It's been a long time since LeighLee has been on the blog but today it's going to be all about her. As I am sitting down to write this I am listening to the sounds of her playing with the puppy and having a great time! LeighLee is a black lab, boston terrier, basset hound mix that I rescued over 12 years ago. She was thought to be at least a year and half when I adopted her but her overall age is unknown and she could be older. We just know that she is at least 13 1/2. Her story starts off as one that amazes all odds. Her first owner abused her and left her outside and soon she was rescued by the South Carolina SPCA only to be put up for euthanasia. After a rescue stepped in and got her the stitches, surgeries, delivery of her puppies, and heart worm treatment she needed she was ready to be adopted! I walked into PetSmart and this girl was the sweetest! There were tons of people around but she only wanted to be near me and was constantly jumping on me so I inquired about her. I didn't think I would end up adopting her but after fostering her she had found her forever home. It took lots of work and years to comfort her before she really became comfortable with us. Things like sounds of pots or thunder would send her into panic mode. Even though she had been through so much she was still the sweetest dog ever! As the years have gone by she has welcomed other puppies into the dog pack, welcomed twin boys into the house and has faced tons of challenges in life. This pup has the worst of luck and yet the best of luck. At 10 she was attacked by a neighbors dog and only had one cut that needed stitches and she was diagnosed with a soft tissue sarcoma in her rear leg. Her cancer has been treated with radiation, then chemo, and then radiation and has been stable for 15 months. Then we got a puppy. More on her in another blog post. Well the puppy grabbed her ear while falling off the bed in March and gave her a hematoma which was a blessing in disguise because we found out she has an enlarged heart, liver, spleen, and adrenal glands. She has since been diagnosed with Cushings and was started on medication that we would have never known to start her on if it wasn't for the puppy. Now she is at least 13 1/2 almost 14 and while she is starting to have many health issues this pup is still the happiest and sweetest pup in the world! We find out more about her enlarged heart on the 30th and are hoping for good news (did you know it takes 3+ months to get an high risk doggie cardiology appointment?). So for now she is living her best life. This pup literally is the best dog ever!
