Baron

Challenges and goals can often be achieved more effectively and successfully with the help of 'team mates'.  A fine example of collaborative teamwork was clearly evident in the case of 'Baron', an aged sable rough collie found running along the guardrails of the 401 this past summer.

Trucker, Allister McKechnie was just finishing his route at 3:00 am, as he drove eastbound on the 401 from the Peterborough area.  At first, I thought it was a coyote running along the side of the highway, but then I realized it was a collie, McKechnie recounts.  He pulled his big rig over to the shoulder in hopes of getting the dog to safety.  He knew that if he frightened the dog, chances were he would run right into oncoming traffic. Instead of going after the dog, McKechnie sat and tried to lure the dog towards him with a friendly, engaging voice.  It worked. Now that he had the dog in the cab compartment of his truck, he had to find someone who could help him help the dog. "I called the police, who gave me the emergency number of Toronto Animal Services" says McKechnie, recalling the night as if it were just yesterday.  Melanie Hess responded to the page for help and called the truck driver back.  "He was such a kind man, who truly cared about the welfare of this dog" says Hess, who drove out in the wee hours to pick the dog up. When Melanie arrived on the scene, she could hardly believe the condition the older dog was in.  He was severely matted, emaciated and covered in urine and feces.  As she drove back to the shelter Melanie speculated the once regal collie had intentionally been left by the side of the highway.  His footpads and long toenails showed no signs of the wear and tear she often saw on dogs who had been 'on the run'.

Shelter staff took an immediate shine to the collie's gentle friendly nature.  He was not eating well despite their best attempts to make the food enticing and palatable.  He was already extremely thin and barely tipped the scales at 40 pounds.  They worried about his general condition and weight loss and knew he would fare far better in a home environment, but time was passing by and no one was interested in offering the mature dog a new start.  As each day passed fewer and fewer cages were available due to the high number of dogs being admitted, and there was talk of a city-wide strike looming.

I received the call from Sandi, an animal care and control officer with Toronto Animal Services East region in mid July.  "I know it's a bit of a long shot, but could you possibly take an older rough collie?" she asked a little apprehensively.  Sandi explained about his background adding mention of his incredible good nature and grooming needs.  I told her I would try and swing over later in the afternoon to spend some time with 'the distinguished gentleman'.  When I arrived, James an old friend and animal care and control officer, brought the dog outside to the 'meet and greet' area.  We spent almost half an hour watching the thin matted collie mark the enclosure, joking a little about his inattentiveness.  We waited patiently for him to satisfy his 'maleness' until he finally seemed to notice us and bounded over for a good rub down.  As we petted and played with him, we felt mats, knots and tangles everywhere.

"What are you going to call him?" James looked over knowingly.  I said I thought he looked like a diamond in the 'rough' so to speak and suggested a majestic name like "Baron".  James agreed it suited him well and arrangements were made for me to pick him up the next evening.  I had to find a groomer who would be willing to spend some serious time with this boy.  When I returned home, I called a number of groomers in the yellow pages but found they were all solidly booked with a week wait at best.  I remembered that Adrianna from our Scarborough/North York SPCA was a groomer and left a message on her machine.  She returned the call saying she would be happy to help any dog she could.

The next evening Adrianna and I went to pick Baron up. On the drive home, he sat in the back seat watching out the window looking rather stately.  Little did he know we had to open the windows to allow fresh air to circulate so we could breathe in air that did not smell like urine, poor guy!

It was a beautiful cooler summer evening, so we decided to groom him in my backyard.  I watched as Adrianna opened her bag of combs and brushes, clippers and shampoos.

The first thing Adrianna pointed out, as she combed through his hair, was the cedar shavings deeply embedded in his long dry coat.  We speculated that he had been kept in a shed of some kind with shavings strewn on the floor. Adrianna continued to comb and de-mat Baron, offering him several treats and breaks throughout the evening.  She ended the grooming by shaving under his tail and groin area, including a large mat encrusted with fecal matter which was affixed to the inside of his leg.

When she finished, Baron gave a shake and a stretch and began running laps around the backyard.  He must have felt so much better as he seemed to be actually strutting!

Adrianna explained that she had only done a preliminary grooming and that he still needed a bath. She also suggested while he was under anesthetic and being neutered, the big mats behind his ears could be shaved off. 

The next day I wanted to tackle the bath, but soon realized that Baron did not know (or may have forgotten) how to maneuver stairs.

In my enthusiastic attempt to jolly him up, I ended up with all my own dogs happily responding.  Baron sat at the bottom of the stairs watching the action and slowly, carefully started to climb up.  When he made it to the top we all made such a fuss of him, I'm sure he must have wondered if we had lost track of our senses!

After his bath, he ran laps around the backyard again, shaking, rolling and rubbing as he went. He must have felt like a new man, who I may add smelled a whole lot better!

Later that morning I called my neighbour Louise who I knew had a giant crate from, yes believe it or not, their old rough collie, Kayla, who had passed away about two years ago at age 13.  I honestly wasn't thinking what I should have been thinking, because she had told me over and over again, "No more dogs for us".  Louise and her retired mother, Rita and father, Fred live a few streets over and I have come to know Louise not only from the neighbourhood, but also from her generous offer to help fundraise for our local Scarborough/North York SPCA.  Fred suffered a stroke about a year ago and the two women, Rita in particular, spend a great deal of time caring for him. Rita had decided that sadly, a dog could no longer be a part of their family's equation. 

I explained to Louise that I had a rough collie who may be with me for a while, and asked if I could borrow her giant crate.  "A rough collie?" Louise repeated.  Yes, I said and went on to give her a brief overview of what had transpired over the last 24 hours.  She said I could borrow the crate without hesitation and I said I would be over later to collect it.

Literally, 10 minutes later my doorbell rang and there was Louise with her face pressed against the glass window adjacent to my front door.   My dogs were all barking frantically while Baron stood back somewhat confused yet excited to see what was going on.  I invited Louise inside and began chatting to her when I realized she wasn't paying one bit of attention to what I was saying.  She was gazing longingly and lovingly at the big older collie who then did something I was not expecting.  He started bouncing, jumping and almost cooing at Louise.  I stood watching the two of them, speechless.  Baron was greeting Louise as if she were an old friend, as if he recognized her.  I had been observing Baron's behaviour for only a short time but had noted that he reacted to everyone in much the same friendly way, but this I had never seen.  As I glanced over at Louise I noticed her eyes were teary.  Then Baron kissed her!  He hadn't kissed anyone as yet, and I suddenly got a very clear picture where this was going. When Louise finally came up for air I was not surprised when she asked if I would possibly consider walking Baron over to their house later that evening to meet Rita and Fred. 

Rita was sitting on the back porch when I arrived.  As Baron and I rounded the corner of the house he caught site of Rita and wanted to say hello. After only seconds of interacting with Rita, the same darn thing happened!  He became physically excited and began wagging his tail so hard and fast; he nearly cleared the small coffee table of its contents.  This was getting to be just too strange!  The older woman took Baron's head gently in her hands and stroked his long muzzle affectionately, speaking softly to him.  Baron lay down quietly by her side, where he remained for the rest of our visit.  Neither woman could believe the condition he was in, with ribs, spine and tailbone jutting out beneath a worn lifeless coat; they wondered who could possibly have treated a dog with such neglect and disregard?

Louise walked home with Baron and I and we discussed the evening.  Fred had gone to bed early and had not had the opportunity to meet Baron.  Louise asked if I could possibly bring Baron over again and if all went well with Fred, if they could possibly foster Baron.  I knew Louise desperately wanted to adopt Baron permanently, but I wasn't convinced that Rita felt the same way, and wondered if Baron would be too much for Fred.

The next evening, things went so well and with Rita on side, I had no reservations whatsoever about the family fostering. Although Baron's affections remained focused on Louise and Rita, he engaged Fred in a gentlemanly fashion. He seemed to sense Fred's limitations and sat calmly and placidly while Fred petted his head and chest.

The rest of the night we spent discussing Baron's diet, his grooming needs and walking times along with his veterinary appointments that had already been scheduled.  I could tell the two women were excited about Baron's arrival the next day, as they made plans to visit the pet supply store and run other errands so their calendars were clear for Baron's arrival.  They wanted to be sure they were able to devote the time to offering him a royal welcome and acquaint him to his new environment.

The next evening Baron and I headed over to visit Louise - an event which was becoming a nightly ritual - and in fact, Baron was already so accustomed to the route we took, he steered me in the direction of their house.

Both women were waiting eagerly on their front porch when we came out of the park and Baron strained and pulled to reach them with head bowed and tail swaying happily from side to side.

From that night on, no one looked back.  Baron was home to stay. I see him often as he and Louise tour the neighbourhood on their evening walks.  She often tells me that Baron is a gift sent from above and I believe he feels the same way!