Rudy and a female English Mastiff were turned out by their humans, left to fend for themselves. What are peo- ple thinking when they do this? That these animals man has domesticated will be able to forage and survive in the “wilderness” of urban sprawl? Thankfully, a Good Samaritan found them wandering around the small waterfront town of Gulfport, and called Pinellas County Animal Services, who picked up the two dogs. As a partner with the shelter, Mastiff Rescue of Florida was con- tacted about the two dogs. Kathy Starke-Nahlbach, a volun-


teer for the rescue group, offered to foster Rudy, who would be her third foster for Mastiff Rescue of Florida. “He was a hot mess when I first met him,” said Kathy. She described him as being wormy, scabby, missing patches of fur, frightened and very thin — weighing only 90 pounds. Many healthy year-old Mastiffs are already pushing 150 pounds. He also had kennel cough, so as a precaution, Kathy quarantined him from her other dogs — Bella, a 10-year-old Black Labrador Retriever, and Zoey, her eight-year-old English Mastiff, also from Mastiff Rescue of Florida. Putting him in a room by himself for a few days also allowed him some time to safely decompress. “He was shy and withdrawn, not


Every Dog Has A Gift. words and pictures by Anna Cooke


Overcoming obstacles for a dog the size of Rudy is no small feat. His forlorn eyes are set deep into his huge head. No one can be certain what’s going on in there, but he is very aware of his surroundings, and walks purposefully, as if he knows his size is imposing. He’s a big boy, with plenty more room to grow, yet manages to make himself appear smallish, curling up beside the chair where his human sits.


housebroken or trained in any way,” said Kathy. “It was apparent to me that he had been abused. The first time I took out the pooper scooper, Rudy immediately dropped to the ground and cowered. I put the scooper away, sat down on the floor with him, and whispered, ‘you will never be hurt again.’ And, that was the moment I knew Rudy would become a permanent member of my family.” Slowly, Kathy nursed Rudy back


to health, cooking for him. His meals included chicken and rice with black pepper for his inflammation. “I added lots of good stuff like a turmeric gravy and yogurt,” she said.


56 THE NEW BARKER


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