Somewhere on the streets of Washington, DC, there is a Westie out on the medium strip begging for money. Looking to fill his bucket to help Westies who need a second chance at life as he did.
Scruffy just submitted his quarterly report (it was late as usual) on his fund-raising activity up and down the sidewalks and medium strips throughout Northern VA. As background, Scruffy had a successful surgery at the beginning of last year to remove two large tumors from his body. During the follow up visits, the Vet specialist recommended additional treatments to ensure success. Poor Scruffy has been having chemo treatments the last few months that are now hopefully done with. As with all such treatments, the body takes a hit but if you power through… the success rate improves.
Now for Scruffy's side of the story….
“Hello from the stoplight on Route 1 in Alexandria, VA. Local time is 8 am. My mom dropped me off this morning so I could catch a few commuters on their way into their offices in Washington, DC. I have my donation bucket filling up fast with items that people have donated. The best location I have found is this first light after the Krispy Kreme on Route 1 as people see me and drop a hot donut or two in my bucket. Way too kind. I think I am getting fatter just standing at this light. Wearing my Superman outfit helped too! My mom said I am Super Dog as nothing can stop me from getting better.
I have been working like a dog (dog get it? It’s a pun)
to pay off all my debts as the medical bills exceeded even the high estimates
due to all these follow up visits. I have been going and getting these pills
and shots but they are taking a toll on me after a few days. The shots leave a
foul taste in my mouth afterwards so I sometimes lose my interest in food which
worries my mom. I sleep a lot and my “talking” is way down to a mumble once in
a while.
To make me feel better, my mom holds me every few hours
to tell me I am a good little trooper. I hurt all over from those shots and
pills. They have been sticking me in one leg or another. Afterwards that leg
goes really numb, so I just hobble a bit to go outside then back in to my bed.
My girlfriend Westie, Angel, stays close to comfort me. I tell her it helps a
lot.
A few weeks after treatment, I feel a lot better. Then zip it’s back to that quack for more abuse! If I had an iPhone, I would be calling the SPCA to report these treatments as animal abuse! I wish I knew what that number is!
I like my doctor, as he too speaks "DOG". We chat and tell funny stories to each other as I get my treatments. I told him I dream of catching the neighbor's cat that sneaks into my yard late at night just to tease me. One day "Mr Rags" is not coming home for breakfast.... Cats taste like chicken, is my motto!
My mom stays close as she is so worried about me. I like being loved a lot. I know I may not make it as the odds are stacked against me when it comes to dog cancer. When I go out for a walk, I tell all my dog buddies that this Doc and this specialist is the one to go when you really need help. I DO NOT tell the neighbor's overweight cat anything.....
Fast forward to Spring: I am feeling a lot better now that the treatments are over, so my mom sent me into Washington DC for a few days as Congress is back in session (for better or worse). I put on my best tie and sat in front of the Rayburn Building right next to the US Capitol Building with my bucket picking up a few bucks and quite a few bits of high-power chatter. You know, who is retiring and who is thinking of running for higher office, etc. Typical DC stuff.
So far, the best donors are the tourists. You think they never saw a begging dog before. Gee, Hicks from the sticks. One nice couple from Idaho gave me apple slices from their lunches, another couple from PA gave me a few licks of ice cream. As I have my own water bowl, every offering is appreciated. My mom told me not to bring anyone home with me, so I told a few school kids having a tour of the Nation's Capitol, to just move along when they wanted to take me home.
The Capitol Police, National Guard Troops, and The Federal Protective Service guys and gals are really nice. These are the humans who guard our Federal Buildings here in Washington, DC. They refill my water bowl every few hours.When I get hot, I stick my front paws in the water bowl to cool off. It makes foul tasting drinking water, but my feet feel nice and cool. I was going to wade in the reflecting pool near the Washington Monument this morning, but the nice Park Service Ranger said "no swimming!" I told her I was just going to wade out and get myself a nice size goose floating just out of reach of the shore, but she said no chewing on the geese either. There goes that adventure…
My mom asked all the guards to keep an eye on me when I take my recovery nap every few hours, so they come by and give me a few scratches and a head pat or two just to let me know there are watching. Nice people. When you come to DC and visit say hello to them as they are everywhere making sure everyone is safe and know where to go. They tell everyone who stops, that I am a specially big Westie and that the donations are going to pay off my medical bills. When that sum is reached, all the funds go to other Westies like me who need a little medical help to get ready to be adopted through the efforts of Westie Rescue.
Do you know that Westie Rescue here on the East Coast has helped over 1,500 Westies like me get the care we need and helps us find just the RIGHT home like I have with my mom? It true! They have been supporting us Westies for going on 30 years.
You can support my little efforts to help Westie Rescue save more homeless and sometimes helpless Westies like I was, by clicking on the DONATE NOW button on the Westie Rescue USA website. Every donation is appreciated."
