The Chronicles of Chalmette

[PigWooBus]

I'm so glad you rescued her. I've been checking every day for more of the story!

[socal805]

VJ you are an angel to this little dog and many other animals-I wish more people would have the courage to do what you did. I will continue to check this thread for updates on her story and wish her well. If you would like to pm me with an address, I would like to send a small donation to help with her med bills. I don't have a ton to contribute but I want to send something out to you. Chalmette is so lucky that you rescued her and I know she will find a loving forever home.

[VoodooJoint]

Sorry I didn't tell more of my story yesterday. You see I can't type and the lady was busy with other things, including me.

The good thing about not telling my story for a day is that there are more pictures then usual to share. I've calmed down (just a little) and I stand still more so the lady can take pictures of me. Here is one I like. This one was taken when I got to explore more of the yard.


That thing behind me is called a toy. I've never had one before and I'm not sure what to do with it. The lady tries to get me to bite it and she throws it to try to make me chase it but I don't want to bite and I'd rather climb in her lap.

I'm not usually allowed in the yard because the lady says I probably have worms and she doesn't want my other dogs to get infected. Instead I have a smaller, fenced in space of my very own. It makes me feel safe being in that smaller space but there isn't much room to run.

While I explored the yard I found this! What ARE those things in there? They sure move around a lot and are pretty but I couldn't get a very good sniff of them.



Here is a picture of me modelling that pretty new collar the lady got me. Do you like the color? The lady said that the nice man that lives with her picked it out because the color suited me. I think I'm very pretty in it. The man is very nice. I can't believe I was afraid of him at first.



The lady gave me that "wok" thing she told me about. You know what? A "wok" isn't something good to eat, it's when the human puts a rope on you and takes you out to see the rest of the world. You sure do walk a lot on a "wok".

I liked it a lot, maybe more then I like the food. I sniffed and sniffed and sniffed some more. I got all the news in the neighborhood. I found out that there are a lot of happy dogs around here that eat good food like I get now. I hope I get to stay as happy as they smell and I feel right now. I also found out there are a lot of cats around here. They stink up all the soft dirt areas real bad. I'm not sure what to make of the cats. I don't know if I like them or not. It's hard to make up my mind because every time I try to sniff one and introduce myself it hisses and runs away.

The lady took me back to house after the "wok" (I have to admit I was afraid we weren't going back). After I rested and had a little more food the lady took me and put me in a big bowl. She got me all wet (at least the water was warm) and put stuff on me and made me foam up all over like I was the worlds worst rabid dog. I didn't like it one bit and wanted to get away. The lady talked to me in gentle tones again and I tried to trust her. I couldn't help but stay stiff as a board though and try to wait my chance to jump out of the big bowl. The lady didn't give me that chance to do that though.

I have to admit I did enjoy getting scritched all over.

After the lady got me soaking wet again and washed away all of that foam she wrapped me in a big towel and rubbed me all over. I got very wiggly and managed to run away. I ran into the next room and rolled and rolled on the carpet to get myself dry. I could hear the lady running after me and calling "Not on the bed! Please, not on the bed!".

What's a bed?

I did see this big thing in the room I was in that was covered with fluffy blankets and pillows. It looked so fun and comfy that I wanted to jump on it to see what it was and have a good roll there to dry myself off but the lady caught me and took me out of there before I could.

She seemed relieved but I still want to check that big thing out.

Later on the lady took me for another walk. She introduced me to some nice neighbors and told them my story. They all pet me and fussed over me. I feel like a celebrity.

After they finished fussing the lady continued to talk to them while I wandered to the end of my rope to do more sniffing. As I sniffed I felt a great pain inside me. I stiffened up and arched my back and circled a bit to try to make the pain stop. he lady noticed and sat down on the sidewalk with me and comforted me. She said she was sorry I was starting to feel pain but It would all be fixed tomorrow (today actually). After a little while the pain stopped and I was back to feeling normal. We walked back home and I took a nap.

The lady Stayed nearby watching me for a long time and even after she left she checked on me often. She said to me, "good, I don't think you're in labor. I guess a puppy must have moved and caused you pain because they are getting too big".

Later on when the lady was checking on me I felt something move inside me again and it hurt. The lady saw it too and took a picture. You can see I'm in pain in this picture but it was only for a second before it passed.



I didn't have any more pain since then.

I'm a little confused though. The lady took away my food and even my water last night. I know that I don't always get food because the lady says I eat too much and will get sick but she always makes sure I have water.

The lady says I'm having that operation tomorrow (today). What does that have to do with my water bowl?

I woke up this morning and the lady put me out in my little yard. I ran to my food bowl to wait for her to give me food but she didn't. She says that in a few hours we will be going to visit that doctor so I can't eat or drink. I'm in my yard right now scooting my bowl with my nose hoping that someone will notice it's empty and come fill it. The lady comes to check on me so I know she didn't forget I'm here so I just don't understand.

I hope this doctor thing happens soon. Maybe after that I can have more food.

[VoodooJoint]

Thanks everyone for the support. We will be leaving the house in about an hour to go to the doctor.

Thank you SoCal as well as the other people that emailed wanting to contribute to her care. Luckily all of he medial bills are being paid by the W.A.I.F. Fund. WAIF stands for Wandering Animal Insurance Fund. It's a private money collection organized by a friend of mine to help pay for the vet bills of animals like Chalmette. She doesn't have a specific website or paypal for it but people can send money to me and I'll get it to her for the fund.

My paypal account is Louie(a)thejukejoint.com

For credit cards you can go here. The link says it's for the spay/neuter program but that's the same as the WAIF fund http://thejukejoint.com/spfornewor.html I personally handle all orders that come in and your credit card is safe with me. We have a secure server. Our store has a $9.00 minimum order amount but if you wish to donate less just write me a note in the comment area of the order form and tell me how much you want to donate and I can manually change it.

Checks can be sent to me
Elly Maistros
619 Mandeville St #2
New Orleans LA 70117

[auburnmare5]

How can people live with themselves knowing that an animal is suffering and possibly dying right under their noses! It honestly sickens me!

[Sammy and Peanut]

Your life is starting to get MUCH better, isn't it Chalmette?

[VoodooJoint]

Well, I'm back at the lady's house. Today turned out to be a very bad day for me. The lady took me to a place where there were lots of other dogs and cats. It was very noisy and my lady said we were at the "Shelter" and it would be okay. I met many other humans there. The lady told them my story and they fussed over me and said some very unkind things about my old owner.

Then we went to see the Doctor and she stayed for a while with me while she helped the doctor with another dog. They gave the other dog a shot and she fell asleep. Then they put her on a tall table and put some sort of muzzle on her face and a strange smell came out. The nice lady that is taking care of me was standing by the other dog's head and kept looking at the strange machine that was connected to the muzzle and checking on the dog. The doctor seemed very nice and talked a lot in friendly tones but for some reason I was scared. Something didn't smell right in the room. The muzzle smelled weird and I smelled blood in the air but the nice lady talked to me a lot and told me that everything was going to be okay.

After a little while they took the other dog off the table and the nice lady stayed with the dog by my cage. The other dog looked dead and I was a little scared. After a little while though the dog started to move and the lady comforted and pet the dog just like she does for me. In a while longer the other dog was standing up and seemed fine but a little wobbly. The nice lady took the dog out of the room and I heard her talking to the human that takes care of that dog. Then that dog went home.

Is that what's going to happen to me?

Will I fall asleep, go on the table and wake up with the nice lady with me. Honestly, I'm not sure what happened but it wasn't the same as that other dog.

When the nice lady came back she pet me and talked to me and kissed me and I kissed her. She said she was sorry but she couldn't stay because she couldn't bear to see the surgery I was having. Then she left.

I whimper and cried for her to come back but she didn't. After a little while a nice girl who was also helping the doctor came and gave me a shot. I didn't like that! It felt like a bee sting!

Soon I got very sleepy and I'm not certain what happened but I woke up later, in my cage. Soon after that the doctor and girl put my cage into a car and drove me someplace. I could tell I was near the nice lady's house but when they took my cage out I couldn't small the lady anywhere and I was scared. My belly hurt pretty bad and I felt all empty inside.

The doctor took me into his house and there they gave me some more medicine and poked me with another stinging needle. They took a little blood from me, put it into some sort of little plastic thing and a few minutes later the doctor looked at it again and looked upset. Had I done something wrong again?

The doctor put me back in his car and next thing I know we are at the nice lady's house. She came to the door and I was so happy to see her. I tried to wag and jump around to show her I was happy but I still felt weak and I was hurting too much.

The lady talked to the doctor for a few moments. I'm not sure of all they said but I do remember the Doctor man saying, "You were right. She has heartworm. I guess I shouldn't be surprised." The lady pet me and looked sad again but I was feeling too bad to try to make her feel better.

I also remember them saying something about starting treatment after I recover from my spay. I hope that doesn't mean another operation.

All day I have been in a cage in the lady's house. She checks on me all the time and brings me cool water to drink. She keeps bringing me my favorite treats and little bits of food and while it smells really good I don't want to eat. I ate a little bit just to make her happy but I really didn't want it.

The lady gave me some medicine and it tasted bad but it made my pain be not so bad for a while. She took me outside and told me to "go potty" but I didn't want to be out there. I just kept trying to crawl into her lap so she could protect me. I'm so confused and scared by all this. I even think I may have snapped at her at one point when I was inside in my cage but I can't remember because the medicine also makes me sleepy. I hope the lady isn't mad at me but she doesn't seem to be. I think I remember her simply saying "poor sweetie".

The lady seems really worried about me and comes to my cage very often. I wag for her most of the time to let her know I still like her and don't blame her for what happened.

I hope I feel better tomorrow. I think the lady hopes so too.

[Butterscotch2]

Thank you VooDooJoint, you are helping Chalmette so much! Chalmette, I hope your pain goes away. You are a very good doggy.

[VoodooJoint]

Hi everyone!

I feel much better today. I don't have nearly as much pain and I'm eating again. How in the world could I have thought that I didn't want food? That medicine must have made me temporarily insane.

I went outside today and walked around the yard. I even tried to get the lady to take give me another "wok" but she said I was still too sick. I had to be happy just walking around the yard. Here is a picture of me while I was outside. The lady says I look deflated and you can finally start to see what I will look like when I'm all healed and plumped up.



I got to wander around the house today too. There are a lot of animals here and I got to sniff most of them. I still don't trust the dogs. They haven't done anything bad to me although the biggest one does grumble at me sometimes. In fact she just grumbled at me again! I don't know why. All I was doing was trying to make myself a bed out of this big basket of clean laundry. When the woman looked up from this computer thing to see why the big one grumbled she saw me on the laundry and made me get down. I think that's a pretty good reason not to like that big one. She's a tattle-tale.

I was introduced to "the couch". It is very comfy and warm and perhaps the very best place to take a nap. Do you have a couch? If not you should get one.

I finally managed to sniff a couple of cats while I was on "the couch" and decided that they are okay. I don't mind them at all. See, here I am saying hello to Maggie.



You can't see her in that picture but there is another big fat cat that was laying on a pillow above my head. Her name is Gretta. I got a good sniff in of her butt and she didn't mind at all. There is another cat that is smaller and white. I keep trying to introduce myself and she keeps puffing up whenever I get near her and tells me to go away (but she uses meaner words).

I also got to sniff the 3 little "mewling" things that the lady feeds from a bottle. I was very excited to see them and wanted to play with them. The lady kept saying "gentle" but I was simply too excited! Finally the lady had to lead me away and put me in my cage until she was finished feeding them.

The lady was doing all sorts of work all day. She was working at the computer and putting stuff in boxes. It was a little confusing. She was dashing back and forth all around the house. She made me a little excited with all of her moving about and I just had to follow her. I followed her into the next room (I don't think she knew I had left "the couch". As I came into the room I came nose to nose with one of those quiet hopping animals. He was BIG. Almost as big as me but not so tall. I think I scared him because he ran past me and into "the couch" room. I trotted along after him to try to get a better sniff but the lady made me stop and brought the hopper back into the next room. She told me that I couldn't play with him right now and she'd try to introduce us another time.

I wonder if the funny hopper is a friend or something good to chew on?

This evening I found the stairs. The lady could see me from where she sat at the computer and typed this and kept telling me to come back down. I was a good dog and listened.

Eventually the man started to go up and I wanted to see what was up there really bad. Besides I could hear the small humans playing up there and they seem like a lot of fun. The lady tried to call me back down but the man said I could come up (the lady seemed a little upset with the man about this). Although I like the lady better I think the man has rules I like more so I went with him. I found the small humans playing some sort of game and I tried to play too. I stepped all over the cardboard thing and knocked all of the little pieces everywhere. This made them laugh and laugh so I started kissing them. I managed to knock the little man human over and was able to give him lots of kisses. He pet me and kissed me back. I've decided I like small humans. They are a lot of fun.

I heard my lady talking to that nice neighbor that brought me food when my old human left me all alone. She said that the mean woman came back to my old house yesterday morning and took all of her stuff out of the house and left for good. She never asked if anyone had seen me. Good riddance to bad rubbish!

Well, I'm pretty tired out now and should get some sleep. I wish I could sleep on "the couch" (or maybe on that big soft thing I saw the other day when I had my bath) but the lady says I have to sleep in my cage. I don't like it as much because I'm locked in but I do have a super soft bed in there.

[VoodooJoint]

Uh oh! I just went pee in the house.

Someone asked the lady the other day what she was going to do if I wasn't housebroken. The lady said she would use the rolled up newspaper method to train me.

I don't know what that is but I didn't like the sound of it at all!

Well, I went pee and do you know what the lady did? She went and got a newspaper, rolled it up the hit herself over the head with it while saying over and over, "I should have been watching the dog. I should have been watching the dog."

Isn't that funny?

[JanJam]

Good to hear she's on the mend. Would you give her a cuddle from me?

[fourboys4now]

I've been wanting to check your post all day, I'm so relieved she's feeling better. Please give her hugs and kisses from me too! She is so beautiful.
At least her last "owner" will not cause trouble trying to find out where she is, but it's sad she didn't even ask. Some people in this world should not be allowed to have pets. Thanks for taking care of this sweet baby!

[luvmyboyz]

Chalmette, your lady sounds wonderful. I`m so glad your feeling better and on your way to a happier life. Your story has brought tears to my eyes but also smiles. I pray your life keeps getting better. You are in my thoughts. Tell your lady, thank you from me.