Eddie's life did not begin with us his previous history was that of a kennel dog, I can not  speak for what life was actually like for him prior to coming to our home as I never went to where he lived previously, nor do I know his previous owners on a personal level. I can only repeat what I was told by his previous owners, parts of which I find hard to believe, or guess as to what it must have been like for him given his condition on arrival here with us. So, I will only speak on what I was told by his previous owners and the condition in which he arrived at our home, the health he was in when he arrived and what he and we have had to endure on his journey to recovery, all of which has been documented and verified by my personal vet and close friends and family.

His story begins with us when we heard he was available from another breeder (not his original breeder) and saw photos of him in his younger years that reminded us of our Shapiro. Having just lost Shapiro's daughter Lily we felt that Eddie while not related would be a nice addition and would possibly produce some beautiful blues like our Lily.

 In the photos we saw he was quite the handsome boy in his prime and we knew his pedigree well, it is filled with many great dogs that make up some of today's top bloodlines, so we were confident regarding his genetic makeup. We knew of this particular breeder and from speaking with them felt while they were a kennel from what they said, they seemed to take good care of their dogs physically ..

We were told he had some minor issues such as his tail having some growths that the owners said their vet told them were caused by ingrown hairs and he had some spots where his hair had thinned out some, from what was thought to most likely be just age related. Things we would have attended to if we adopted him and felt confident based on what we were told by the owners and after we consulted with our vet based on those things that we could fix the issues relatively easily and he would be fine with no serious repercussions. 

 Once we decided to adopt him we were told they took him to their vet for a teeth cleaning and we were told he lost 2 or 3 teeth during the process. Even then we were excited to add him to our home as all of those things we understood and could be attributed to a dog just getting older sometimes, especially an IG or toy breed dog, but otherwise were assured he was in great health.

Eddie arrived within  a week of his previous owners taking him to their vet . We arrived at the airport excited at his arrival and anxious to bring him home. We did all the paperwork to claim him at Cargo and then proceeded to take him out when we arrived at our car so he could go potty before we got back on the road to head home.

When he came out of his crate into my arms I began to cry as this is when I realized the "minor" issues we had been discussing with the previous owners may not be so minor. My husband had no idea why I began to cry and when I told him all he could say is it will be ok, being with us he will be a spoiled  lucky dog that will get everything he needs now.

 The growths that their vet told them were supposedly caused by ingrown hairs were much bigger than I had imagined and looked more like huge blisters covering large portions of his tail and he had a few missing teeth, but he was ours now, he was home and we would deal with and fix this the best we could.

The journey to fix the issues began immediately, we took him to our vet for a check up and what we and our vet had discussed based on the information we were given before he arrived quickly became a much more serious set of issues, just how much so we would not find out until he was admitted to begin his process of recovery.

Our vet checked him over carefully and decided he had many loose and abscessed teeth, something that surprised us all given he had just had a dental within a week prior. They were very obvious and we felt that whoever did his dental should have caught this major issue. Needless to say due to the teeth it caused him to also have a sinus infection that caused his muzzle to be swollen and his eyes to constantly drain.

We also checked the tail, our vet said based on the size of the cyst like growths that it was likely they had been there for sometime. We did a needle aspirate to try and determine what it was and it also turned out to be severely infected. Another blow for us and Eddie.

When we checked the missing hair we decided it best to do a total blood work up to determine just exactly what was going on in his body.  As with any time you are waiting for an answer the 30 minute wait seemed like hours but finally the test results were back.  The blood work indicated severe infections through his body and a thyroid issue that appeared was secondary to the infections he had been fighting and his immune system being so elevated.

The issues seemed to just pile up but the seriousness of it all was about to get worse unbeknownst to us all.  I gave Eddie some hugs and kisses and reassured him we were going to fix this and he would be alright.  Before I left him for what was suppose to be just an overnight stay, he leaned over and surprised me and our vet by giving me 2 kisses as if he was assuring me and thanking me for taking care of him, that act of love touched me very deeply.

The next morning Eddie went in for his surgeries, the morning went by quickly and while I thought of him a few times and wondered how he was doing, I kept faith it would all turn out to be minor ( relative, as could be given the issues) and be fixed, maybe a few extra teeth would come out, we would repair his tail and all would be fine.

Finally Dr. Ellis called with an update on him, turns out she was actually on speaker phone calling during his surgery as the dental we thought was just going to be a few extractions turned out to be much worse. She informed me that she had to remove all of his remaining teeth as they were all completely rotted and abscessed and that when she removed them everyone was embedded in puss filled cavities that came oozing out when she removed the teeth. Not only that but the severe infection caused by the teeth deteriorated the tip of his lower jaw to the point she could not repair it even with wire so he was going to loose a portion of it.

He ended up staying in the hospital 4 days with a feeding tube and intravenous pain/antibiotics being administered for what was going to be an overnight procedure.

Eddie had only been with us about 2 weeks, so you can see this has been a lot to deal with in such a short time and totally not what we expected or were prepared for.  I cried many times, not for myself or about the exhaustive amount of money it has cost to fix what was suppose to be minor, but because this poor defenseless boy depended on people to love him and take care of him and he was the one to pay the price for the shortcomings by others.

 While it is difficult, I have to believe that it was God's intervention that led me to decide to adopt this boy as doing so went against everything my instincts and beliefs have led me to believe in, but in doing so it has given him a chance at life that he may not have been given otherwise.

  Our vet tells us that we actually saved his life as if he would have continued with these issues he would not have lasted much longer and that while it is a blow and very expensive for us we should take solace in that and his chances for a full recovery and to live a happy quality of life are very good.

 Regardless of whose  fault or lack of knowledge  led to this, it is still heartbreaking that it should occur at his or any companions expense. If I could look at him and see that there was something seriously amiss with him it is beyond my understanding how someone else that cared for him prior could not see it, especially the vet who cared for him, or how if he was misdiagnosed given the severity of the way it looked that the diagnosis was not put to question by someone. I guess I am just one who questions things I do not feel are correct, not to argue or question anyone's training but we are all human and not one of us no matter our training is correct 100 % of the time.

While breeders are necessary to carry on the breeds we love, we must do so responsibly. We as adults take on the responsibility when we make the decision to have children or animals in our lives.  It is up to us to ensure they are cared for and that their needs are met, medical, emotional, and physical. It is one as a breeder, a person who adopts a companion, or parent that should be taken seriously. These are gifts that God entrusts to us and we should not violate them or the trust that has been given to us.

 He will never be the dog he could have been if this had not been allowed to happen as even though we corrected his life threatening health issues and he is completely healthy now, he is still left with repercussions from all of this. He doesn't have any teeth and is missing the tip of his lower jaw, while not good he does not allow it to bother him or change his eating.  He is not a special needs dog as it has not changed his life in a way that would cause him or us to have to alter anything, he is not on any medications.

Throughout this entire ordeal, Eddie has kept a remarkable spirit and attitude, he has become the most loving boy, he follows our daughter around endlessly, she seems to be his favorite person. although he seems to love all people even though he is cautious with new people and sudden movements by people. It is understandable given what he has had to endure; if I had to go through what he has I would be cautious of people too.

He has come out of his shell though, he plays with our other Iggy's , lounges around the house, allows us to hold him and he even has chosen to continue to eat kibble even though he has no teeth, which to me and our vet is just amazing. His weight is great; his hair has all grown back in all of the places it was missing. He looks and acts like a totally different boy than the one that arrived here.

I love all of my dogs and each one is special and has taught me something and given me more than I could ever give them but Eddie has touched me in a profound way, he truly is an amazing. loving, and wonderful boy and I am thankful that we have been able to give him the rest of his life back for however long that may be.

Thank you so much to all of our friends and extended family for all of your support in this. We are sharing his story because this is not how it had to be.

 If Eddie can teach us anything it is how forgiving and loving he still is even though this has happened, just maybe someone will gain something from all of this and the suffering at his expense will educate and enlighten so as to not be for nothing.

Please take care of your companions, clean their teeth at least weekly and get regular veterinarian checkups.  

You can see more photos of Eddie on his page.