Sybil Erden – March 13, 2007

^{Sasha lives with my partner, TJ. She came into our lives about 4 or 5 years ago when I saw her picture on PetFinder.com. TJ, who was looking for a companion after losing his elderly Samoyed a few years earlier, was now emotionally ready to love another dog…}

I contacted the northern Arizona shelter where Sasha was housed. I was told she was a Siberian Husky about 3 months old. TJ had, of course, fallen in love with her picture, so on a sunny day off, we drove the back roads through Cochise County, and Pima County, through Reddington and San Manuel. We were to meet a shelter volunteer in Globe, about half way between our home and their shelter in the White Mountains…

Sasha was an irresistible ball of white fluff. TJ was smitten. And the intelligent puppy knew she had it made. The two of them were inseparable. But almost immediately, TJ realized that something was wrong with Sasha’s front legs. They were bowed and shorter than normal. Her elbows were protruding at an odd angle.

Sasha went to see an orthopedic specialist in Tucson. We looked at her X-rays with the doctor. She needed surgery immediately or her elbows would become dislocated. Many hundreds of dollars and two months later, Sasha had come through surgery and recovery to lengthen a bone in her legs beautifully. She was well and playful and truly a happy TJ and Sasha on Day One active puppy…

…until one day, when TJ was in his back yard. Sasha was running laps around the area with another dog. He suddenly heard the sound a baseball makes when the wooden bat hits to make a home run. The sound was followed by piercing cries of anguish from Sasha. Her leg bone had snapped.

We went back to the orthopedic surgeon. The doctor, who had fallen in love with the brave puppy during her first ordeal, now was determined to try some tricky surgery in an attempt to save her leg. Over the next few months Sasha had several surgeries. She had stainless steel "pins" (bolts, actually) protruding from her leg. These were to be cleaned and adjusted regularly while the bone, held together with internal metal plates, had a chance to heal. We were told in the beginning that the chances were better than even that she would lose her leg.

But true to her indomitable self, Sasha came through this long healing process with all four legs in tact.

But TJ always took care that she did not "over do it" while playing. As the years passed, and she mellowed into early adulthood, we became more assured that her problems, while not forgotten, were in the past.

About a year ago, a Border Collie named Jessie joined TJ’s menagerie. An extremely energetic young girl, Jessie wants to run constantly. And when confined, all too often would figure out a way to escape so that she could run around the property.

One evening this week, while TJ and I were heading home from Benson after picking up supplies, he received a cell-call. Jessie had dug out of the fenced area at his house….and she and Sasha were off somewhere. Oasis staff members Amy and Nancy were busy searching when we got back. TJ pointed….across the San Pedro River from our property, about a quarter mile away; he saw the shapes of Jessie and Sasha running up a hill. He grabbed the Jeep, went down to the river and began hiking, looking for the girls. I stayed at the office, while Nancy and Amy went on the main roads looking, all of us hoping for their immediate return. TJ kept looking all night, finally coming back exhausted and scratched up, around 4 AM.

At 7:30 AM the following morning, Jessie returned. But no Sasha.

While TJ was out searching, I made up fliers and took them around the area. We spoke to neighbors. I called local Vets and the Benson Animal Shelter. The yesterday morning I called the other local shelters. Then TJ and I took fliers into Benson on our way into Tucson for our weekly shopping excursion. We were driving home and TJ had told me he planned on spending the night out again, searching for his beloved Sasha.

Our greatest fear was that Sasha had broken her leg and was out in the vast wilderness, alone and in pain.

Last night on the way home, TJ’s cell phone rang again. He was told that a neighbor, Leslie, had seen Sasha while she was out horse-back riding….but Sasha, afraid of horses, ran off. Our co-worker Joe took his Trekker down to the river and looked for her. A half hour later the phone rang again. Joe had safely retrieved Sasha and she was in TJ’s house.

Sasha would not have survived another night. Although her bones are all in tact, Sasha had used up every ounce of energy getting from wherever she had journeyed back to the river. The dog, Leslie told me today, was so exhausted she staggered when she stood… At TJ’s house it was apparent that Sasha was dehydrated. She was throwing up water and could hardly eat. Sasha was in obvious discomfort, so we gave her half a (dog) pain pill, so that she would sleep more comfortably.

Today Sasha is tired, but eating. TJ brushed huge burrs out of her fur. I pulled one out from deep in the pad of her foot. And she looks at us with a look that says she will never leave us again.