Tank Girl

I've written before about the kinds of 'effed up dogs we get into our rescue progam, so I hope you know how committed I am to helping them. Still, sometimes we're faced with some challenges that make those kinds of decisions more difficult. Money is always a bitch. And then there's foster space. We can only take as many dogs as we have resources for. We try to walk this balance between knowing we might be taking on too much versus feeling frustrated at doing too little. I have an entire hair homage to Bonnie Raitt due entirely to thinking about this so much.

I tell you this to introduce Tank Girl. Her real name is Bess, but we call her Tank Girl because she has about 20lbs on everyone else in my house. I'm fairly sure that she's part Springer Spaniel.

Bess came to us as a stray with no background. All we knew is she had some breath that could clear a room. After a dental exam, she had 13 teeth pulled. Thirteen TEETH, no shit. That's a nasty mouth, in case you're wondering. She also had a ridiculous kadonk kadonk walk that we immediately pegged for either rickets, hip dysplasia or her belated attempt to make it on Flavor of Love.

Some x-rays and a couple of vet consults later, we've been told that Bess has to have both of her hip joints removed. If she doesn't, one day she will dislocate either one or both of them and basically be unable to move and in excruciating pain. It's not a matter of whether it will happen, it's just when. See, normal hip joints are ball/socket joints. The ball fits into the socket which is curved and the joint moves smoothly. Bess's socket is less curvy and more straight. Her only solution is to remove the joint on both hips in a procedure called an FHO.

Crap.

Yes, it's expensive. And yes, it's going to be a long hard process. Why then are we doing it? Because despite the fact that she had no one to care for her, had an extremely painful mouth and has hip joints that basically make it virtually impossible for her to move without hurting, this is one of the gentlest, sweetest dogs I've ever met. She'd be well within her rights to be a complete total asshole of a dog, but when you lower your hand, Bess nuzzles it. She's only five years old so she has a lot of spunk, but when she tries to play, she just can't. Too ache-y. She's not needy or whiny, she just gives me this look of complete and total trust, like she knows I can help her get rid of this hurt and I've come to the conclusion that I am completely incapable of doing otherwise.

So, I'm wracking my brain to come up with some fundraisers for her. We have one scheduled already (a garage sale, Oct. 28th). If you have any other suggestions, let me know. But don't suggest a bake sale, my cooking could hurt people.

Am I stupid for spending this much time and energy and money on one dog? Maybe. But I'm gonna pull out my inner Tim Gunn and make this work. I have to. It's Tank Girl.