Chapter 1: Crispy

Crispy, what a name right! Well one day I received a call from a gentleman who needed to surrender a dog. A poodle named Crispy. I asked that he meet me at a local pet store to have our meet and greet and determine what foster home the dog would fit best in. To my shock, Crispy came sauntering in to the pet store with the gentleman. I immediately knew by first glance, that he was definitely not going back home with him.

Crispy was about 8 years old. A matted, disgusting mess of a poodle. His fur was so matted that he had a baseball size mat of fur surrounding his male parts, in which he just peed into. You wouldn’t know he even went to the bathroom because it all just went into the mat of fur. The smell was horrendous. So once the gentleman left him in my care, I knocked on the groomers window and pointed to him. They took him immediately. He was so matted that he needed to be completely shaved to his skin. When I picked him up, the groomer said he needs a dental bad. So, I looked at his teeth and called my vet immediately. I told her he needed a dental but would need to have antibiotics. I drove home with him that afternoon. He smelled great but the stench from his mouth permeated my car even on a February day with windows down, the smell from his mouth was overpowering.

Next day onto the vet we travel. Once he got there, she took one looks and said this needs to happen now. He needs a full-on dental with extractions and all. A call from her later in the afternoon revealed that Crispy’s canines were so bad that they literally just fell out of his mouth. But that is not all. There were holes where the canines were that extended directly into his nasal cavity. All food and liquid he would consume would go directly into his nose. Now what you ask? Well I pretty much bring the little guy home with no teeth and monitor his every oral intake with intense scrutiny. I made an appointment for a specialist two hour away, who could make him flaps to cover the holes.

After a two-hour ride, we made it to the specialist. The procedure was done. We can all take a breath of fresh air. Every two weeks we would make a four-hour trip to the specialist for exam and recheck. On our second trip, the one flap did not take. It appeared he had nasal tissue protruding through the flap. More surgery now.

Finally, all surgeries were done. Crispy had a tendency to sneeze when he got excited. I was outside grilling one day. When I came into the house it resembled a murder scene. Blood everywhere. It was Crispy. I brought him in the bathroom and cleaned him up. All the while crying on the phone with the vet. He said we have two options. The second option I did not like so we started Crispy on hospice. You see Crispy had nasal cancer from all the neglect of his dentation for years and years. We gave Crispy the best six months he could ever have. Ice cream, trips to the outdoor mall, where he was a hit with all the workers.

Crispy told us one Sunday night that his time had come. He looked at my husband and then looked at me and then the volcano of blood emerged through his nose. Off to the emergency vet, me with a glimmer of hope even though it was the slightest. Crispy past away in the arms of the people he knew loved him more than life itself. I was broken, my heart shattered into a million pieces. Why? He was so loved by everyone that met him, he loved everyone he met. I had to come to grips with that and move on, keeping Crispy’s memory tucked in my heart forever.