Auggie with James
His passing was not a surprise. Unfortunately he had been showing his age the last several weeks, and he bacame much weaker the last couple of days. Today he lost the ability to move, so it was just a matter of time.
AUGGIE'S STORY
I was contacted by a rescue friend regarding a dachshund in need of rescue here in Maine over 3 years ago. I learned that he was running out of time in the shelter that he was in, so I contacted the Kennebec Valley Humane Society.
I went down to Augusta to pick up this little dog that was named Dagwood by the staff at the shelter. I had very little information except that he was heartworm positive and has lyme disease. So, I knew that we were going to have a road to recovery after I picked him up.
When I arrived I found a very small, very shy little wire haired weinerdog. He is 11 years old, and the way they know that is rather interesting. He was microchipped by a breeder in Alabama in August of 1995 as a puppy, but he was never registered by an owner. He was found and picked up by animal control as a stray, walking the streets of Augusta, Maine.
I immediately took him to our vet to have him examined. The vet told me that with his age, the heartworm treatment could very well kill him. Well, I was not going to be discouraged! I asked them to perform some x-rays to tell me how bad his infestation was. The x-rays showed that his infestation was not that bad, and the vet is confident that he will be able to survive the process of killing the nasty parasites and live out the last days of his life in peace.
How did he get the name Auggie? Well, I picked him up on the last day of August, and he was found in Augusta, so the name just came to me while driving back home with him next to me on the passenger's seat. I said,"Hello, Auggie!" and he just looked at me. So, that name stuck!
Auggie became used to life here with the other 8 weinerdogs, but at first it was difficult. He was always very shy, but he got better every day.
He passed away this afternoon as the sun was setting. He always loved the warm sunshine, and he got to enjoy it today. His best buddy Riley sat by his side all day on the big bed.
