A few months later her motor capabilities diminished and she was diagnosed with the worst hip dysplasia her surgeon had ever seen. I did a lot of research and we had her hips excised at 6 and 9 months of age so there would be a maximum of recovery. Since she's a smaller dog (32-38 lbs) there were no hip replacements so she grew her own from cartilage. We walked her and my husband had her swim daily. She looks a little funny, cow-hocked, but can run like the wind and corner to beat any Lab to a ball.
It's seven years after the surgeries and this photo is important, because it's taken the day after we moved into a strange home with other peoples' furniture even comforter cover after driving halfway across the country. Does she look stressed? I think not. I've had one dog and two cats of my own, they're gone now. We've had Zoe going on eight years and while she's a herder and doesn't do anything fun once ("it's routine!") she still is the happiest dog I've ever known and it's been a joy to be with her all these years.
When we arrived at the shelter we saw her litter. I'd always adopted older rescues but wanted to try to train a pup once. There was a hold on her so we also looked at a Bernese mix, a male pup. The next morning we got a call that the hold was off and we could have her. We were so excited! To this day when she is too smart for her britches or drives us nuts squeaking a ball, my husband says "We should have got the dumb one." Not that Bernese are dumb, only more docile.
We love our Zoe and thank you for being there when it was the right time to adopt a dog. Best of luck in your new home. You've provided homes for so many, now you'll have a better facility to serve the needs of the community.
Cheers! Dee Carpenter
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