Misty was supposed to be a foster. She was 13 and her human had died unexpectedly a year before and now the teenage neighbor who had taken her in could no longer keep her. She was obviously not pure Brittany, but Michelle Falkinburg wanted to help her anyway and Misty needed to be picked up quickly. We had just lost our Brittany, Abby to lung cancer and wanted to look for a younger dog, but fostering Misty seemed a way to have a dog in the house while we looked. Misty was obese, at 42 lbs. she needed to lose at least 8; she had severe hip dysplasia in both hips and the arthritis to go with it. Even her front legs were weak from being so heavy for so long. She could not even muster up a trot. Her liver enzymes were high, dogs get fatty liver too!! She needed a lot of rehab. Misty had a Brittany heart and disposition – she was a super sweet, feisty girl (her nickname became “Miss Bossy Pants”) and we fell for her very quickly. We adopted her and my husband took her swimming every day – the pounds came off slowly but surely. With laser therapy, Adequan and a green bean and raw food diet she had 2 great years of increased mobility and gave us so much love and happiness we didn’t miss having a younger dog at all.
Misty taught us important lessons: have a plan for the care of your pets if you die or become incapacitated even if you are young and healthy (Misty’s owner was in his 50s and single when he died); don’t feel guilty about putting your dog on a diet-it can buy them years of pain free life. And a senior dog has so much to give. Even though Misty was with us only for two and a half years, we would do it all over again. We miss her every day and are grateful that ABR opened their hearts to a Brittany in spirit if not in DNA.