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"Money will buy a pretty good dog
but it won't buy the wag of his tail."
"A dog is the only thing on earth
that loves you more than he loves himself."
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The Saga
of Kurgan
Each dog that arrives at Poplar Farm Kennels has its own story, often
heartbreaking and sad. Kurgan’s story is quite a saga. In his short 2
½ years Kurgan has experienced a lot of pain and misery before gaining
the sanctuary of his new home with Anne and Steve.
Originally owned as a working dog in Wales, Kurgan had broken his leg in
three places, a serious injury which needed pinning. This meant he
could not be worked any more and as a result his owner no longer wanted
him.
His first rescuer and his subsequent foster mum were shocked to discover
from the vet who had treated him a year before, that Kurgan had only had
an initial operation to pin his leg. Despite the vet’s advice, Kurgan
had never been brought back for any checkups, x-rays, or to have the pin
removed. Without that vital follow up treatment, Kurgan did not recover
and his owner decided he should be put to sleep.
When he was rescued Kurgan weighed a mere 25.1 kgs, he had painful
swellings and a bump on one of his legs and one foot that curved out.
He also had flat feet caused by a mixture of bad and inadequate
nutrition and also by the pain in his legs. Competing with his sister
for food that he received only once every couple of days and tortured by
the pain in his legs, Kurgan was a mere shadow of the happy, healthy dog
he is today.
When Kurgan reached PFK he was given time to settle in and was then
castrated and x-rayed. For 10 hours following the anaesthetic Kurgan
was unresponsive - a worrying time for Dave and Rachel. After reviewing
the x-rays the vet had recommended the removal of the pin be done a
couple of months after the castration.
Two months on and Kurgan had injured a toe that took a long time to get
better so the surgery was postponed and by then PFK’s vets had closed,
so they arranged for the pin to be removed at Vetsavers in Wisbech who
were warned about the previous problem with the anaesthetic. No such
problems this time but it would still be 8 days before Kurgan could
start to put weight on his foot and for the swelling to go down.
Yes Kurgan had certainly been through the wars, but it was all
worthwhile once he went home (still recovering and on antibiotics) with
Anne and Steve - his new mum and dad.
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“When we
got home he made a thorough investigation of our house and
garden and found everything to his liking.’
said Anne.
‘He knew exactly where his bed was and laid on it like Lord
Muck, and seemed quite astonished when we told him to get off
the sofa! Obviously, he didn't want to let us out of his sight
all that day and it was quite amusing watching him trying to
fight sleep 'cos he wanted to keep his eye on us.
Kurgan’s leg
healed gradually, so Anne and Steve had to curtail his "mad dog"
sessions at first until his leg was up to it and despite his
insistence of being her shadow wherever she went! |
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“His house training, sleeping and eating
patterns, laid back nature and wonderful temperament are very
big positives - he is an absolute sweetheart, even if he is very
stubborn - he still likes the sofa! He’s a lot less clingy now
and his real character has started to emerge – a real monkey!
He loves
tripe and pig’s ears, watches the photocopier in the office with
fascination, and enjoys ‘Mummy coursing’ at 100 mph when we go
out on country walks and playing with all the dogs he can find!
He's met
my parents which was a mutual adoration experience and he soon
chilled out on their lounge floor while still keeping a beady
eye on us! He's also met most of our friends and appears to love
everyone, including the chap who came to read the electricity
meter! He's quite amazed by the postman and newspaper boy and he
adores looking out the window which is just the right height for
him!
 It
now feels as if Kurgs has lived here for years and he has made
himself so very much at home. We can’t believe what a sense of
fun he has now he feels secure – his monkeyness is amazing. I
seem to have taken on the role of chief carer/walker during the
week/feeder/ tummy tickler and Steve is very much number 1 for
playing and entertainment. He and Kurgs have to have a romp
around the room or garden at least once a day and it is a sight
to behold. Kurgs has got lots of tricks up his sleeve when
playing including rushing round behind Steve to bite his ankles
and I often hear all sorts of playing sounds interspersed with
Steve saying ”OOOOY!” loudly when Kurgs gets a bit carried
away.’
Katrina.
And so
Kurgan’s saga ends, or should I say begins. Well done Kurgan,
despite it all you pulled through and now you finally have the
home with the love and attention you deserve.
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