Shelter Furtography Blog: Tallulah

Rescue Furtography Blog is an animal shelter pet photography blog of dogs and cats for adoption at the animal control shelter.

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Older female Golden Retriever and Shepherd Collie mix breed dog with outside on leash. Animal shelter dog rescue pet adoption photo. Please don't steal my images. Stock photo sales support waltonpets.net adoption website annual fees. ©www.williamwisephoto.com

Tallulah was a sweet senior Golden Retriever mix that came through the animal shelter in January 2020. Tallulah had just a few months with her new adopters because of some major medical issues, but her story is a sweet one. Despite losing her, it was a happy ending, for she was loved and wanted her last few months of life.

​On January 9, 2020 an animal control officer picked up an older Golden Retriever and two other dogs. The next day I had the pleasure of meeting her at her Furtography Session. She was such a sweet and cooperative girl during her photo session and gave her the name “Tallulah”, after the beautiful waterfalls of Tallulah Gorge in North Georgia. Being an older girl, she was quite calm and affectionate.
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 A week had passed since her impound and no owner called or came to the shelter to look for Tallulah. She was rescued by Leader of the Rescue Pack on January 17, 2020. Her rescue and transport was sponsored by pledged donations from Jason, Becky and Polly.

Three days after she was rescued from the shelter, her owner finally decided to look for her and contacted the shelter, but Tallulah was on her way to Connecticut. (I just can’t comprehend how someone can wait 11 days before beginning to look for their three missing dogs.) 

By January 25, Tallulah had already found an adoptive home up north. On that special first evening in her new home, her adopters wrote, "Tallulah caught a few winks earlier. The house seems too warm for her but she is not interested in this snowy evening! Tallulah just licked John’s hand and is stretched out again in the den.  She prefers the floor to the comfy foam and fleece beds. All good so far. Thank you!”

​After a few vet visits, it was found that Tallulah had some major medical issues and surgery would be needed. On February 14, I received another update from her new family: “Tallulah is home now and wants to shake hands… a lot… even while laying down recovering! It was an extensive surgery. The vet removed the spleen and the growth. They were going to take the small mammary growths, but the bleeding was excessive (they’re vascular) so he removed the two largest and sent them out for biopsies.  It was very lucky that we got the spleen growth out as it was likely to burst soon. But she is home and recovering well. More soon.  Best, Cecelia.”
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I always love receiving updates of the dogs that come through our care. Happy Endings remind me of why I do my job and help push though those frustrating days of high intake. Tallulah’s continuing updates were just as encouraging. 

When I received Tallulah’s “final update” on September 14, 2020, I was saddened to hear she passed. But looking back, it was truly a happy ending. Instead of being euthanized in a dog pound, Tallulah had wonderful care and love from the Kellers. Their words said it best and I quote them in full here: 

     We are broken hearted to let you know that, after a steady physical and, we think, neurological, decline, Tallulah fell into a seizure last weekend, one final struggle for a lovely soul who had already suffered so much. We made the decision to euthanize her to spare her any more pain and distress, and she died here at our home.
     Tallulah only had a couple of months of good health, in March and April, between the operation to remove tumor-like masses in February, to the onset of a decline due to degenerative disks in her lower back which became increasingly pronounced beginning in May. She also seemed to have an unidentified neurological issues around that time, possibly caused by a stroke. By the end, she was barely able to walk off the single step from our front porch to the front yard, and she was barely eating.
     I know how much you were invested in Tallulah’s successful adoption. We hope we were able to provide here with some sense of home, love and security for at least a brief period in a life which we suspect was filled with pain, fear and loss. We are devastated, but would  adopt her again in a heartbeat.
     John