SUCCESS STORIES
– JASPER, MR.
EXUBERENCE!
By BRENT and DEB
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Here is a story
about a giant
schnauzer that the
Foundation helped
financially bring
back to health. Deb
and Brent did
miracles to save
this little fella,
Jasper. |
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It's hard to believe
in 3 days, we will
celebrate Jasper’s
“Gotcha
Anniversary.”
It was August 3,
2010 that my beloved
Significant Other,
Deb Stover came home
to an Inbox full of
e-mail informing us
of what appeared to
be a months-old
Giant Schnauzer
puppy that had been
“Owner-Surrendered”
to the Longview,
Texas Animal
Shelter. |
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Deb has been active
in Animal Rescue for
over thirty years
and had started the
national Giant
Schnauzer Rescue
Network for the
breed that she loves
so much, back when
the internet was
new.
She now has a
network of people
all over the U.S.
that is dedicated to
helping this breed.
She is also
connected with tons
of people that
rescue other breeds,
all over the country
as well.
Anyway, when she got
home from work that
day, she had
received tons of
e-mails about this
poor puppy that had
been surrendered to
the Longview
Shelter.
Pictures had
accompanied a number
of the e-mails, so
she was able to
determine from that
in all probability
it was a Giant
Schnauzer puppy, so
I made the trip to
Longview from Dallas
the next day. |
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We could tell from
the pictures that he
was malnourished, so
I took a bag of food
with me. This was my
first
“shelter-pull,” so I
really had no idea
what to expect.
When I arrived I saw
a puppy that was
extremely weak and
obviously had some
type of parasite (I
later found out two
actually, ringworm
and mange). Not
surprisingly, he was
very timid, so I
attempted to tempt
him with food. |
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From what Deb could
tell from the
photos, she
cautioned me not to
try and feed him
very much at any one
time, just to
ball-up enough food
to offer him a
little treat as an
incentive to be
friends.
I had to do this a
few times to coax
him out of the
shelter and out to
my car. When we got
there, he was too
weak to even get in
the car by himself,
so I picked him up
as gently as I could
and set him on my
back seat. |
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The drive from
Longview to Dallas
takes a couple of
hours, so I loved on
the puppy while I
drove and hoped for
the best.
When I got home with
him, I felt a sense
of accomplishment
that was immediately
dashed when Deb took
one look at him and
said: “Honey, this
little guy is in
really bad shape,
I’ll be surprised if
he makes it through
the night!” |
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I was crestfallen!
We gave him a little
more food and water
and did the best we
could to at least
give him some
comfort.
We had to feed him
little bites of food
balled up smaller
than a golf-ball
every few minutes,
rather than try to
feed him a bowl of
food.
Similarly, when we
got him to drink
water, if he dropped
his head after he
drank, what he had
just drank would
just come right back
out! Deb said this
was because his body
had already begun to
shut down. |
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Then, she pulled out
a grooming table to
get rid of his
severely matted
coat. It was so
severely matted that
she had no choice
but to shave him,
and his coat came
off in a single
piece.
When she finished,
the first thought
that came to mind is
that this is what a
canine survivor of
the Holocaust must
have looked like!
He was nothing more
than a skeleton with
skin! |
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We measured him with
a tape measure
across the hips and
the measurement was
only 2.75” !
Deb estimated his
age at approximately
four months and said
that by that age a
dog his size should
weigh about
seventy-one pounds.
What was his weight
at the time?
Thirty-one pounds!
At the time, we had
two other Giants
that we had rescued
in the house. |
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Joe Cool, a male
that Deb had rescued
before we met and
Kennedy, a
Pepper-Salt that we
had rescued a few
months before,
together.
Joe’s behavior and
demeanor had changed
in a way that made
us concerned that we
wouldn’t have him
much longer, and Deb
doubted that Kennedy
would be able to
handle being an
“only” dog!
Thankfully, Jasper
came along at just
the right time!
All three dogs got
along well together
from the start. |
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Deb gave him his new
name and we all went
to sleep that first
night. Thankfully,
Jasper was still
with us the next
morning and in
remarkably good
spirits for an
animal so
compromised. Even
though we still had
to feed him small
bites of food and
quantities of water
every few minutes
and he was in new
surroundings he
seemed to be a
remarkably happy
boy! Weak, but
happy! |
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Days became weeks, weeks became months and he made steady improvement.
About the time that
he seemed to become
a healthy dog, Joe
gave Deb a look that
seemed to say “OK, I
know you’re in good
hands, now. My job
is done here.” We
lost him not soon
after. This all
happened when we all
lived in a little
house in the middle
of Dallas. |
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We have since moved
to a small farm NE
of Dallas. He and
Kennedy have huge
backyard that is
easily three times
the size of the one
they had in Dallas.
It’s a good thing;
they use every bit
of it!
And, while it’s just
a 1,700 SF 1970s
one-story house, it
has a circular floor
plan, great for
Giants! They have a
great time “Room
Zooming” when it is
too hot outside,
here in Texas, or we
just can’t get them
out the door in
time! |
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The funniest quirk
he’s developed is
the Group Hug! No
one can hug in our
house, Deb and me,
Deb and/or me and a
guest without him
launching himself
into the middle of
the embrace!
It’s hysterical! Who
knew such a sick
little puppy could
come so far and
bring us so much
joy!
It really is true;
we don’t rescue
them, they rescue
us! Thank you,
Jasper!
Our lives have
become so much
richer, with you in
it!
Brent and
Deb |
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