My Dear Prince. He is where this whole dog adventure began. Driving to brunch one day with my friend Shelly we noticed a white dog off the side of the road who looked pregnant. As we pulled off to try to help her she ran off into a field and we could not follow her. We decided to head on to brunch but stop at this spot on the way back. As we returned we saw more dogs. We didn´t see the one we originally stopped for but we did see another white dog. A fluffy white dog that looked like a yellow lab and shepherd mix. He was hanging out with another smaller dog who appeared to be very injured. Since we live in Puerto Rico and see dogs every day, we happened to have some dog food in the car. We left that for them, but none of the dogs would come near us.
We went back daily, either both of us, or just Shelly or just me. We wanted to make sure they were eating and we were committed to getting the injured dog to get some help. His foot appeared to be very infected and we could see the bone. He was also very hunched in his back. We were aware that the White dog seemed to be the companion of the injured dog and his protector. I started to call the White Dog ¨Prince¨ which seemed to suit him very well. The injured dog Shelly named The Pauper, to go along with Princes´ name of course. I was successful in getting Prince to eat some chicken from my hand, but he would back up as soon and Pauper came near. He would bark at us when Pauper came anywhere close and Pauper would bark nonstop. His injury was looking worse and we believed it was getting urgent.
Shelly went back one day alone. She had some chicken in her car and she was determined to get these dogs. She slowly placed chicken on the ground in front of her car, then on the floor inside her car. Prince readily jumped right into the car and got comfortable eating the chicken. Shelly was shocked. She was back and forth on taking him without Pauper. Meanwhile Prince finished the chicken and jumped back out of the car. Shelly and I were texting back and forth at this time. I advised if she can bring one, do so and we will go back for the other one. So, she did, and Prince was brought to my house where he would be fostered. All it took for him was some more chicken.
Now, a little advice right here. Shelly was lucky with Prince. He could easily have been aggressive in a moving car. SO quick note, if rescuing a dog, have a way to contain the dog for your safety and for theirs. Prince wanted to be rescued and go with a family, but not every dog on the street will be that easy and well behaved in the car. Follow your instincts, but try to have a way to contain the dog if necessary- i.e. a crate, a leash you can buckle in, a gate behind the back seat of an SUV…
The Pauper would not get into the car unfortunately. Over the net two days Shelly went back to see about Pauper and I got Prince settled into the house. During this time Shelly met Joanne, who would end up being a great friend in rescue. Joanne was able to introduce us to José who managed to help us capture Pauper and get him to a vet. Shelly took the responsibility of taking Pauper.
A very sad day it turned out to be. Pauper was a lot more injured than we could see. He had a high infection and he was very ill from that. Pauper had no control over his body and was moving on instinct, his quality of life would be very low as he would not easily be able to go outside, and would never control his bowels or pee (he peed constantly). It was agreed that Pauper would move on to the afterlife, a very difficult decision, but ultimately one to bring Pauper peace and no more pain. We all had a long cry for this poor precious pup.
Prince was still at my house in the mean time. He was settling in nicely and I could tell he was a well trained pup and very friendly. He loved being with us and he was easy to fall in love with. Initially I could see myself keeping him at my house in PR, but eventually I decided he would have a better life with a family that stayed around more often. Prince also showed some very good skills with people and I began talking to my cousin about him. She places service dogs and after talking with her I had a feeling Prince might be just the dog she was looking for.
I began emailing with a girl named Holly. She was needing a dog to learn seizure detection and to help her with Balance when walking and using stairs. While talking with her I was evaluating more Prince personality. I had acquired some rescue puppies and these little guys were in love with Prince, who was in turn, very patient with them. So patience was good. He also seemed very sensitive when it came to smells and could detect quite a lot. He was a good snuggler, but also paid attention to the rules. After about two months it was decided, Prince would head out to Davenport to try a hand at being a Service Dog.
Shipping Prince was a whole new learning curve for me. Thank goodness for my friend Shelly. We had to wait until the weather was just right, it could not be hotter than 85 in any stops he would go through, and it was June so this was going to be tough. He would be flying to Miami and then to Chicago. We got lucky and Chicago was only supposed to get up to 80 the day he would arrive. Miami would be early in the morning so only around 80 also. This was going to be quite the adventure for Prince so I wanted it to be as smooth as possible. Shelly and another friend took him to the airport on his travel day, with everything he needed for the flight. Prince was stressed, but we soon learned he would calm down if Shelly stayed away from the crate (he loved Shelly and would cy if she was near) SO she took care of paper work and such while our other friend stayed with him. We needed a travel paper from the vet showing he was up to date on shots and healthy to fly. We needed to pay for the flight (over $500) and he had to be in a suitably sized crate with some food strapped to the top and a place for water. His leash would also be attached to the side, and I was insistent that he wear a harness, not just a collar. My cousin, Amber, would be meeting him on the other side. She would then take him to meet his new, hopefully forever, friend Holly.
Prince and Holly was love at first sight. Prince was immediately attached to her and seemed to know she was who he was meant to be with. Within the first couple days being there Holly and Prince had an exchange that gave me goosebumps. Holly was going to take a shower and since Prince was new she decided she would put him in the bathroom with her, just so he wouldn’t get into anything. Part way into her shower Prince started to bark at her. She opened the curtain to see him, and then when she closed it again he began to bark again. She opened it and he stopped and looked at her. She started to feel a little off so she got out and went to sit in her chair. Soon after Holly had a seizure. When she recovered, Prince was right there, paws on her in comfort just as if he was trained to do this. Prince had alerted her to a seizure. Now we couldn’t be absolutely sure based off of one incident, but within the first week he alerted her to more seizures. He was a natural. He may not have used the alerts taught in a training class, but he alerted her none the less. Prince found his purpose, his home and his family. I never felt such joy.
