When Suzanne Shriver saw the picture of two Shih-Tzu puppies on the Kanawha/Charleston Humane Association’s Facebook page, she knew she had to have them.
“They were laying in a pile,” she said. “You couldn’t tell one from another. All I could see was a pile of matted fur and four big eyes looking at me.”
So, the next day, Shriver and her husband made the hour-and-a-half drive from their home in Proctorville, Ohio, to be at the shelter when it opened.
They adopted the 1-year-old brothers, who had been surrendered by their owner, and dubbed them Lewis and Clark.
How exactly did the Ohio couple come to adopt from Charleston? Were they originally from the area? Did they have family here?
Nope. Shriver is simply a dog lover who is active in animal rescue and follows a number of shelters and rescues on Facebook. While not a new development in her life, the passion for pooches was something she didn’t acquire until adulthood.
“I didn’t have any pets as a child,” she explained. “I didn’t know I liked dogs. I got my first dog when I was in my 30s, and that did it. I’ve had dogs ever since, and they’ve all been rescues or strays I’ve found and taken in.”
When Lewis and Clark joined the family, they brought the canine count up to six. Sadly, though, the number was not to stay that way for long.
When the dogs were taken to be neutered, the vet diagnosed them with kennel cough, a common canine ailment equivalent to a human cold. The puppies were put on medication, but after a few days, they were still listless.
The Shrivers returned to the vet, who told them the symptoms looked like parvo, a highly contagious virus that is often fatal.
“Clark came down with it first, then Lewis,” Shriver said. “We had them in intensive care at the Proctorville Animal Clinic on IVs and medications.”
After about a week, Lewis’ condition started to improve. Clark’s didn’t.
“We kept Clark there, and he never came out of it,” Shriver said. “He didn’t make it. It was very sad.”
It was still a few more weeks after that before Lewis returned to full health, but once he did, he became the friendly, loving dog that he is today.
“He just loves everybody,” Shriver said. “He thinks everybody comes to see him. He follows me everywhere,” she added. “When I go from one room to another, he follows me. When I sit down to read, he lays on the back of the chair and puts his head on top of my head.
“He doesn’t know he’s little. All the other dogs are big, so he thinks he’s one of the big guys.”
He doesn’t know it, but it’s a good thing Lewis isn’t one of the big guys. If he were, he wouldn’t get to indulge in his favorite treat: car rides.
“He loves to go in the car. If I pick up my keys, he runs to the door,” said Shriver. “He’s the only one I take in the car with me because he’s small enough I can handle him.”
Car rides have an added treat for Lewis and that’s, well, another treat.
“Lots of drive-through places, like the pharmacy and the bank, give doggie treats. He knows if he goes with me, they’re going to give him treats. He pokes his little head out the window, like, ‘Here I am. Give me my treat!’”
The only place Lewis doesn’t like to go is the groomer, though Shriver isn’t sure why. After all, he loves the results from his visits.
“We keep him in a puppy cut, so he’s all furry,” she said. “He is very proud when he gets a shampoo and a new haircut. We tell him how beautiful he is, and he struts around, thinking he really looks cool.”
Currently, Lewis has five other doggie brothers and sisters, all from Homestretch Hounds, a rescue and animal sanctuary near Cincinnati. There’s Abbie, an older terrier mix, as well as the senior greyhounds Gibbs and Vallie. His 2-year-old beagle brothers are Frankie and Jesse, named for the James Gang.
That gives them a full house, Shriver said.“We’re pretty much at our limit. We don’t have any intentions of taking any more,” she said.
“I try to kind of skip all those Facebook pages now,” she added. “I scroll by really quickly.”
If you think your adopted pet has a unique story, send your contact information and some details about your pet’s story to Amy Robinson for consideration for a future feature.
Reach Amy Robinson at flipside@wvgazette.com or 304-348-4881.
(WV Gazette - Sept 7, 2014)
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