Slowly but surely.

Callie improves daily, physically and mentally.  Her body condition is still far from normal and had you not seen her 2 weeks ago, you would be appalled at how skinny she is.   I was hoping she would be further along physically, but slow and steady is all she can take.  Still, I can't believe the changes.  Tonight, she had her first  (probably her very first ever) bath.  She did great.  I'm sure she knew that she couldn't possibly get out of the tub anyway,  but she never struggled and even seemed a little relieved.  It was like she was letting part of her old life go down the drain with the dirt.  Which, by the way, there was a ton of!  Boy was she proud when she got out and dried off.  She scrambled around the yard faster than I have ever seen her go.  In the dim evening light, she actually looked like a normal dog for a while.

She has really taken to Jonathon.  She is the first foster that hasn't been afraid of him in the beginning.  She is also doing fine with the other dogs.  She has snapped at Dixie a couple of times, but never anything to worry about, she just wanted her to back off a little.  Females tend to be that way toward other unknown females, particularly in boxers.  They have both picked up on the fact that she is fragile and even Jax is careful around her for the most part.  She really wants to run with them, but she falls down so often that I don't let her for fear that she will be trampled.  Some day.

We go in for her follow up vet appointment on Wed morning.  I'm anxious to see how much weight she has gained.  Thankfully, she has four sponsors!  I don't know how much money there is or how far it will go, but I already have the okay to get x-rays done on her legs.  Now that she is stronger, it is evident that there is something wrong with the left rear one.  We think it might be the hip, even nerve damage.  I think that at some point she had an injury, possibly a car hit her or she was kicked, and it was left untreated.  If it is surgical, the rescue will have some decisions to make.  Some orthopedic surgeries can cost over $2000 and that is a lot of money to spend on one dog when so many others need help too. 

If she can get back on her feet, she will make a great family dog.  She seems pretty smart and is definitely eager to please.  She loves to snuggle and doesn't seem to care what you do to her.  She has a gentle nature about her so I'm sure she would be good with kids.  This is thinking WAY into the future, but I hope she gets there eventually. 

Here are some new pictures!