This is a tough post to write. I debated for several weeks about reaching out for help. Some of you are friends on Facebook so you know about my rescued German Shepherd, Gentle Ben. For the rest of you, here is his story….

Eduardo’s mug shot at Irvine Animal Control

Four years ago today–August 27, 2011–Irvine Animal Control picked up an emaciated, male German Shepherd from the streets of Orange County, California. His ears were severely infected. The tips of his ears are rounded by thick scar tissue from fly strikes. His age was estimated at 4-and-a-half yrs old. His lower front teeth are worn to nubs, which indicates chewing on itchy skin–the coarse hair is like sandpaper. Dubbed “Eduardo”, the sweet-tempered GSD waited four months for his owners to claim him or a new owner to adopt him, but neither happened. Instead, he withdrew more and more.

Alexis with Eddie

In December, 2011, German Shepherd Rescue of Orange County was able to take him to their shelter, but his hopeless disposition continued until a volunteer, Alexis, fostered him, taking him into her home to live with her dog, Guinness, as well as her cats. While GSROC paid his medical bills for the ear infections, she was able to obtain a scholarship for “Canine Nose Work” where he began to come out of his shell.

I found Eddie’s photo on AdoptAPet.com, which linked to his page on GSROC.  I don’t know why I went on the site. I was still grieving the tragic loss of my young Belgian Shepherd. I wasn’t ready to adopt yet. But Eddie looked so much like my Shepherd-Lab that I had owned from puppy to senior, passing at age 11. Even though I fell in love with Eddie, the best I could do was sponsor him, contributing money toward his care. I wasn’t even sure if my older Australian Shepherd-Husky, Maile, would accept a new dog. A few days later, unable to keep my mind off of this beautiful GSD, I wanted to meet Eddie at a PetSmart Adoption event. My husband and I took Maile along. She was immediately smitten. She even licked his face! When I petted Eddie, Alexis remarked in awe, “He’s never liked to have the top of his head touched.” She was sure it was a sign that he had accepted us, too.

Adoption Day

When we took Eddie home with us that day, I had already decided to change his name to “Gentle Ben.” (To me, “Eddie” suits a hyper-active rat terrier from Frazier!)

My husband and I soon realized Gentle Ben was afraid of men, particularly tall men with facial hair! (Hubs is 6-6 with a mustache.) Ben would duck and dash to a corner. But he never growled, barked or showed any aggression. We were told that he was likely a mistreated backyard-only dog. He was not leash-trained. (Alexis had been working on that, too!) He didn’t know how to maneuver our stairs, especially coming down from the second floor. Mirrors puzzled him. I had to train him how to use the doggie door. It was like having a puppy in a big dog suit. I continued his class in nose work while taking him regularly to our vet for the chronic ear infections.

Before long, Ben gained fifteen pounds, bringing him up to a normal weight for his size. But he was still missing an important part of being a happy dog–Play! He didn’t know how to play, even with Maile. If she tried to romp with him, he shied away. He didn’t know what to do with a ball or chew toys or stuffed animals. At the dog park, he loved greeting  little dogs. Otherwise, he followed Maile. Or me. On the rare occasion that an aggressive dog tried to pick a fight, he turned away. No snaps or snarls. Gentle Ben has proved to be the most gentle, sweetest dog I have ever owned! (Shhh, don’t tell Maile I said that!)

I developed some ideas of what might have happened to Ben before he had been found on the street. One, he was older than four years old. More like seven. Two, he had definitely been abused. Our current vet believes some of his present condition may have been caused from a blow to the lower back. And his tail is broken on the tip. Three, from the way he reacts to little dogs and one of our cats–who follows him around and kneads on him!–I can’t help but wonder if he was accustomed to being around puppies. Given he was not neutered when he was picked up,  I suspect he might have been a stud for a backyard breeder.

Eight months after adopting Gentle Ben, Maile was diagnosed with lymphoma. I’d never owned a pet with cancer but I couldn’t NOT try to save her life, despite the cost. Thankfully, she went into remission almost immediately after starting chemo. And still is! While she was going through treatment, our vet referred Ben to a veterinary dermatologist. I couldn’t juggle both expenses, so he had to wait six months. Tests showed allergies to dust mites, grasses, trees in our neighborhood. But the antigen cost a pretty penny! I learned how to give the shots at home. And they worked! His ears cleared completely.

We caught a break when we moved to Vegas valley. No allergies! No more shots! At the local dog park, Ben loved running around but still didn’t understand how to play. Finally, one wonderful day, he approached another dog that was about the same size as him, and teased the dog into playing. I couldn’t believe my eyes. He did it twice! He came back to me with such a big, happy-boy grin. I had tears in my eyes.

That night, Ben couldn’t get up from his bed. I thought he had pulled a muscle so I stopped taking him to the park for a few weeks. When we returned, I noticed his running gait was strange. Instead of alternating legs, one seemed to follow close behind the other. Odd.  Afterward, he was stiff at night. The new vet said Ben was arthritic and put him on Rimadyl. Not my choice but I needed help for Ben. Ten days later, I didn’t see any improvement. (For other reasons I won’t go into now, I stopped taking my dogs to this vet.)

Eventually, I found a well-respected holistic vet for Ben who responded remarkably well to her acupuncture and chiropractic treatment. Luckily, a specific test showed he does not have the genetic disorder that affects the spine. But Xrays show bone spurs and spinal stenosis. Dr. Stefanatos referred us to a specialist in stem cell and laser therapy who determined Ben was not a good candidate for those treatments, which would only bring temporary relief. He recommended back surgery. In a strange coincidence, Gentle Ben needs the same surgery on his lower spine as my other Shepherd-Lab had at age three.  This time, however, Ben is older–possibly eleven years old by now–and the cost has sky-rocketed, about three times the amount I paid for my other dog. My husband is now retired. We are on a fixed income with other financial strains on our pockets. Whether Ben has surgery or continues with acupuncture, both cost money. I have also looked into the wheeled carts for pets who have lost mobility.

Today, Ben has good days and bad days, but he is happy. We don’t go to the dog park anymore. Instead, I drive the dogs to a local tree-shaded park where we walk about 3/4 mile. (Such a difference from the 3-mile walks when we lived in SoCal!)  At home, Ben follows me everywhere, which makes me feel bad when he’s having a rough day and that right hind leg just won’t work right. But I have a sling to throw under his belly to steady him on those days. One night, I wondered why he didn’t follow me into the bedroom. I walked back to the family room, worried he couldn’t get up to walk. I found him surrounded by at least a dozen stuffed doggie-toys, rolling on his back on top of them and groaning with delight. Alone in the dark, he had finally figured out how to play in his own way!

Ben & Maile in the park

So now you know my story about Gentle Ben. A sale of 99¢ eBooks may not be the answer to all of his medical bills, but I decided to throw it out there and see if it can make a difference. Here is the link to my book page where you can find Buy Buttons to all the retailers — http://gilliandoyle.com/books/

Thank you from Gentle Ben.

Please feel free to share his story.

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