Festus came to us from San Antonio after being rescued by his foster mom, Jennifer, just hours before he scheduled to be euthanized. She took him home where he stayed in a corner in her bedroom, scared, lonely and sad, for quite a few days before he began to feel normal. One blessing of being in Jennifer’s home was that Festus was able to become friends with another three legged dog named Nax, which surely helped him on the road to healing.
Before Jennifer rescued him and took him home, he had suffered tremendously, having ended up in the shelter after being hit by a car. They had to amputate his back right leg, and he received a nasty gash on his forehead, as well. No one came to claim him.
He is a Chihuahua mix and it seems he must have a bit of Rat Terrier in him, as he quite intelligent and feisty. We named him after the Gunsmoke character Festus (Festus had a marked limp).
Every morning, I let him out onto the back deck, where he must go down a long staircase out to the yard, which he handles just fine.
He’s learning not to bark at the deer, and is restraining himself quite well.
Jumping on the bed poses some difficulty for him when he is tired, and he has fallen backwards onto his back. Fortunately, there is a double layer of carpet to cushion any falls.
He loves clothing, and gets cold easily, so he very much appreciated the hoodie we got for him, and he sports it on walks throughout the neighborhood.
Festus has turned the lives of two retired humans upside down, but in a good way. He gets us up and going every morning, and makes sure we stick to a schedule so he can be fed at the same time every day.
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