9/9/06: This gorgeous little boy is Chaz. And I do mean little. And I do mean gorgeous, too! He is somewhere between 1-2 years old, but is pretty underweight at 40 lbs -- he should be at least 55-60. He and his sister Trixie (06-415) came in today from a nasty place where they were obviously not well cared for.

Despite such a rough start, this guy is the biggest sweetheart love bug Velcro boy! He loves everyone and everything, and just wants a little lovin' in return. He met my Golden boy with no problem, was ear-licking and play-bowing within 30 seconds -- that is, in between the very fun game of "you peed here, I'll pee here, you peed here, I'll pee here". You get the idea. He hasn't been neutered yet, so it's possible that game will lose some of its luster in the near future.

Chaz has been to the vet and overall is in pretty good shape. He has the 'standard' foster dog parasites and ear infections, both of which are being treated, his coat is in rough shape -- we'll be doing some de-matting and probably have to give a funky haircut in a couple of spots -- but he sure is smelling better tonight after several sudsy baths (granted, it's all relative... 3 RAGOM volunteers and the vet all agreed these dogs smelled like nothing we'd ever smelled before when they came in... and let's just say you wouldn't want to bottle it)!!!

He does have one medical issue and that is a partially-healed fracture on his front right leg. You'll notice in one of the pictures he's holding up that leg. He does put some weight on it, and definitely wants to run and play, but it obviously bothers him when he's not otherwise distracted. We had x-rays taken today, and it's possible the injury has healed enough so that surgery is no longer warranted (although that would have been the way to go if it was addressed when it happened). More soon on any upcoming treatment Chaz will need for his leg. In the meantime, we'll do our best to keep him quiet and let it heal.

For now, this little sweetie is resting happily at my feet, and alternating between little grunts and sighs that lead me to believe he is happy and grateful for his fresh start on life. Thanks to K9 Kindness Rescue and to RAGOM volunteers Linda, Tamera, Deb, Kelly and Christi for getting Trixie & Chaz started on their way to a Golden life.