Jerry
"Jerry went to his
forever home with Michelle in Maine on 6/12/04"
8/18/04 Update:
Dear Melanie and Jim,
Hi! Michelle and Jerry make quite a team! They are both so happy and
so much in love with eachother! Jerry is such a sweetheart! He is adjusting
well. He loves his walks and riding in the caravan. He is very much
a "people" person. He loves to greet everyone! If someone
is walking their dog while we are on a walk with Jerry, Jerry will
go right up to the person and not really be so concerned about the
other dog! He is so friendly. We recently bought the kids a 12' x 3'
round pool from Wal-mart. Guess who went swimming with Michelle? It
was priceless! Jerry sleeps with Michelle in her bed at night. He likes
to hang out on the couch during the day or on the kitchen floor when
it is really hot. He is really good about taking his shower in our
shower. He is very playful in the morning and especially after a shower
or a dip in the pool. He is very good with Charlie and Sandy. They
like to take eachother's toys and then tattle! Jerry rarely barks unless
he sees a dog that is close to his size. He doesn't react to smaller
dogs. He spends alone time every day with each of us. It is funny how
he does that. He usually snuggles with Andrew who is 10 in the morning
when Michelle is at summer school. He hangs out with me in the afternoon
when I am cleaning the house, folding laundry, ect... He greets my
husband at midnight when he gets home from 2nd shift and they
"wrestle" on the floor. I have never seen my husband so taken
with a dog since our first Charlie who went to Heaven over 3 years
ago. We love Jerry so much!! Jerry is such a blessing! We can't thank
you both enough for all of your support and generosity. Michelle's
level of functioning is so much better since Jerry. Both her pediatrician
and her school counselor recently remarked at how much better Michelle
is doing since Jerry has come into her life. In fact, she is not on
any anti-anxiety meds because they cause her to become manic with her
bipolar disorder. She is only taking a mood stabilizer (Risperidol)
and her ADHD med (Adderoll XR). Michelle shared with me yesterday that
when she was having a bad day last Sunday and was tearful, she lied
down on her bed next to Jerry and talked to him about her feelings.
Jerry comforted her by listening to Michelle without moving or taking
his eyes off of her and then licked the tears away on her face. Jerry
is the best medicine Michelle will ever have. Michelle is just beginning
to walk down the path that leads to full-blown adolescence and I can't
think of a better friend than Jerry to walk it with. Jerry is looking
very healthy and you can't see his ribs anymore! He is doing well with
his Ivermectin, which Michelle gives to him with my assistance. She
was very queezy about the needle part at first (just to get the medicine
out of the bottle), but wanted to make sure that I was doing it right
for Jerry's sake!!!! God Bless you both and the awesome work that you
do to save these dogs and give them a chance to have a good life.
Love, Lisa
6/17/04 Update:
"Hi Melanie and Jim,
I can't even begin to tell you what a blessing Jerry is to Michelle
and our family. He is such a loving, gentle soul. He is so handsome
and just an all around sweetheart. He is doing fantastic!!!! I gave
him a shower on Monday and his coat is redder than red-so beautiful.
He is good at communicating his needs to us in regards to "more
water" and needing to go outside to go to the bathroom. He loves,
loves, loves his many many daily walks and the chance to see everyone
who is out and about in the neighborhood. Jerry is doing well with
sitting and laying down. He has been spontaneously playfully rolling
on his back with his legs up in the air! It is pretty hysterical to
see. He is getting peppier by the day. He even will kiss on command!
Jerry already has the school routine down and eagerly waits at the
door to go on the car ride to drop the kids off at school. He is quick
to get into the caravan and doesn't shake at all anymore.
He loves chicken, but does not care for watermelon. He drinks water
like a camel!!! Michelle decided last night to find a good home for
her bunny Freddy Bob. Most of her friends adore him. He is a great
sociable loving rabbit, but "someone"
is looking at him like he is lunch. For the love and sake of both Jerry
and Freddy Bob, Michelle wants to do the right thing. I am so proud
of her. Michelle thinks that maybe when Jerry was a stray that he may
have had to hunt rabbits for food in order to survive. We moved Freddy
Bob into the basement to separate them and keep Freddy Bob safe. That
is working out well as long as you do not open the cellar door with
Jerry in sight. He is a good boy though and is not scratching at the
door or barking. In fact, he only barked once when Charlie attempted
to take his chew toy. Otherwise, he has been as quiet as can be. He
loves to look out the windows and watch whatever is going on outside.
He doesn't bark or cry or anything. He wags his tail all the time and
just loves to be with us. We all love him so much! Michelle thanks
God everyday for Jerry! I don't have a digital camera, but I will take
some pictures and have them developed and send them along to you both.
Michelle has suddenly been hogging the bathroom at night. Before Jerry,
she was scared to death to take a bath and had to have me right there.
Now, she and Jerry go in the bathroom together and close the door.
Michelle lingers in the tub and talks up a storm with Jerry. She has
been averaging close to an hour! You should hear the singing and "Jerry,
Jerry, Jerrys". Bedtime has been a breeze. Jerry gets Michelle
to sleep and then visits with me in the livingroom. At 11:30pm, he
lies down in front of the front door of our house and waits for my
husband to walk thru the door just before midnight. Then he goes back
to Michelle. What a sweetheart!
Thank you from the bottom of my heart!
Lisa"
Dear Melanie and Jim,
I can't thank you both enough for all that you have done for
Jerry and Michelle. They sat in the back seat of our caravan together
on our trip from Melanie's back to our home in Berwick. Jerry was resting
his head in Michelle's lap sleeping while Michelle fell asleep with
her head on Jerry's back. The two of them were out for the duration
of the ride. When we arrived at our home, Michelle took Jerry for a
walk to meet all of her friends in our neighborhood. Then they came
home and fell asleep on "their" bed and snuggled up together!
Jerry stopped shaking about an hour after being with us. We had to
go to that little girl's wake last night. We decided to just let Jerry
stay in Michelle's room as he was fast asleep. He was very content.
We were gone for 2 hours and came home to a very happy dog. Jerry is
such a good boy. He really seems to be happy with us. He does a lot
of drinking and tail wagging! We just love him! Michelle fell asleep
instantly last night with no statements of being afraid. This is "huge".....
Jerry was up with Michelle this morning, had his walk, and then rode
in the car to school. I felt bad because when I got home, he was shaking
again, but it didn't last long. He must have thought he was in for
another long journey when I put him in the car. He is eating well.
Science diet with just a smiggen of pizza! He is getting along beautifully
with our Charlie and Sandy. Michelle can't wait to get home from school
to be with her "baby" as she calls him. Both Andrew and Michelle
have 1/2 day on Friday and then are on summer vacation until September.
Perfect timing!
God bless you both and all that you do for all of these animals...
You are very special people with very big hearts. My husband and I,
our Michelle and Andrew, can't thank you enough...
I will keep in touch.... Lisa
