THE STORY OF DUSDEE
I receive emails all the time from Bichon people, telling me about
there beautiful Bichon or Bichons, it is fun to get email from others and
hear about THEIR Bichons personality which is always stories about a joyous,
bouncy, entertaining little white powder puff *people*. I have to laugh
as they all think their little dog has this unique personality, but this
is really the true description of the Bichon personality, you will always
see the Bichons in the show ring with there front paws up on their handlers
or owners, *snickering*, and there isnt much one can do about it... its
born in them..
Anyway, one day I got this this letter and it was quite different
from all the rest, it was a story that made me ill, but that also made
me cry and smile with happiness as it has a wonderful ending... I thought
I would share it with you. Breed Rescue is an important issue and is taken
very seriously by individual Dog Clubs and Breeders alike.
DUSDEE'S STORY
On May 27th, 1993, I opened
my newspaper at 6am and there was the ad: Free to good home....6 month
old Bichon Frise female. My heart quickened. I had been grieving for the
past several months over the unexpected loss of my 11 year old Bichon,
DanDee, and now: Call any time... Anytime?? It was 6am! I waited an hour
and dialed. The woman on the phone said that the puppy had been diagnosed
and treated for parvo in February. Her other dog, a poodle, was very aggressive
and thought it best that this puppy find a new family. There was someone
already on the way over to have a look at "Dusty", and after I pleaded
with the woman, explaining that I had been owned by Bichons for years,
and now had one at home who missed having a friend to play with, she consented
to hold the puppy for me if I could get there by 1pm.
My husband and I decided to take our Tinee along with us to see
how the two would interact. I could hardly wait to get there, anticipating
a small white fluffball of energy. What I saw when I finally got there
put me into shock. This poor, emaciated little puppy was so pathetic and
filthy, we were afraid to let Tinee near her for fear of some contagious
disease. My husband just looked at me and gently shook his head "no"! I
picked her up, feeling this little one could drop dead any minute. Why
hasn't she been taken to a vet? The woman said that the vet told her that
the puppy was recovering and needed tlc. I noticed a cheap supermarket
brand of kibble in a dog dish, and was told that "Dusty" was a horrible
eater and she was getting thinner and thinner everyday. My heart was broken.
How could I leave her? I had held her, felt her life draining, yet in her
eyes, I saw life and the need for love.
I cried all the way home, feeling as if I had abandoned her to
die with uncaring people. Over the weekend, I dreamed of her barking for
me and looking down the lane at the farm where she lived, as if she was
calling me to take her.
After much discussion, my husband and I made the decision to go
and rescue the puppy. If she was still alive. I couldn't help thinking
that DanDee's spirit had sent this little sick puppy to us.
We took Dusty, now renamed DusDee to our vet that afternoon. But
seeing what a deplorable condition she was in I first decided to bathe
her. Three hours later, I finished. Her fur was so matted, that there were
open sores all over her body. Scabs fell off her tail in my hand. Fluid
oozed out of one of her paws where sand burrs were embedded. She weighed
2 1/2 pounds, had a terrible over bite and her bones were so brittle, they
made cracking sounds when I held her.
The vet didn't hold out too much hope for DusDee. I knew I had
to make a decision--let her go in the most humane way, or incur tremendous
expense trying to save her. The blood and liver tests showed rare juvenile
diabetes with liver involvement. Since I am a medical technologist, I felt
I would be able to do a lot of the testing and treatments myself and save
on the vet bills. Her sugar was over 400 and she was having seizures. I
made the decision to try and do the near impossible - attempt to regulate
her blood sugar and put her on a healthy diet. The magic added ingredient,
of course, was love.
Regulating her was a nightmare. Her diabetes seems to be very brittle,
having low blood sugars and then very high counts with no change in the
treatment. She handled all the probing and needles like a brave little
girl.
After consulting a vet, I have learned that diabetes insuch a young
dog is very rare. There is so much more veterinary research needs to explore
for these beautiful animals who deserve a second chance. DusDee recieves
2 shots of insulin a day and tolerates it very well.
DusDee has been a member of our family for over 3 years, and has
come along way in that time. She now weighs 10 pounds and is lively and
boisterous little furkid who has won the hearts of everyone. And we will
never let anyone hurt or abuse her again. She will live as long as her
little soul wants to and even though there were many times I thought I
might have to let her go, the look in her eyes that said, "Please love
me and let me love you" made me confident I have made the right choice.
Dusdee before bath 
Dusdee after bath
Dee Hinkle is owned and loved by Dusdee, you can email her at dhinkle@kdsi.net
Email dated Nov. 4, 1996
WOW!! I cannot tell you just how much this has touched my heart..
As I sit here with tears in my eyes I relive the days of DusDee's rescue,
then I look at her and laugh to think how she has proved all the vets wrong.
Thank you for making her a STAR!! Of course she has always been
our STAR!!!
Touch a Bichon and you have touched a bit of heaven... Hold a Bichon
and you have held the world.. Love a Bichon and you will love life forever...
(author unknown)
Yes, we Have Touched heaven, Held the World and Will Love Life
Forever.
Thank you our Beautiful Bichons DanDee, Tinee, and DusDee!
We love the page and thank you very very much!!!.........Dee Hinkle
HOT LINKS
HINKLE
HAPPENINGS ..Dee and Glen Hinkle
WILLOW'S WACKY
WORLD
STARLIT BICHON
FRISE