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Paws In Need - Happy Endings

Nelson – A Trooper Through Pain and Hard Times

We saw Nelson the day after he arrived at Banded Peak Animal Care Centre.  He’d just had his first surgery to remove porcupine quills after a last desperate attempt to get something to eat, and despite the anaesthetic, the pain of having so many quills removed, and an eye that was in a very bad state, he still thumped his tail against the floor and crawled forward for a stroke.

He was fifty-seven pounds and you could play his ribs like a xylophone.  No-one had any idea how long he’d been suffering with a face full of barbs but he was thin as a rake and very sick.  After a few days we took him home.  He followed us everywhere, and you’d often find a heavy, black, silky head weighing on your knee, with one molten brown eye gazing up at you (and one rather gooey mess under which we hoped his other eye was recovering).

The challenges were easy to overcome because he learns so quickly.  House-training took less than a week (with few ‘accidents’), large shiny things like our kitchen garbage can were scary for him, TV was frightening, and he had no idea how to deal with stairs.  Out of our three dogs he has the most potential for training.  He’s alert, smart, and eager to please.  He loves to play any game where food is involved….of course.

Four weeks later he’s had his bad eye removed and is well on the way to a full recovery.  He gets on really well with our other two dogs and just about ignores the cats.  He likes to laze around when the sun beats through the windows with a bone or after a full meal, and is a loyal friend, never far from your side.

(P.S. Nelson is named for Horatio Nelson, a famous English sea captain who lost his right eye in battle).