Rusty_Tucker

TUCKER AND RUSTY'S STORY

Tucker and Rusty are Jack Russell Terrier
brothers from the same litter. One of Shelly's
dogs provided stud service for this litter. The
puppies were both given to her because the owner
of the mother decided she didn't want any puppies
after all.

Tucker came to live with us in the fall of 2002.
Rusty didn't join our family until just recently, in
March of 2004. Both Tucker and Rusty have
pretty much the same story to tell.

Tucker and Rusty were sold as young puppies.
Unfortunately, neither one ended up in a very good
home. Tucker was the first one to be returned and
rescued from an abusive situation. A type of
stress-related mange had set in, and Tucker had
virtually no hair and open sores all over his small
body. The vet Shelly took him to didn't hold out
much hope for him, so she brought him to us. I took
him to my vet who put him on medication that he had
to take for 6 months. Tucker also had to go to the
vet's office every 2 weeks for 6 months to be
dipped in a solution to control the mange. After a
few months, Tucker's hair started to grow back and
he seemed to be recovering from the trauma he
experienced in his first home. He has become a
very happy, well adjusted little guy.

One of Tucker's favorite pastimes is chasing water
as it comes out of the hose or chasing the water as
it comes out of the sprinkling system. Either way,
he loves to get wet. He hasn't shown any interest in
the swimming pool, however. Maybe that'll come
next.

As of this writing, Rusty has only been with us a
few weeks. He was very thin when he joined us, so
much so that his ribs were showing. He, too, was
returned to Shelly after living in deplorable
conditions. As a young puppy, he had been tied
outside with very little human companionship.
Considering this fact, I am truly surprised that he
hasn't suffered any permanent behavioral damage.

He seems to be a very happy little dog with a lot of
energy, unlike my other Jack Russells, Sarah and
Holly, who are couch potatoes. Rusty is suffering
from the same skin condition that Tucker had in his
early days with us. He will also need to go for
months of treatments to get into top shape. I know
he'll make it. His appetite has improved, and he has
actually gained 1 pound during his first two weeks
with us.

Tucker and Rusty were separated for 18 months
before finally being reunited at my house. After
the first day or two, they started spending a lot of
time playing together just as I'm sure they played
when they were young puppies. Tucker has never
interacted with any of the other dogs the way he
does with Rusty. I really wonder if there isn't
something present that is triggering memories of
their younger days together, and that they actually
realize that they are brothers. Time will tell.

In the meantime, I will give them both all the love
and attention that they so desperately crave. They
certainly deserve the best life that we can give
them.