A Pomeranian Rescue Story: A True Survivor, Gimly

GIMLY is a true rescue survivor. He was in a high kill shelter in Northern California and had been there 14days, unwanted. Such a sad sight. I was combing the internet for sites with adoptable dogs and when I first saw his picture I fell in love. It didn’t take long for me to pick up the phone and contact the shelter.

A representative from the shelter informed me that he was very old,  very sick and they were going to put him down.  The shelter rep said he was obviously not worth saving.  The little furry baby was on Death Row… and for what? Being old… being sick? I have made it my mission to see that all Poms get rescued in my area… and this guy was going to get rescued. I personally couldn’t pick him up but I made arrangements with a friend to get him out of there ASAP!

My friend Lisa cried all the way home. Poor Gimly was a mess and she didn’t want me to see the condition he was in… it was a pretty grave site. He had no hair except for his head and legs. To top it off he was nothing but skin, no hair and bones… you could see his skeleton and almost every bone in it. It looked as though someone stretched pink cellophane over his bones and he was covered over his entire body in a black goo. It was later determined he was covered in motor oil. I thought I rescued him from a shelter not an auto mechanics garage. Really? Motor oil? I still stunned every time I think about it.

We got him home and cleaned him up and the next day took him to the Vet. To our surprise the Vet told us that he was very “young” but a very sick little guy.  The doctor told us not to expect much because he didn’t believe he would live out the week. His little body was poisoned from the motor oil and his liver and kidneys shut down. His blood was full of poison and infections ravaged his body… but still this little guy had so much hope in his eyes… his eyes told the whole story, “just give me some attention and little love and I make you proud”.

I looked at him, all one pound of him, lying there poisoned, full of infections and an outlook at best that was bleak and decided that little Gimly was going to live and that he was going to get the help he needed. It was a struggle don’t get me wrong. We lived week to week with Gim. Sometimes his condition didn’t improve or actually worsened and worry set in. Slowly, ever so slowly he would gain an ounce and we celebrated like it was the Forth of July. It took Gimly over six months to gain two pounds and some hair. We thought the ordeal was over and he was heading for a full recovery when he suffered a setback and broke out into horrific sores, bleeding day and night. It was torture to watch his tiny body fight off this horror. Yet, my tiny frail boy took it like a champ and kept fighting… and fighting. It was an amazing display of courage.

So despite all the heartache, infections and motor oil poisoning, this little champ has survived and weighs in at a very svelt 4 pounds. He has improved beyond our wildest expectations. He has had only one setback that happened about 8 months ago but since then, nothing else. He a little miracle.

It just so happened I was in a terrible accident and was laid up in ICU… Gimly was allowed to stay with me at the hospital and keep me company. He was a great companion. I know I healed faster because he was there.  Now he travels with me and my other rescue poms and has become the face and spokesPom for our rescue Pom E Ranch, Hespersus, CO.

Gimly is now three and a half years old, he loves children and adults and is very gracious with other dogs. He is our heart. For the Gimlys and the rest of the Poms without forever homes… we will continue to rescue. He, however… is one in a million. Even the vet says he’s a miracle. Yea, we think so too… so we gave him his own Fan Page at:  https://www.facebook.com/GimlyTheRaggamuffinPommie