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Tootsie's story starts shaky and unfortunately, I don't know too much about her past.  What I do know and what I have seen of her this far is very sad.  I was told that Tootsie was brought to the vet to be put to sleep because she was too fat and because she was too much of a nuisance.  The vet refused  to put her to sleep, and called a local "rescue" agency.  That agency couldn't keep her any longer, so I contacted them and told them I would foster her until I found a good home for her. What I was about to see brought hot tears to my eyes.

Tootsie was at least 7-8 pounds over weight (to a human, that's like being 50 pounds overweight).  She was so fat that she had rolls around her feet that  caused a bad yeast infection.  She would wheeze when she breathed and also snored from the excess weight.  She also had a severe infection in both ears,  causing me to believe she was deaf.  Her skin was completely covered in scabs and flakes due to an infection.  Her nails were grown almost into her pads. Her feet hurt her so bad, she screamed in pain if you touched them. And at six years old she was in heat.  The smell of her condition was overwhelming. 

She was so scared when I brought her home.  She would sit in her kennel and shake.  She had NO idea how to play.  All she did was sit and look sad. I immediately put her on a diet, MUCH to her dismay.  She gets along well with my other 2 doxies but is food and toy aggressive.  She still doesn't know how to play, but  will attach herself to a toy or a sock and will guard it with her life.  She thinks an outstretched hand is something to fear.  It is an extremely hard process to get her back from where she came from.  Wherever  that was, it couldn't be a good place.

She still looks sad but when I come home from work she has begun to wag her little body all over and grunt with excitement.

Tootsie was recently spayed and I found out that in the month that I've had her she's lost two pounds.  Her coat is very shiny now, though still kind of  coarse.  She likes slow rubs and light scratches.  I've also noticed that she is extremely smart and will do almost anything for a piece of green bean. When she gets settled, she is really a sweetheart. She is definitely not your typical dog.  I was told that she doesn't like kids but she seems to be good around older, well mannered children. 

I realize that it will be very hard to find a family that will want a dog with so much history, but I have faith that some special family is just waiting for her. 

Foster mom,
Tonya
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Like so many other dogs that have been abused and cannot speak for themselves, little Tootsie Roll cannot tell us what she endured in the first six years of her life. However, her body language and her eyes tell a sad story of abuse. Such actions against an animal are intolerable. Because of the abuse that Tootsie suffered she may never find a home that wants to take on her personality. The person who abused her has given her a life sentence of fear and mistrust. CCDR will gladly care for Tootsie for the remainder of her life unless a very special forever home happens to
come along. In the meantime, would you like to be a buddy to her?