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| Looking back.... |
His name was Kobi and for 18 wonderful months I lived the dream. A dog so traumatised by abuse and torture, he had given up on life when he came to live with us. I wanted to save him and show him happiness and for a brief moment in time I did that. I showed him love and trust and he repaid me by loving and trusting me in return. But he could love and trust no other being, human or dog and ultimately the abuse and damage that he endured as a puppy was too much for him to bear. In April 2012 I held Kobi in my arms as he fell asleep for the last time.
After Kobi left us we fostered various dogs and helped them on their journey of life. Each time it got harder as we became attached to every dog that shared our life. We decided to stop being a foster home for Siberian Huskies.
And then, in March 2013, I learned of the plight of a husky puppy that had been severely mistreated and was in need of a foster home. He had been abandoned at Brentwood railway station very underweight and infested with mange. A wonderful man and his family found him early one morning and after tempting him with baby food they were able to catch him. They certainly saved his life that day as he appeared to be on a mission to run onto the railway tracks. This family knew of a lady in the area that owned huskies and asked for her help to look after the pup. This lovely lady took him into her home and for two weeks showed him love, fed him well and treated his mange. This lovely lady worked in a pub and the puppy met many of her friends that worked with her. They all fell in love with this poorly little pup. Sadly she could not keep the puppy, now called Blue and she asked for the help of her dear friend involved with Siberian Husky rescue. Her friend agreed without hesitation.
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| Little Boy Blue |
When I learned that a baby puppy, possibly 3-4 months old
needed a temporary foster home, my “no more foster dogs” became a “one last
time” and “it will only be for a few months Ian”. ...
And so in April 2013 Blue came to live with us. We expected a very cute and fluffy 3 month old puppy. The reality was that the pup was between 6-9 months old but in such poor condition and severely malnourished that he was the size and weight of a 3 month old pup. He was not cute and I am ashamed to say that I immediately thought that he looked more like an evil Gremlin (from the movie of the same name) than a husky pup. He had huge ears, a strange shaped head, big front arms and a very frail back end. His tail had virtually no fur on it and the rest of his body not much more. The mange infestation was gone, but his skin was still very red and itchy.
And so in April 2013 Blue came to live with us. We expected a very cute and fluffy 3 month old puppy. The reality was that the pup was between 6-9 months old but in such poor condition and severely malnourished that he was the size and weight of a 3 month old pup. He was not cute and I am ashamed to say that I immediately thought that he looked more like an evil Gremlin (from the movie of the same name) than a husky pup. He had huge ears, a strange shaped head, big front arms and a very frail back end. His tail had virtually no fur on it and the rest of his body not much more. The mange infestation was gone, but his skin was still very red and itchy.
However, I was blown away by the pup’s smile and attitude. He just looked at us and smiled in a way I had never seen before on a dog. Some people walked past as we took him from the van to the garden and this pup smiled and leapt forward to try and say hello to them as well. This little dog loved people even though he had clearly been abused by them in his short life. His frail body struggled to carry him, but he was so full of determination. Both Ian and I both believed then that there was something a bit special about this pup.
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| Spike with his hero |
As his foster home, this pup would only be with us temporarily,
just until he was fit and well enough to be adopted and given a home for
life. We initially referred to him as
Little Boy Blue and then decided he fitted the name Spike rather well.
Over the spring and early summer of 2013 we helped Spike
gain good weight and condition. His hind
legs took a very long time to strengthen and he would fall over easily, but it
never bothered him he just jumped up and continued with whatever he had been
doing. It took many months before Spike
even had the strength to shake properly.
He would try to and then fall over.
We feared that he might have a neurological problem, but thankfully that
was ruled out.
Our pack of Siberian Huskies taught him all about pack life
and Kez taught him the rules of the house. It was clear from very early on that Spike
idolised our pack leader, something that Kroi was remarkably calm and tolerant about.
After a few months of good food, gentle exercise and love,
Spike turned into a beautiful swan and it was time for him to find a permanent
home. There were many offers for this
special little dude and in the summer of 2013 Spike was adopted by a family chosen
for him by the welfare organisation.
36 hours later Spike was back with us, deemed “too bouncy” by his new young family.
36 hours later Spike was back with us, deemed “too bouncy” by his new young family.
We agreed to foster him again without hesitation, committed
to our vow to find him a wonderful loving family of his own.
But then it all changed…
Becoming more concerned about his hind movement, we had his
hips x-rayed and it was confirmed that he had hip dysplasia. Not good news, but with the correct care and
exercise it could hopefully be managed well.
We were referred to Top Dog Hydrotherapy (Andover, Hampshire) and Spike
was soon having regular hydro sessions (running on a treadmill in a water
tank). This form of exercise, combined with
gentle running with me, resulted in a great improvement in his movement and
soon we were once again looking for that special home for him.
And then it all changed.
One day while out running with him he suddenly stopped dead and for a
split second I feared that his hips had “gone”.
But after the initial panic was over I was able to confirm that it was
his front right leg that was causing him great pain.
It was confirmed in December 2013 by Fitzpatrick Referrals
that Spike had Elbow Dysplasia (ED) there were several surgical options available,
depending on where his ED fell on the spectrum – best case a tidy up within the
joint, worst case total elbow replacement.
We agreed to adopt Spike, come what may.
The full details are contained here, but
in January 2014 Spike returned to Fitzpatrick Referrals and the full extent of
his condition was confirmed. To have
both elbows replaced was not possible on ethical and financial grounds. We were forewarned that Spike may only live
another 6-9 months.
We made a vow to ensure that Spike had the best ever “rest
of his life”, however long that may be. I remember saying even if he wants
beer, he can have beer. But maybe that was one step too far!
So we knew Spike would be with us for the rest of his life.
We enjoyed figuring out what he enjoyed, how much he could run and how to
balance his running, rest, hydrotherapy, swimming, acupuncture and laser
therapy. This little guy lives the life of an elite athlete! He got stronger, his
short runs with his husky house mates bonded him with them.
Then he faced his next major setback in September 2014. On a
short walk in the village he ruptured his cruciate ligament. Now only able to
use three-legs Spike didn’t seem to care. While we winced at his hobbling, to
be honest there was little that Spike didn’t try and do, even with only 75% of
his legs available! Of course the leg needed to be fixed and he had to endure
major surgery and 3 months of very little exercise, during which time he lost a
lot of weight and became very depressed.
We came close to losing him.
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| Leading the way at Brentwood parkrun |
At the start of 2015 we had to start all over again,
teaching Spike how to walk, then to jog and then to run. Combined with our training plans and his
medical treatments we made it work.
And now, 15 months since the dreaded news, Spike is still here, happy bouncy and running. He has regular hydro sessions at Top Dog Hydrotherapy and laser treatment by Shelley Doxley. He runs short distances every other day, he needs lot of rest afterwards, but he is absolutely determined to run and he can run very fast!
And now, 15 months since the dreaded news, Spike is still here, happy bouncy and running. He has regular hydro sessions at Top Dog Hydrotherapy and laser treatment by Shelley Doxley. He runs short distances every other day, he needs lot of rest afterwards, but he is absolutely determined to run and he can run very fast!
He also loves to run with Ian.
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| Weald Country Park, Brentwood with his pack |
Yesterday Spike won a 5k parkrun with Ian, in Brentwood,
Spike’s original home and where he nearly died.
And after the run we finally got to meet the person that
saved Spike’s life in March 2013. This
person and his family saved Spike from certain death as he tried to run onto
the tracks at Brentwood railway station.
Without people like him the world would be a very different place. Thank you.
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| Meeting Railway workers at the Station |
We took Spike to the railway station where he was found and
the pub where he met the lovely lady that helped him before he entered our
lives. It was very interesting seeing
how Spike behaved during all those experiences.
He spent a lot of time sniffing and staring at a particular point in the
car park. I can only guess what could
have been going through his mind.
Spike’s has many great adventures yet to come, one of which
I truly believe will be the most inspirational yet.
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| With the family that saved his life |
I believe Spike can help me achieve a long held dream of
running a Sub4 minute mile. He is
getting stronger and quicker each week and last week with Kroi’s help we ran
our fastest mile since May 2014.
Spike is a very special dog and has many guardian angels that have helped him on his journey of life. From those that saved him from certain death to those that help pay his medical bills and those that broke the rules in order to help him and those that support him each and every day. And then there are those that go far and beyond to help his medical and veterinary rehabilitation. Thank you to each and every one of you, especially North Pole Marathon, we are eternally grateful for your continued help and support.
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| Let's go catch a dream.... |
