Rex #2732
RIP sweet Rex (T-Rex) #2732.
We adopted this beautiful boy on January 28, 2017 and lost him to cancer July 21, 2017.
I’ve struggled with his loss for several years and am finally able to post about our short time with him. He was a survivor. He lived on the streets of Taiwan with no one to love him, feed him or make him feel safe. He had many painful medical issues as well but finally he was rescued and after making that long trip to the USA he was placed with an amazing foster mom who showed him what love was all about. We became his forever home and what was to be his final destination.
He made many visits to the pet ER and our holistic vet. At his final visit we were given the diagnosis of cancer. We opted to forego treatment and just provide him with love and comfort for however long he had left. On our way home from that final visit he had a seizure. We got him home and into the back yard that he loved, and he had another one. We decided it was his way of telling us it was time. He was ready. We were not but it was the best decision for him. He crossed the Rainbow Bridge just 6 short months from when he came to us and captured a place in our hearts.
He was sweetest and gentlest soul. He loved food, car rides, trying to catch a tennis ball, he loved life, he loved us, and we loved him in return. I feel so blessed that God let us be his forever parents.
Dear sweet Rex, I wish we could have more time with you, but you made the decision that it was time to let you go. You left an imprint on my heart ❤️ that will never go away. Run free sweet boy.
Rex was adopted on January 28, 2017
My name is Rex (#2732). I’m a Golden Retriever approximately 9 years old, and I weigh about 58 pounds.
I came all the way from Taiwan! My person abandoned me for some reason, I don’t know why. But now I’m living with my American foster mom in Oregon, two little tiny dogs and a cat, and I like them all. But I like my foster mom the best because she pets me and talks to me a lot and gives me treats! What’s not to like!
Even though my life before I came to Oregon was sad and hard, my foster mom says that my life will only get better for me. She says that I will find a wonderful forever person or family to love and care for me all the rest of my life. I am sooooo lucky!!! So, let me tell you a little about myself …
When I first got to my foster home, I had to be really quiet because I had been treated for heartworms by the vet in Taiwan (and let me tell you that really hurts!!!), and they didn’t want me to develop any complications. That was fine with me though, because I’m not a very active guy. I also had a really big and ugly tumor on my leg that had to be removed. Thankfully it was not cancerous! My foster mom was sooooo happy about this. She squealed with delight when she found out and kissed me right on my nose. I guess she was really worried about me. Awwww, I think she likes me too. Anyway, it was really sore for a while, and I had to wear one of those awful cones so that I didn’t lick it. But I got my revenge by standing in the narrow doorways in my foster home so that she couldn’t get by me. And I liked to bop her with it in the backside when she was in front of me! Ha ha ha ha ha. That was pretty fun. But now my cone is off and the vet says that my wound looks great! I’ve got a cool scar and everything!
I do have some health problems. One of my hips is pretty bad, but the other one is pretty good. The muscle mass in one of my shoulders is deficient, but the other one is good. And I have spondylosis in my spine which has caused some nerve damage. Because of this, I’m not very steady on my feet and I sometimes get kind of wobbly. I’m on pain meds to help me deal with the discomfort I feel. My mom helps me into and out of the car with a ramp. I’m pretty good at using it too, especially if she gives me a little treat. I know how to work that treat thing. Speaking of treats, she says that I shouldn’t get too many because it’s important to keep me slender so that I don’t put too much stress on my joints.
Now I have to confess something embarrassing. When I first got to my foster home, I wasn’t house trained. After all, I lived on the streets of Taiwan and at a shelter which is mostly outdoors. So I didn’t have to worry about “holding it.” But my foster mom worked with me and let me know that going potty in the house was not allowed. Now I can “hold it” for about 5 hours when she goes to work, and I hold it all night when we’re all sleeping! Here comes the really embarrassing part. Because I have nerve damage, I sometimes don’t know when I have to poop. I even poop when I sleep sometimes. It wakes me up, and I try really hard to get to the back door, but I never seem to make it. My foster mom doesn’t get mad at me though because she knows I can’t help it. And she says she’d rather pick that up than when I used to pee in the house. So we’re good. I’m glad she understands.
I like to go on short slow walks. But I can’t go for very long because I start to hurt. And I can’t live in a house with stairs, because my hip just won’t let me climb them. I can handle a step or two, but that’s really about it.
I don’t get on furniture. I don’t even get on the raised dog beds in my foster home. I just like to lay on a soft bed on the floor.
My foster mom says that I’m a wonderful dog. I’m quiet and well behaved, though a little bit stubborn. Actually my stubbornness could sometimes be because I am hard of hearing. I really like to be in the same room as my foster mom, and sometimes I go over and lay my head in her lap when she’s watching TV, and she pets me and tells me how much she loves me. It makes me happy.
You’ll notice in my photo that I don’t have a beautiful Golden tail yet. When I came here from Taiwan, it was really hairless, maybe because I didn’t have good nutrition. It’s starting to grow back, but it may always be a little sparse. I don’t really know.
If you think you’d like to adopt a sweet, quiet dog and help me with my issues, I would be soooo happy. While I love my foster mom, I’m really looking forward to having my very own forever family and forever home.
Adoption fee: $200 plus $35 microchip fee