Beautiful, sweet Heidi was rescued from Animal Friends of the Valleys in Wildomar, California, where she came in as a stray. When I saw her intake photo, I just couldn’t forget about her and kept watching her, hoping her owner would come for her or that she would be adopted. They had her listed as a senior so I was worried she wouldn’t get much time, and the animals at this shelter receive very little networking. At the time, our rescue was having trouble rescuing dogs from this shelter, so I started contacting local dachshund rescues. I didn’t receive a reply from most. One did reply and said that they do not rescue from AFV. I was so discouraged. I begged everyone I knew, for someone to go and adopt her. I knew her time was running out.
Heidi's shelter pic
Tuesday, two days before Thanksgiving, an acquaintance of mine who saw Heidi’s picture on facebook, contacted me to say she wanted to adopt her, but she wouldn’t be able to go to the shelter until the next day. She called the shelter and they said that she would still be there unless she was adopted before she could come. We were both nervous though, because Wednesday was their euthanasia day and it is usually done early in the morning. We prayed she would be spared. She went there Wednesday, and Heidi was still there! She and her husband adopted Heidi, but the shelter had to keep her until Friday for her to get spayed, since Thursday was Thanksgiving.
Friday morning she called to see how Heidi was doing and we found out she had Kennel Cough and had never gone to be spayed! The shelter would not release her. Poor Heidi had to stay in the shelter another week. Finally, we were able to get her out, but the shelter insisted she be spayed right away. We didn’t want to do it, since she was just getting over being sick, but Heidi was spayed that Friday. During the spay, it was discovered that she had a hernia. The hernia was repaired while she was in for the spay, but resulted in a huge 7 inch long incision—quite a big surgery for a tiny ten and half pound dog. Luckily the animal hospital did great work and she healed up great.
After careful consideration, the person that adopted Heidi to save her decided that though she dearly loved her, her dogs were just too big and rowdy for petite little Heidi and Heidi was placed in a foster-to-adopt home in Murrieta. Through no fault of Heidi’s, this home ended up not being a right fit. She was placed in another foster home in Temecula, for less than a week, before she finally found her forever match. A wonderful couple in San Diego adopted her, who had just lost their own Molly, also a miniature dachshund, after a long battle with Cushings disease. She is adored and spoiled as an only dog, and gets frequent play dates with their daughter’s small breed dogs, also rescues.
Heidi will still need to have some dental work done, which her new family is committed to having done, now that she is finally well enough to endure it.
