#franklinthepittie — Public Fediverse posts

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#FranklinThePittie

This is kind of a hard day. One year ago we made a very difficult decision to put our rescue dog Franklin down.
He became very protective of my wife, and he began attacking one other dog in our house. My wife bore the brunt of these fights as she tried to separate the two dogs. The other dog barely fought back. But in the confusion. Franklin seriously harmed my wife, on three separate occasions.

Because he was born with some congenital defects including his front legs. We think there was something going on in his brain.

Sometimes in rescuing dogs and other animals you don't have a choice but to relieve them of whatever is causing them to suffer.

It was a very difficult decision and one that we made after my wife had been to the doctor to get her leg stitched up again.

Franklin was found on the side of the road in rural Georgia. He weighed approximately 10 lb and was severely starved. He was 4 months old.
His front legs were frozen at the elbows so he could only walk on his front paw pads tilted to the side because he could not bend his legs.

We were running a rescue at the time and my wife knew from the moment she saw him that he would be her dog. We had Franklin a little over 5 years and this change in his behavior began about 5 months prior to our decision.

Sometimes doing the right thing is absolutely the hardest thing that you can do.

#RescueDogs #FranklinThePittie

Today was a very sad day. Our rescue dog Franklin had 5 aggressive episodes, unprevoked, in the last four or five weeks. He fought with one of our other dogs, and in two episodes, my wife, Kathy, was injured.

Prior to today, our vet who had treated Franklin for 5 years, thought he was in pain, perhaps a brain tumor, as this sudden change might indicate.

As we prepared to explore this, he did it again today. Each time it happened she was alone with the three dogs. Franklin was increasingly possessive of her.

Today, Kathy's leg was badly bitten. After seeing our doctor, and after a dozen stitches, she made the decision to have him put him down.

She rescued him. She knew from day one he'd be ours. He had been dumped on a dirt road in Georgia, 7 months old, 24 pounds and emaciated, with deformed front legs.

This was for the best. If he was rehomed, he certainly might have injured others. As a rescuer, she knew if he did have pain, all the testing and treatments would lessen his quality of life, especially as he aged.

No rescuer makes this very difficult decision lightly.

Today was very sad and very hard.

#FranklinThePittie

Despite looking guilty in this image, Franklin loves to sit/perch/rest here. Our guess is that it is really comfortable for him.

Of course, if someone comes in the yard, he leaps over the arm and crashes into the floor.

#HandsHelpingPawsProject #DogRescue #DogsOfMastodon
#FranklinThePittie

This image is of our Franklin and my wife. He is our rescue with the fused elbows.

She got a tattoo of this image and it is also now the Logo image for Hands Helping Paws Project, a non-profit that raises money to help people (with their pets) who cannot afford medical expenses.

#RescueDogs #DogsOfMastodon #FranklinThePittie

This was our crooked boy the day he came to us 5 years ago.
He was so little!

#DogsOfMastodon #RescueDogs #FranklinThePittie

There's no mistaking that square headed Pitbull look! Franklin, some may recall, has fused elbows, so he cannot straighten his front legs.

If he's resting like this, his front paws just dangle there.

We think it's adorable.

Also Franklin resting next to my leg on the sofa. You can see his bulky elbow and developed shoulder muscle.

#FranklinThePittie #DogsOfMastodon #DogRescue

I thought I'd share a short clip of Franklin to show how he gets around with his fused front leg elbows. He does fine as you can see. We are watching carefully as he ages, to look for bone or joint issues, but he doesn't have any callouses on either paw, all the hair is there, too!

He is our crooked boy!

He also has been in the most fights... we are always extra careful. We think it's his first thought if a larger dog comes up on him fast, towering over him. He's been in an altercation with our other dog and a foster dog when we did fostering.

#DogsOfMastodon #Pitbulls #Lapdogs #SmeagolThePitt #FranklinThePittie

A few years ago, now, but Franklin hardly EVER sits with me in my rickety chair and the one time he does, Smeagol has to get up there and ruin it!

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Remember that time Franklin went to #CharleensPortraitStudio for a photo shoot for a cute dog contest?

I sure do!

Franklin cannot straighten his front legs---his elbows are fused--a birth defect. He was dumped by a dirt roadside in rural GA. He gets around just fine and can even run, a little, like me.

#SpookySeason #CloseEnough #FranklinThePittie #RescueDogs #Dogs #DogsOfMastodon

I call this one Franklinstien...the neck bolts go in the fur swirl!

#RescueDogs #RescueDogsOfMastodon #Sunshine #SunSpot #LaZBoy #SmeagolThePittie #FranklinThePittie

We just got two La-Z-Boy recliners...Smeagol and Franklin!

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Is this right, dad? Downward Dog, right dad?