Bobby was left at a shelter by his owner. Originally he was put up for adoption, but because of his severe arthritis and horrible Hip Dysplasia, it became obvious that he was not going to find a new home. Old Dog Haven was contacted and a Final Refuge Home was quickly found. He settled right in and was immediately accepted by his new pack. It was apparent that he was such a kind dog that his one “brother” and two “sisters” seemed totally fine with the newest family member. The only one who isn’t thrilled with his arrival is the resident cat! And maybe that is because Bobby, at almost 80 pounds, felt it would be great fun to take chase!. We don’t believe Bobby would ever hurt the cat, being the gentle giant that he is, but the cat is NOT convinced. Of course we don’t give him the pleasure of bugging her, and so Bobby and the cat don’t get to be outside at the same time.

Bobby seems to really enjoy walking around his little farm, sniffing for bunnies and sitting in the sun. But he also LOVED the recent snow we had. He would walk out the back door, and head for the biggest snow drift he could find, and just pounce on the top of it with great joy. He also loved taking huge mouthfuls of snow and eating it all, looking like someone eating an ice cream cone. So fun for us to watch!

Besides his hips and arthritis, Bobby also has something going on inside. He is not able to produce as many white blood cells as he should, so we are seeing an Internal Medicine Specialist to hopefully come up with a diagnosis and possible solution as to where to go from here. He has pretty severe dry eye and a very touchy stomach too. His vet believes he suffers from IBD. We are treating the dry eye, have him on a very specialized diet for the stomach issues, and are also watching his many lumps and bumps, hoping that they don’t turn into something scary. When he came to us, he also had some skin issues, but with good meds he is feeling much better in that department.

While we have had many Final Refuge dogs, Bobby is the largest. But he is also one of the most gentle, kind and loving dog we have had the experience of sharing our lives with. He literally melts against our leg when we stop and pet his head or scratch his ears, and would probably lean against us all day if he thought we would continue to give him loves. In the short time we have had him, we can’t imagine life without him.

THANK YOU Old Dog Haven for taking him into your care. And to all the wonderful donors, we appreciate your generosity which allows this wonderful dog to be given all the excellent vet care that he so deserves! We appreciate all of you so much!

Update:  Bobby’s wonderful Final Refuge family had to say goodbye to this dear boy – his health failed him and they knew it was time.  This special boy had a very loving last chapter.