Let me tell you about my special boy…..Bailey…..

I first met him back in August of 2003; he was only about 16 weeks old and just under 2 pounds.

He was pretty much lifeless…his head was much larger than it should have been with proportion to his tiny body, his back was severely arched, extremely thin, he could barely stand, much less walk, and if he attempted to move, it was only in a very small, tight circle. He did not respond to anything…he could not hear, blind, he had no sense of smell, taste, or touch it seemed…nothing!

His story, I was told, goes like this…he was bought by a family from a "breeder" at 8 weeks old….’fell’ off of a porch at 9 weeks old, from there, was taken to 2-3 different vets, but did not seem to be properly diagnosed or treated. The family decided they could take no more, heartbroken for sure, and took him to a shelter. The shelter was a no-kill shelter, but would not take him, deeming him

"un-adoptable". Luckily for him…and me…there was an employee at the shelter that said she would take him home with her. She knew she could not keep him permanently, but contacted us, YTNR, to see if we could help, and that is how he came to live with me.

The day after I picked him up, I took him to the vet…he was diagnosed as Hydrocephalic, excessive cerebral fluid on his brain, and had suffered some brain damage due the pressure of fluid over time and most likely from the fall itself.

Still not responding to anything, his future did not look very promising.

We were given a prescription for Prednisone, with the knowledge that he could not stay on this for a long period, but hopefully could get him down to a very minimal dosage over time, at least.

Bailey took his first dose while at the vet, we came home, and he slept for several hours. Worrying that something would go wrong, I continuously checked on him, making sure he was still breathing at least.

He eventually woke up and the signs of promise were already there…I started talking to him by simply saying his name… "Baaaii llleeeyyy", very softly.

The response I got back was so heartwarming….Bailey actually howled back to me in this little tiny unsteady voice!

He could hear! He continued to do this every time I said his name to him.

It was the most wonderful thing to hear!

Still not responding to anything visual, he did respond to touch, and seemed to be sniffing at things just a bit

The next thing was to get him to eat. After trying many things, NutriCal with his medicine, and warmed, soft puppy food with a bit of chicken bouillon, for added smell and taste, seemed to be what he liked. He ate for the first time since I had him and gradually over the next few days following, developed a very hearty appetite for his size.

Over the next 4-5 months, he was gradually and completely weaned off the Prednisone, without any regression. Though, still no visual response, he continuously showed signs of improvement, he continued to gain weight and strength, walking and moving around more, he seemed to be hearing more too, sniffing everything and eating very well. He was responding to my touch in his own ways, letting me know he knew I was there.

He eventually started wagging his tail at times and playing with my hand, and yes, barking, he found his bark….and knows how to use it.

It all has been so unexpectedly wonderful to see and hear.

Bailey is now about 1 and a half years old, his first birthday was on May 22, 2004.

And I officially adopted him on that day.

He is up to 4.5 pounds, and to this day has never regressed.

His head and body are now in proportion and his arched back is not as evident now.

He is still blind, and his behaviorisms, and learning speed and ability is not what most would consider "normal", but then, as we say ‘what is normal?’…. he makes his own way around the house with his tail up in the air, wagging at times, and barks for attention and barks along with all of his brothers and sisters too. He knows how to find the food bowl, that’s where you can most likely find him, and his taste buds have changed along the way, he now eats the hard, dry "grown up" food with everybody else, his preference, and he loves to play in the water bowl.

He is not much on being held, he likes to have all four on the floor and he is not afraid to let you know.

My little ‘special need’s boy’ is now just my SPECIAL boyJ

He is my "Little Toot", never afraid to ‘Toot his horn’ to let you know something.

He is my little Angel with AttitudeJ

This is my BaileyJ