Money can buy
you a fine dog,
but only love
can make it
wag its tail!
Nikki
Rescued & Adopted March 12, 1994;
Rainbow Bridge - September 22, 2006
. . . till we meet again...
Nikki was born in December 1992 in a puppy mill somewhere in the Mid-Westie (oops...that's Mid-West), and "shipped" to his new owners in the state of Virginia. In early 1994, Nikki was given up to the Northern Virginia SPCA for adoption after nipping at the child in the home, as well as the child's friends. The SPCA had a little bit of a difficult time placing Nikki, because he did not make a good first impression. He barked at everybody, was not readily friendly, and did not seem to care for men. We went to visit him at his foster home, and the rest was history. Nikki was adopted and came to his forever home on March 12, 1994, where he lived happily for many years. In early 2005, Nikki was diagnosed with Diabetes and Cushings Disease. The medication and shots kept him pretty stable until the wee hours our September 22, 2006, when he clearly indicated he'd had enough. Later that morning, Nikki was peacefully sent to the Rainbow Bridge.
Mitzi
Rescued & Adopted November 16, 1996;
Rainbow Bridge - March 5, 2007
. . .I miss you sweet girl...
Mitzi was born in January 1993 in a puppy mill in Ohio, and purchased by a family in New York, who ultimately moved to Maryland. A neighbor's doctor who was a friend of Mitzi's family knew that Mitzi was looking for a new home and mentioned it to my neighbor during a "doggie" conversation at one of her appointments. She promptly told me...and the rest is history. On November 16, 1996, Mitzi came to her forever home. Having come from a home with an electric fence, Mitzi was terrified of walking on the grass...most likely, a major reason why her previous home was having problems housebreaking her. She had been "shocked" a number of times from the fence. Mitzi also lacked self-esteem, and submissive urination was an everyday occurrance...at first. Mitzi eventually overcame past issues and graduated from Basic Obedience, Basic and Intermediate Agility, and passed her Canine Good Citizens Test! She appeared in numerous local and national parade of rescues. Mitzi had many, many healthy years in the Gittles household. Unfortunately, in the past year or so, she was diagnosed with Westie Lung Disease and a few other ailments - all controlled by medication. Sadly, after a 3-day stay at the animal hospital struggling to breath, on March 5th, surrounded by her friends, Mitzi
was sent to the Rainbow Bridge. She joined her daddy and her 2 brothers -- Vinnie, Norman, Nikki, and Mitzi are together again forever. And I will always miss them all.
Norman
Rescued & Adopted October 5, 1996;
Rainbow Bridge - September 27, 1999
. . . forever in our hearts . . .we miss him dearly!
Norman (age unknown) was found running the streets and taken to a local animal hospital and left there. By the time we found out about him, he had already been at the hospital for many weeks, he was skin and bones, and he was filthy. No one at the hospital was very fond of him, and rather than trying to find him a home, they pretty much just forgot about him in their boarding area. I first went to see him in September 1996, and decided that I would adopt him - and asked that they clean him up, do his teeth (several teeth had to be pulled), and have him neutered. During this time, he bit one of the technicians, and thereafter had to stay in "jail" another 10 days....and yes, I still wanted him. Shortly after bringing him home on October 5, 1996, I noticed his irregular gait and difficulty navigating stairs. After taking him to "my" vet, it was discovered that he had hip dysplasia, arthritis, and a luxating patella on which he ultimately had surgery. For three years, we gave Norman a good life. He had many problems, both physical and psychological (we suspect prior abuse), and maintained a slight aggression problem the entire time. Because of his problems, no one else would have given him a chance...but we did. In September 1999, we had to make the hardest decision we've ever faced. Norman is now waiting for us at the Rainbow Bridge...we really miss him...
Arie
At 4-years-old, Arie came into foster care in April 2002 missing much of his fur and suffering from a severe case of Malassezia. He was very, very ill. He required lots of medications and frequent medicated baths. Arie thrived on the new treatment regiment and in a matter of weeks, he was looking noticeably better - and acting a little frisky as well! Arie was part of my family from April 2002 until October 2004, at which time he went to live with some very good friends and their young Westie. Arie is very much with me in my heart, but he is thriving in his new home and is very happy to have a Westie playmate. You can read more about Arie's rehabilitation here:
http://www.westiemed.org/health/malassezia/arie/.
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