Happy Holiday Update - Peanut, aka "Old Guy"

On one of our first days rescuing pets in New Orleans (Sept. 2005, post Hurricane Katrina and just a day after Hurricane Rita), Lacey and I found the dog below quite obviously starved and ill. It was a rescue that took little effort but great heart. The dog was so hungry it could barely stand and we weren't sure it would make it through the night. We nicknamed him "Old Guy', as he seemed ancient and weary, and hoped he would survive. Eric took him to a vet in Jefferson Parish and we waited for the news we were sure would be heartbreaking.

We were wrong. 'Old Guy' not only survived, but actually began to thrive. A fellow rescuer offered to foster Old Guy while we continued our efforts over the next few weeks. When it became clear that Old Guy had no home to return to, our extremely patient and loving foster owner Tom, happily agreed to give Old Guy a safe and wonderful home.

Since then, Old Guy has been given a more appropriate name, "Peanut", and has become a healthy, well-fed, and much -loved companion to Tom. It is a success story for all of us.

We all agreed that this was the best Christmas present we could have received. Knowing that the lives of the animals we rescued from such abhorrent conditions have turned out so well has been as much a gift to us as it is to the animals themselves. We, I, am grateful beyond word and continue to be amazed every single day.


"BEFORE" PICTURES OF OLD GUY/PEANUT (SEPTEMBER 2005) Pic 1. With a can of dog food to tempt him, Lacey prepares the rescue leash and waits.
Pic. 3. Old Guy is rescued and crated and on his way to see an emergency Vet.
(Pix out of order, this is Pic 2) Old Guy is so hungry that Lacey is able to slip the leash on him without incident and the dog continues to eat.
Pic. 4. The signs of hunger and illness are evidenced in Old Guy's skeletal appearance. It has been almost 4 weeks since Hurricane Katrina set in and the levies unleashed their aquatic furor throughout New Orleans. Old Guy has weathered all of that, as well as Hurricane Rita less than 24 hours before this picture was taken.
Old Guy looked so weary and ill that he could barely stand. We didn't think he would return from the Vet...but we were happily surprised to find him waiting for us!

"AFTER" PICTURES OF OLD GUY...NOW NAMED 'PEANUT' (DECEMBER 2007)
Two and a half years later, Old Guy, now named, 'Peanut,' has found a happy home with Tom.

All signs of the hungry dog we found in New Orleans are long gone. Peanut, who once looked a thousand years old, now thrives. Love is a many splendored thing.