Frannie was abandoned at a church on Easter weekend. Good Samaritans brought her to the local animal shelter. It was the best thing that had happened to her in years!
As you can see from the shelter photo, her coat was a snarled and filthy mess. She had obviously been neglected for a very long time! The mats were so dense, her coat was like a straight jacket, making it difficult for her to move. Buried beneath the thick mats, the shelter staff discovered open wounds. A caring kennel attendant and volunteer spent hours shaving her. They knew they were making progress when she wanted to move her foot forward and try to scratch! As they clipped, they found lots of sticks and woody debris. BB's tangled in her pantaloons were evidence that someone had been shooting at her.
The volunteer wrote, "She was a saint through the entire process, after which there was a pile of hair bigger than she was. I am not proud of the way she looks, but I am happy that now she moves freely and leaps and scratches and feels like a young dog again... She truly is a little angel!"
Animal control took her to the emergency clinic, where the veterinarian stitched her wounds and started her on antibiotics. Back in the shelter, the staff gave her more TLC and talked about pursuing criminal charges if her owner tried to claim her. They were very happy to let us rescue her as soon as she was legally available! A wonderful volunteer from an all-breed rescue group picked her up from the shelter and drove her several hours to Santa Rosa. Our volunteers met her there and transported her the rest of the way to her foster home. Frannie has captured the hearts of everyone who's met her!
Frannie is settling in to her foster home. What a delightful character she is! One look at that sweet face, and you can see that she's as good-natured as a Keeshond can be! She is such a credit to the breed -- she's managed to keep her sweet, cheerful Keesie spirit and love for humans, in spite of such neglect. She's a talker (in the photo below, she's telling her foster mom a story!) She grins and plays with the other dogs. She's thoroughly enjoying the comforts of a being house dog (napping on the couch LOL) and appreciates all the attention she's getting!
Frannie isn't available for adoption yet. She has a skin infection and both ears are very badly infected. We're doing some lab work, treating the infections, and working to restore her health. If you're interested in adopting her when she becomes available, please visit
our website for information about our adoption process.
Clipping the Keeshond Coat
THE KEESHOND COAT SHOULD BE CLIPPED ONLY AS A LAST RESORT! Keeshond dogs have a different hair-growing cycle than other breeds. They lack the oils in their skin that other breeds have, which is why they don't normally have "doggie odor." They need their thick coats to protect their skin. A clipped coat mats more quickly and is more easily damaged. Keeshonden are also prone to a condition called "post-clipping alopecia," which can happen any time a Keeshond is clipped. Veterinary dermatologists advise that this breed should be clipped only for medical reasons! Unfortunately, Frannie's open wounds and the pain caused by the severely matted coat pulling on her skin made clipping necessary for her.
