside of the vet's waiting room we took a seat and waited our turn. She started inching closer to the door into the hallway to the exam rooms to see what was going on. This was promising. It shows intelligence and a quizzical mind.

Finally it was our turn and we went into one of the exam rooms. I started explaining the situation to vet, and he took her back with one of the tech's to check her over, give her some immediate acting flea medicine, and to give her the standard vaccines. Because after all Kali was at home, and she was still my main priority, and we want to prevent anything happening to her as well.

They brought her back in the room and said she did well and was a very laid back dog. Which was great for me because Kali can be a bit much at times and I knew I would have to introduce them at some point. They also said she was surprisingly healthy all things considered. Her heartworm test was negative and she was also negative for the most common diseases fleas and ticks can give dogs.

At this point though I realized I might have to look for an owner. As part of the check-up they had scanned her for a chip, but they were unable to find one. Really that is not that weird though down here. I know I have mentioned before that the animal culture is quite different down here. Animals are treated differently, and in a lot of cases not well. The shelters, I know, are at their limits and strays are very prevalent. So I asked the vet if I would be wasting my time looking for an owner, and his answer, although I knew what he would say before I asked