Moose/Tenor

Moose entered my life on December 28, 2009 and it was love at first sight. He was a gentle giant of a dog with a warm, sweet soul that matched his outer beauty. Along with his big body, Moose had these large, pendulous jowls that gave him such character, and he constantly drooled. When he would come up to me to be petted, his big face and drooly jowls would put the biggest smile on my face. I even bought a large supply of hand towels to have in every room just to wipe his face. And, when I’d wipe off the slobber, Moose would look up at me with his soulful eyes and I would give him biggest bear hugs my arms could muster.  I count myself very blessed to have had him in my life, even though his stay was all too brief.

Moose was turned into a shelter by his owners in mid-December, 2009. He had been terribly neglected by them as evidenced by his poor body condition.  Moose was 20-30 lbs underweight at 80 pounds because a dog of his size should have been around 110 lbs. In addition, Moose was heavy heartworm positive and contracted distemper.  As a result, Moose’s health was tenuous and his prognosis was poor. However, even with the odds stacked against him, there was an outpouring of hopeful people and a Houston veterinarian who worked diligently to try to save his life. Moose was treated with very aggressive medicines and the prayers for our ”big lug” were relentless.  Moose had good days and bad days and we even had hope he would survive.  But then, the awful day came when he started twitching and we all knew the disease entered his nervous system.  Poor Moose deteriorated quickly after that and, once the seizures set in, we knew all hope was lost.  On January 15, 2010 Moose was euthanized.  On that day his rescuer (Anne) and foster parents (Tom & Laurie), sat on the floor at the vet clinic, pulled him into our laps, and hugged him tightly.  We told him we would NEVER forget him and that he would be loved forever.

Even though Moose’s illness was senseless (in that his owners did not properly vaccinate him) and heart-wrenching, his death was not in vain.  Moose and his story touched the hearts of many people, as well as the veterinary community. Because of him, research into distemper treatments is ongoing in Houston and positive outcomes are being realized.

Moose, you will always live in my heart and, with each dog I foster, I do it in your honor!  When we meet again at the Rainbow Bridge no one will be able to hold me back as my legs will run so fast to embrace you. I will hold you so tight and we will enjoy eternity together as a family.

Your foster mom,
Laurie