Little Idgie (Gidget for formal occasions) has a big love for car rides and treats at coffee stands! She must have been so excited to hit the streets on an early summer day in 2014, right up to the surrender desk at the local animal shelter. At age 15, her owner wanted her euthanized, reporting that she was deaf and had skin issues. Shelter staff convinced the owner to surrender her, but he couldn’t be troubled to fill out a brief checklist about her background, just walked out the door. No worries, this little four-and-a-half-pound busybody came to Old Dog Haven with her head held high and lots of kisses for everyone. We’ve been able to fill in the blanks on her history: She was never spayed, likely had puppies at least once and, as we often find with unspayed female dogs, she had mammary tumors as well. Her teeth were in terrible shape, plus she had an opening between her gums and nasal cavity that couldn’t heal. She breezed through two surgeries; the only difficulty was in keeping her quiet afterwards. She quickly resumed her social calendar, including walking the runway as a fashion model for ODH at Poochapalooza, outlasting the volunteers at Woofstock and serving as greeter at the 10th Anniversary Celebration. She has since suffered a life-threatening episode of pulmonary hypertension requiring hospitalization for cardiovascular workup, but once again bounced back almost instantly with the aid of several medications that she will need for life. More recently, trouble with a hip and back leg led to x-rays and another medication but, yet again, she was back to her usual busy self in a couple of days. Her foster family is very grateful to ODH for providing the veterinary care that enables this little bit to run at the speed of light, spinning circles and wiggling upside down ecstatically every single day. (By the way, Idgie wants everyone to know that she has no trouble with her skin and the best hearing of all the dogs in her final refuge home!) UPDATE: Little Idgie was able to fight off the pulmonary hypertension for longer than the specialists expected, but it worsened suddenly and that little old body couldn’t beat the challenge. She had spent the past months as the always well-dressed princess, loving the attention and the social life, and being both loved and cared for – a wonderful last part of her life, for sure. Everyone who knew her will smile at her memory.