In loving memory of Sweet Pea
It was three days before I was moving across country. I was driving home from my last day of work. As I turned into my neighborhood, I saw an animal that I didn’t even recognize to be a dog at first. She was scared, skinny, and bald.
It took hours of circling the neighborhood trying to catch her before a neighbor finally realized what I was doing. She grabbed dog treats and came to help. Using the treats, we coaxed the dog over to us. We put some treats in the middle of a slip lead, and gently guided it over her head as she enjoyed her snack.
Then animal control arrived. We got a better look at Sweet Pea’s condition - she didn’t look very good. Despite it all, she wanted pets and love. We could tell she was someone’s senior pet, seeminglydumped due to medical issues. The animal control officer explained what would happen- she would be taken to the local shelter where her condition would be evaluated and she would likely be euthanized due to her age and apparent medical issues.
Unfortunately, due to having already arrived on scene, animal control could not leave the dog with me. But the animal control officer kindly provided her intake number for me. So the next day, I searched the website and called the shelter until I got confirmation that she was there. I gave her a name - Sweet Pea, to match her sweet personality. I wanted the shelter staff to care about her. The staff informed me of a possible Cushing’s diagnosis and stated that it was likely she would be euthanized. I immediately started searching for how I could help this dog.
That is when I found EPAWA. The amazing people of EPAWA worked to get Sweet Pea pulled from the shelter and placed with a foster. The foster and EPAWA spent time and money taking Sweet Pea to and from vet visits. She was put on thyroid medication and a special diet. Her skin cleared up and fur grew back, her work ups were improving, and she was coming out of her shell. I was told her name should’ve been Birdie, because her personality seemed like the “mumu and martini” type. The hard work put in by her foster family and EPAWA really payed off.
There was hope she could be adopted by a forever family, and so up for adoption she went! Unfortunately, there is little interest in senior dogs and no one stepped up to be her forever family. Shortly after, Sweet Pea began having some medical issues again. Her work up was pushing the team back towards a Cushing’s diagnosis, she had a skin infection, and there was an indication of a possible internal issue. She was taken off of the adoption list and made a permanent medical foster.
Sweet Pea was able to live out her last years comfortably. She went on many adventures with her foster family and received amazing care for her continuous medical issues. She passed in December of 2022 at the estimated age of 14. She was cuddled up on the couch with her foster family after enjoying cheez-it’s and pizza crust. Sweet Pea is missed dearly. I am grateful to everyone who helped me give her a second chance. In loving memory of Sweet Pea
