Ezekiel's Story
 |  |  |  |  |
 |  |  |  |  |
 |  |  |  |
 |  |  |  |
| Ezekiel came to me from either a dog hoarder or a Puppy Mill, I am not positive as to which one. I found him in the local Thrifty Nickel now know as the American Classifies. When I called about him his breeder, Judith Lanich told me that she had one little boy left. That she was going to use him for breeding but changed her mind. We drove over 2 1/2 hours one way to her place. Upon arrival we went into her home. She had every type of small breed imaginable running around and had cages in her living, dining, and kitchen area. I believe she had no clue what she was doing was wrong. It was a very sad sight to see. There was no way that I could leave this helpless soul there. On our way home we stopped to get gas and I let him down on the grass to see if he needed to go potty. He was 15 weeks old and acted like he had never had anything solid under his feet. Needless to say he did not go potty. When I got him home, he potties in my floor. His poop was full of worms. I had to hand feed him his kibble just to get him to eat that night. The next morning we took him to the vet to find out that he was definitely full of worms and only had one descended testicle. I called his breeder about this and she commenced to calling me a liar and told me to bring him back to her for a refund or a replacement puppy. There was no way that I would return this innocent soul to this woman. Fast forward almost 7 months. Ezekiel was the worlds best at hiding in places that I could not find him. He finally bonded with me and if I was not around he stuck next to my dad. Come to find out that the reason he would hide was because he had never bonded with anyone and had yet to realise that he could trust me. He finally bonded with me and my dad if I was not around. But no one else. Because he was NOT socialized as a baby. Close to his first birthday he started passing blood in his urine. When I took him to the vet the first thing they suspected a liver shunt. They ran all the test to see if it was a shunt, it was determined that he did not have one. But found out he was a Kidney Stone Producer. And that he would have problems with them the rest of his life. He finally got big, strong and healthy enough we thought to have him neutered. The surgery went well but he did not wake up as he should. It took me five days to get him back to where he could walk without stumbling and falling. We spent a lot of time outside on the swing so he could get as much Vitamin D as possible to help him come around. Over the next 1 1/2 years he spent many hours at the vet. Then in October 2007 on a late Saturday Night he got sick. He could not urinate and was in severe pain. We went back to the emergency vet and found out that his urethra was clogged by a huge crystal. And that he had a stone bigger than a quarter in one of his kidney's. He went back into surgery. They had to re route his urethra to make him have a new passage way like a female dog. He literally had a sex change. They also removed the stone and said that we would be battling them the rest of his life. I found out what type stone's his system created and he was put on a special diet. Within two weeks of his surgery he felt better than he had ever felt. He was running, playing and doing things I had never seen him do before. He was happy and healthy. But that did not last long. On the morning of March 9, 2008, I awoke to find my baby in terrible condition. He seemed lifeless. My father rushed him to the ER Vet and after they did x-rays they found that he had blown every disk in his lower back. This time there was no helping him we had to let him go. He is now at the bridge. He did not suffer from this long. But it is so sad that he ended up dying over something that we never expected. The vets are not positive but believe that during the last few months of his life with him being so active and his calcium going to the wrong places, that is what caused the disk to blow. All we know is that this puppy that lived a very hard life for his whole life of three years should never have had to suffer the way he did. Dogs are a gift from God. And for breeders such as Judith Lanich to produce puppies in such a condition sickens me and so many others. I called his breeder to try and tell her what he had been through and what ended up happening to him. At first I lied and acted like I wanted a puppy from his parents and asked her if she was still breeding them. When she said yes I admitted that I had lied and what Ezekiel had gone through his whole life. She started yelling at me and denying even being herself. I found out that she is still breeding this pair together. So there are possibly several more puppy's and family's going through what we have gone through. I am hoping that Ezekiel's story will help to get the word out about these type of facilities. I am a firm believer that if a breeder breeds more than two or three breeds of dogs and/or has over 15 breeding adults there is no way that they can keep up with everything they need too. Take Ezekiel's story with you. And help spread the word about these horrible places and what they produce. Please help Ezekiel live on and save the next innocent soul. |
04/03/05-03/09/08
| Rest in Peace Sweet Heart. Mommy will forever hold you dear to my soul. |
| This poem was sent to me by a very sweet friend on Spoiled Maltese. Thank you Marie, Pacino & Ralphie |
| In Loving Memory of Ezekiel There’s something missing in my home, I feel it day and night. I know it will take time and strength before things feel quite right. But just for now, I need to mourn, my heart—it needs to mend. Though some may say it’s “just a pet” I know I’ve lost a friend. You’ve brought such laughter to my home, and richness to my days… A constant friend through joy or loss, with gentle loving ways. Companion, pal, and confidante, a friend I won’t forget, you’ll live for always in my heart, my sweet forever pet… Marie, Pacino & Ralphie |