Meet April

We have a new member of the household and Mars has a new companion.  April, formerly Nancy, comes to us by way of Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control.  On Tuesday of last week, an alert Lake Worth friend pointed out the existence of a senior Pembroke Welsh Corgi.  She was listed as an "urgent" adoption.  The local breed rescue was not responding to calls and time was ticking.  As many of you know, Mars had a companion before in the form of Venus.  

Here is a video of Mars and Venus on a walk in 2009.  Venus always was on the heavy side and over-time caused back problems with eventually led to a paralysis in her hind legs and I eventually had to put her to sleep during the summer of 2011.  So, since that time, Mars has been living here only with human companions.  He's never complained and he didn't seem to miss Venus outwardly, but I am sure it impacted him on some level.  Since then, I had been thinking about getting another Corgi but was mindful that it is better to rescue an existing pet - as I did with Mars - rather than go to a breed-specific breeder.  

Dog and cat over-population is a huge problem as evidenced by these statistics that were posted in the lobby of the county's Animal Care and Control building.  As of May 8, 2013, a total of 5,525 dogs and cats were brought into this Palm Beach County agency.  Of that total, 2,803 had been euthanized and 2,132 had been adopted.  Make that 2,133 with the adoption of April.

What do we know about April's life as "Nancy?"  We know that she is estimated to be 9 years old, but we're not entirely sure.  I am taking her to my regular vet tomorrow and we'll see what he says.  She was placed in the shelter due to the death of her former owner and had been at the pound since April 11.  During that time, she was treated for kennel cough.  She is heavier than she should be weighing in at 56 pounds.  Mars is comparatively svelte at 39.6 pounds so we are already addressing that issue through regular walks and limited feeding.  My guess is that she may have had an elderly owner that might have had mobility issues and "Nancy" ended up laying around the house most of the time.  She does seem to like to walk and I am pleased to report that Mars is getting along well with her - and the opposite is true as well.   She is right here by my feet as I type this and, typical to the breed, tends to follow me wherever I go.

She was also micro-chipped before leaving the facility.  I would highly recommend you do the same with your pets and the importance of this is depicted in this video. 

So, consider this a commercial for adopting a pet and gaining a friend and companion along part of your life's journey.  You will be helping a soul in distress and helping yourself at the same time.