Hi everybody. My name is Heidi. I'm a 10-year-old German Shepherd
mix.
My first home I can remember was at the Orange County Animal Shelter.
My new family found me when I was about three or four months old.
On my first day there at the pound, I was put on a waiting list
for Pat and Steve (my new family) to rescue me. The waiting list
filled up fast. Five days later the next two people in line on
the waiting were already waiting to pick me up just in case Pat
and Steve didn't show up. I'm glad they did.
They thought I must have been an abandoned dog, once they got
me home. I was a little bit on the wild side, with no manners
at all. I had many bad habits including jumping up on all newcomers
to greet them. I was enrolled in dog school in the next few weeks.
What an experience that was. I found out that I was no longer
in charge. Now that I'm sort of elderly, I get my own way a lot
more often.
One day I decided to go exploring the City of Orange. I ran till
my paws were raw. What was I thinking? I ended up on the other
side of Tustin Ave. from where I live. The traffic was just horrific.
Before my family could find me, I wound up back at my old digs,
the animal shelter. Although I wasn't put in a cell, I still had
to go through the due process.
My favorite toys are plastic containers and tennis balls, but
I am leaning more towards biscuits these days. We have a weekend
soccer field behind our backyard. Every now and then a soccer
ball comes in the backyard and it is punctured without delay.
I like traveling in the car to my winter home in Bullhead City,
Arizona. I have a big fenced yard with plenty of dogs in the neighborhood
to bark at. It's a nice place to visit during the cool weather
months, but I don't think I would like to live there.
About a year ago I was diagnosed with Cushing's disease. How dreadful.
With the help of everyone at OVVH, I overcame the symptoms of
the disease, and I'm having a good dog life. I take some pills
once a week (hidden in some cut up pieces of hot dog of course)
and have a blood test every few months (I still don't like going
to the vet) and that seems to keep everything under control.
I guess being a dog isn't all-bad. All I have to do is provide
a little protection by barking every now and then and sleep and
eat the rest of time.
