Amazing Grace- AN MCOA Rescue Adoption
My husband, Nicholas, and I started volunteering for MCOA Rescue almost three years ago in 2002. We’ve fostered many Mastiffs over the years and although it is very challenging work, it is also extremely rewarding. Each rescue has blessed our lives and has contributed to our family.
In October 2003, my husband and I made a two hour trip to pick up a new foster Mastiff for MCOA Rescue, named Grace. She was being surrendered to rescue because her previous owner entered a drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility and was no longer able to care for her needs. The second I laid eyes on her, I instantly fell in love. She was a gorgeous light apricot with really black markings. Still in her puppy stage, Grace was extremely lanky, but walked with sheer ...grace. She immediately came to us for attention and gave Nicholas tons of slobbery kisses.
As soon as we got into the Jeep for the trip home, Grace practically sat in my lap. I knew we were in for a big challenge.
The next few weeks with Grace were very frustrating. She had absolutely no house manners and played too roughly with the other Mastiffs in our home. Grace had no formal obedience training and looked at us with bewilderment when asked to sit or lay down. She was also the most energetic Mastiff I had ever met and literally bounced off the walls day and night. We found out later that in her previous home, Grace was never taken outside or exposed to other people and animals.
She was isolated in the home and pottied in the basement. Her owner would leave her for days at a time and Grace always had to fend for her own. She was used to always getting her own way and never having to share her space with other dogs.
We immediately enrolled Grace into obedience classes and worked relentlessly every day on her manners.
Before we knew it, Grace had calmed down, learned to potty outside, and was more respectful of the other dogs in the family. She became quite the young lady and grew into a gorgeous Mastiff.
We learned quickly that Grace was a big sweetheart with people and loved to be the center of attention. She would spend hours following Nicholas around the house while he worked on different projects. Grace was Velcro dog every time we had children visiting the home and she loved to take walks with the neighbor boys.
Although she was attached to me, Grace loved men. When Nicholas was home, she had eyes for no one else, but him. She knew exactly when he would be coming home from work and would keep watch at the picture window. The best thing about Grace was her snuggling, but you had to be careful because she always knew how to take over the bed or couch. She was also a big water fan.
Grace was always the first one in the lake and the last one out. Amazingly, she could out swim any Lab there. Grace had a really bad habit of trying to push the other dogs off the deck and into the water, so that she could have a pal to swim with. Grace loved water so much that she would sneak into the shower if you didn’t close the bathroom door all the way. We called her our big water bug.
Nicholas and I fostered Grace on a long term basis because we wanted to finish her training.
After a few months in our home, she became very sick. Grace constantly had bladder infections, but the medications never made it any better.
She also would vomit after eating and drinking water. She rapidly lost weight and slept all the time. Afraid that there was something terribly wrong, we took her to a specialist to figure out her medical issues. After two separate scope surgeries, we learned that Grace had an infection on her bladder and also had chronic gastritis, which was causing the vomiting. She immediately underwent surgery to remove the infection and about 1/3 of her bladder.
The vet also put her on prednisone therapy for the gastritis in hopes to take away the inflammation of her stomach lining. It was a long recovery, but Grace was always in good spirits. In no time, she was back to being the queen of our home and started gaining some much needed weight. She was back to being our Grace.
As soon as Grace recovered from the surgery and was healthy again, we started noticing changes in her personality and behavior. She became much calmer and more willing to cooperate with her obedience training. Grace also started exhibiting very dominant behavior with the other female Mastiffs in our home.
She had always wanted to be in charge before, but now she wouldn’t back down for anything. Grace started stealing toys from the other dogs, even when corrected. Nicholas and I tried everything in our power to stop her dominant behavior and even hired an animal behaviorist, but Grace refused to change her ways. Our vet thinks that she just tolerated the other females in the home because she was so sick most of the time and then her behavior changed as soon as she started feeling better.
After months of training, Grace tried to attack one of our other female Mastiffs and we had to make the heartbreaking decision to find her a new home with no other pets. It was a grueling process and I cried every night, but I knew we had to do what was best for Grace.
I had placed many Mastiffs during my rescue career, but this was the hardest placement. Grace had become a part of our family and we couldn’t imagine our home without her.
In April 2005, the Anderson family contacted me about adopting Grace. They sounded like the perfect home and were everything we had been looking for in a family for Grace. They had no other pets and two young boys, Evan & Josh.
With hopeful hearts, we made the trip to the Anderson’s home with Grace for a home visit. The second she walked through the door, Grace knew she was home. I could tell she was very comfortable and immediately started playing with a tennis ball.
Grace walked up to each family member for attention and gave lots of her famous slobbery kisses. She instantly fell in love with the youngest boy, Evan, and started following him all over the house. We knew in our hearts that the Anderson family was Grace’s forever home. A few days later, we completed the adoption and said our goodbyes to our Grace. Although letting go of Grace was very difficult for us, we are so blessed that the Anderson family came along to pick up where we had left off.
Below is Grace pictured with her new family. Another happy ending and a new beginning!
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Written By Vanessa Ozarchuck- MCOA Rescue Ohio SC