These two adorable girls arrived on Friday from the Humane Society of North Central Iowa. That’s Noodle on the left and her sister Wobbles on the right. They’re Collie mix pups about 8 months of age. Alayne took this photo of us late this afternoon. They have cerebellar hypoplasia, a neurological condition that affects fine motor skills and balance. It’s the same condition that Allie the dog and Wobbles and Claire the cats have.
But Noodle and her sister Wobbles are definitely more challenged than the other cerebellar hypoplasia animals we have. They make Allie look like, well, a ballet dancer by comparison! (If you’ve ever seen Allie in person, you know that’s a significant statement!) So they definitely wobble and flop a lot, and once they get going they can have a hard time stopping. When they tumble over backwards it can make us wince … but my-oh-my, they are such happy, joyful little things.
When they see us come through the gate into the isolation yard, they struggle to their feet — it’s not easy for them to get up — and bounce and wobble their way over to us, big smiles on their faces, making happy little barks as they come. Then they’ll lick us and lick us. They just love to be petted. These sisters are happiest when they’re held, and they go absolutely still. That’s because their brains no longer have to think about maintaining balance, and so their bodies just relax. Of course, they’re usually so excited to see us it takes a while for them to calm down and become still … but they do!
When the shelter staff emailed us about them, they wrote:
When the puppies first came into the shelter some people told us that we should just put them to sleep, but we couldn’t do that when their eyes were so full of life. They WANT to be here. Just because they are different or require more work doesn’t mean they should be dead.
And full of life they are! It’s such an effort for these girls to get up, to walk, to hold themselves still long enough to drink from a water bowl … but with sheer determination, they (eventually) do everything they want to do. Despite that effort, they are incredibly happy, and their faces show it. I hope to get some video of Noodle and Wobbles "in action" this coming week so you can see what I mean.
Until then, please join us in welcoming them to the ranch!
(Click on photo for larger image.)
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