Sherman Is Adopted!
Sherman with Sharon and Michael
Sherman, a 10 year old male German Shorthaired Pointer came to us after being picked up as a stray and taken to a local shelter. He was found roaming a Walmart parking lot known as a local place to dump your unwanted dog. How Sherman got there is still a mystery.
After being examined by our vet, it was discovered that Sherman had been hit by a car in his early age, and had a plate in his left leg, causing him some stiffness and arthritis in his right hip and knee.
Sherman was a volunteer favorite. He did great in his foster home and was a wonderful house guest, however we wanted Sherman to find his forever home who would give him the love and care in his senior years, and be a cherished family member.
Michael and Sharon are long time supporters of California GSP Rescue, always sending a donation when we have a Vet bill to pay and always adopting. Always adopting a dog that most would give a “like” but weren’t inclined to adopt. Whether it be because the dog was older or needed to be an only dog, Michael and Sharon found room in their hearts and home.
Michael and Sharon reached out to adopt another senior GSP in need. They saw Sherman on the website and inquired about him. We thought Sherman would be the perfect fit for them. Michael and Sharon weren’t deterred by Sherman’s arthritis, always wanting to help as much as they could. They met Sherman and completely fell in love. Life has been pretty great for Sherman since going home with Michael and Sharon. He has been a true “miracle” in their lives, and once again we are so grateful.
“We lost our beloved Lilli on July 3, 2022 and I said to my husband, Michael, “absolutely no more rescuing dogs” (we have always rescued senior GSP’s, 7 of them, but we are now very senior ourselves!). Six weeks later, Sherman “stumbled” into our lives after I peeked at the GSP website for a bit too long to see what senior needed a home.
I say “stumbled” because he had probably been hit by a car and had a steel plate in his left leg/hind quarter, and has severe hip dysplasia in his right hip so he stumbled and occasionally fell down when walking. He also has an issue with his right front leg so we took him to our local vet for x-rays and blood panels, etc. but apparently it is arthritis and for now we just give him Meloxydil. He has a partially crushed windpipe which accounts for his loud but hoarse bark. My plea to any dog owner is to always use a harness when walking your dog, Pulling by a leash on the collar can lead to unnecessary damage according to our vet. Sherm is deaf, but very good at responding to hand signals.
We met Greg and Sherman at the California GSP Rescue, and Greg gave us all the details he had and copies of all the paperwork from the original shelter and from his examination by the Rescue’s wonderful vet, Dr. Kang in Oceanside. Greg and his staff and volunteers are very thorough in vetting any potential adopters, and even though we had rescued from them before, I completed our required application online. I have never met a GSP, no matter what the age, that did not require a fair amount of daily exercise and more than a fair amount of attention.
So Sherman made the 3-hr. ride to his new home to San Diego (traffic jam on the freeway – big delay). REALLY had to pee by the time we got him out of the car! Walked into the house and decided he’d stay, pillow in every room, new orthopedic bed and pillow in the master bedroom where he sleeps with Michael and a decent yard with view of the golf course! It was literally as if he’d always been here – no big transition. We discovered soon, however, that he needs to go out to pee very frequently (and he’s very good about it). The vet has us limit his water intake since testing did not indicate any infection or reason for the excessive urination. We have a full-size “bug screen” that he can walk through and we leave that door open all the time.
Now here’s the big update… rarely ever stumbles – his morning walk is now a morning run, and I mean he flies for about 4 blocks before he finally settles down to a trot (pretty good for a 10-yr.-old). I had no idea I would be taking up running again at this age, but I give it my best shot so he is not held back. The neighbors call him “a miracle”. He gets 3 walks/runs a day for a total of about a mile-and-a-half so he has apparently built up enough muscle to compensate for the weakness in his “back end”. I like to think his healthy diet also plays a part. He gets blueberries, peeled apple and hard boiled egg with his breakfast kibble; fresh baked salmon or chicken breast with his lunch kibble and steamed green beans, carrots, baked potato or sweet potato with his dinner kibble.
Sherm is very affectionate and does not want to be more than 2 inches away from me at all times. I have to be careful not to trip over him. (As I am typing this, he is standing beside me with his head on my lap.) Because of his injury, he cannot get up on the sofa or bed with us, so every evening I get down on the floor and lie on his pillow with him after dinner, and he likes to snuggle. He is very good with other people and okay with most other dogs. We feel like we hit the jackpot with Sherman, as we have with every other senior GSP we have adopted (Brutus, Derek, Basil, Roscoe, Ebony, Rosa, Lilli and a 2-week foster of Stryker). Every one of them has enriched our lives”.
