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Clarice can to us on January 4, 2014. She was to be or "perfect" foster. Friendly, easy going, sweet and young but not a heathen puppy looking to eat our shoes. She had been dog, cat and kid tested and passed all with flying colors.
I have to admit Clarice's name made me think Hannibal Lecter and his famous "Good evening, Clarice." line from Silence of the Lambs but alas she was named after Clarice from Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.
Clarice arrived and she was a bundle of wiggly love and kisses.
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| Clarice arrives in CT |
Clarice was not feeling well and was on meds for a lingering infection the first week we had her. After a week of rest and relaxation our girl seemed to be feeling better but had started to show signs of aggression toward Cassidy, a very submissive foster we had. She also was head bobbing and acting much like a caged bear in her crate. Clarice showed us what a devout car chaser she was. We quickly learned that long walks on busy, or even not so busy, streets were not a good idea. It took a few days but red flags started popping up and after she was feeling well and out of her crate more and more little quirks came to light. We made arrangements for Clarice to see a vet and it was determined that Clarice had suffered a severe head trauma at some point before she came into rescue. She was also diagnosed with horizontal nystagmus.
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| Clarice wanted to lay on Kaitlyn just like the kitten did! |
Clarice quickly settled in and made herself completely at home in our house. She eventually made friends with all the dogs. She was curious about the cats and even played with Kaitlyn's kitten, Tiffy.
After having Clarice for 5 weeks she went to a foster to adopt home where we thought she would thrive.
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| Clarice had to be crated & covered in the car as she even chased cars when riding in one!! |
Unfortunately, Clarice decided chasing cats that were not dog savvy was the best game in the world. She missed the company and play time she had with other dogs and sought out fun & games elsewhere.
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| Clarice's 1st day back home with us. |
4 weeks later Clarice came back to The Puppy Farm. She was so happy to be home and have her friends Coco & Nanuk to play with.
Clarice went to see the neurologist at Tufts. They said the source of her quirks and issues seemed to stem from the old head trauma she had endured. CT scans were discussed but sadly it was determined that even if they showed a pinched nerve or bone fragment on a nerve the surgery would be too delicate and not feasible. We all had high hopes that despite her past Clarice would be able to live a long healthy life.
Jay, Kaitlyn, Cassidy and I all worked to teach Clarice to live peaceably with cats again. Clarice decided that cats were way more fun as prey than as friends and said "No way, man!"
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| Clarice, Nanuk, Sarge, Jake and Coco welcome Daddy home from work! |
Sometimes Clarice was able to play nicely with all the other dogs but with increasing frequency she had to be separated to avoid disagreements.
With very heavy hearts we realized that Clarice's mental condition was deteriorating rapidly.
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| Kaitlyn says goodbye |
It was by far the hardest and saddest decision we have had to make in our year of fostering rescue dogs. Even when you know you are doing the right thing you second guess yourself and wonder if things could have been different. Maybe if you had tried harder or tried something different.
What if.. What if... What if...
Kaitlyn, Jay and I stayed with our girl, Clarice, and held her close
as she crossed over the Rainbow Bridge.
She will forever hold a very special place in hearts.
We love you Clarice aka Clara Belle.
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