Sent by Mindy Darvas of Rockledge. Fl. I'll post pictures soon.
Genie! What an appropriate name for this one-year-old American Bulldog mix; yes, “genie” a supernatural being taking the form of a dog. It has been a miraculous year with Genie, who has touched our lives with her unwavering courage and charming personality. She is an outstanding, obedient and beautiful tan and white dog with a pink nose, protruding teeth and lopsided smile. She is also a survivor, having had four brushes with death in the past year.
We adopted Genie from the Humane Society in August of 2007. She was just 12 weeks old and absolutely a perfect fit for our family of five. But a few days after adopting her, we discovered she had Parvo, a deadly puppy virus. Sadly, we brought her back to the Humane Society with little hope that she would survive.
The following day upon calling the Humane Society, expecting them to say that they had put her to sleep, they told us she was stable. What followed was an absolute surprise! As each day passed, Genie’s health improved. A glimmer of hope filled our saddened hearts. Our first visit to see her was an emotional one. Genie was recovering in a room filled with cats. We showered Genie with love and the children brought pictures to cheer her up. The gracious staff at the Humane Society was amazed at Genie’s will to survive. My oldest son believes that the cats gave Genie a lot of advice about “having nine lives” and “staying away from water”. A week later, Genie was back in our arms, happy and full of energy and ready to enjoy life with an active family.
Genie’s second bout with death came during a family camping trip to the Everglades National Park. My husband, who was born and raised in Miami, had told us many childhood stories of his camping escapades in the Everglades. We were so excited to go and share his love for the outdoors. Of course, Genie, as part of the family, joined us on our trip. It was late afternoon in early May when we arrived at the rustic campground. After setting up our tent and campsite, Genie and the children were playing; exploring their new surroundings, when suddenly, loud yelps and cries were heard from the bushes. Genie came tearing out, dripping blood from her mouth and sporting three small puncture wounds on her throat. No other animal sounds or movement came from the woods, but instinct told us to go and have a better look at the bushes. There it was, just steps from our tent — a huge tan and brown snake coiled on a dead tree stump. It blended in so well with its environment that it could hardly be seen. I quickly ran to retrieve my Everglades handbook and located “Snakes”. There was no doubt; it was a deadly one – a water moccasin!
I screamed, “Get Genie in the car, she’s going to die. We need help!” My husband was stunned and thinking, “how could this be happening?” We located the park ranger, who gave us several phone numbers for vets. I started making calls. I had two responses from the vets. One, they were closed or two, they could not help us. Meanwhile, Genie’s neck started swelling profusely and her face turned black. The children were scared and tearful as they watched their courageous dog dying in front of them. Panic set in. I was desperate to find help.
Finally, after calling a hospital, I was put in touch with the right person. A lieutenant from the Venom Response Bureau directed us to a veterinary hospital in Miami, where we were met with the life-saving antivenin. Once again, hope filled our hearts. I stayed with Genie while my family went back to the Everglades to get our belongings. It was dark when they arrived and the mosquitoes were ramped. Somehow, my husband managed to pack everything up, including our tent and five bikes.
They picked me up at the 24-hour veterinary hospital later that night and we made the three-hour drive home, without our beloved dog. It took two rounds of the antivenin and several days in the hospital for Genie’s critical swelling to recede. Genie was a survivor and a celebrity too. She is featured in venom response classes throughout Florida.
But Genie’s story doesn’t end here. One warm summer’s day in July, we were enjoying the evening, swimming in our pool with my parents, who were visiting us from Michigan. Genie loved the activity of the children with their inflatable toys and tried to maneuver her way around all of the rafts on the deck. Splash! She toppled into the deep end of the pool. All eyes fell upon Genie, waiting for her to swim out. Before we knew it, her head was completely immersed. Knowing that she was in danger, my father jumped in and rescued our drowning dog. Other than lots of water in her ears, Genie was fine.
It was a complete surprise that she did not know how to swim. Genie had never been in water and did not know how to react to this unusual environment. After this incident, my son was sure Genie was following her cat friends’ advice to “stay away from water!”
Genie’s most recent near-death experience came several weeks ago. Genie decided the odors coming from the garbage bin were truly enticing. After consuming some raw chicken fat, she started vomiting. Genie was quickly taken to the vet’s office. Numerous tests finally suggested that she had a blockage in her intestine.
Surgery was performed immediately. It turns out she had eaten some cloth and green ribbons and it was tearing up her intestine. After a long and difficult surgery, they managed to remove the strands of green cloth and part of her intestine and saved her life, just in the knick of time.
Genie is home now, bouncing, jumping and willing to take on the world at any moment. She brings so much joy and happiness to our family, but most importantly, She has taught us to appreciate and enjoy life. She is a survivor dog – our survivor dog, Genie.
That is such a great story. Thank you.
Posted by: Debbies Dog Clothes | April 20, 2009 at 02:59 PM