Mange

Not a great word. Not a word that has people running to say I want to adopt that dog, you know the yucky smelling one with very little facial fur. But underneath that crappy fur is a heart of gold. And his name is Louie.
Yes, Louie has mange. Yes, he smells. Yes, he doesn't look his best. Not on the outside. But on the inside its a whole different story. Louie seems to love all people and really would like it if they would stop on the street and pet him. But instead, most pull away once they see his disease. And that's a shame. Cause they aren't going to get it and they aren't going to give it to their pets either.
Louie came from a shelter in the Fraser Valley. For the whole hour drive he tried to climb into my lap. We drove all the way with the windows open cause he really was rank. But all he wanted to do was give sloppy kisses. I'm sorry but even I couldn't accept them.
We stopped on the way home and bought some medicated shampoo and before this poor boy even got in the house, he was subjected to a bath. It wasn't an easy task as he was so frightened but it was necessary. As long as I held his head in my hands and spoke softly in his ear he was calm enough to be hosed down. And yes, we used warm water.
He wasn't too sure about the raw food he was offered but it is the best (in our opinion) to aide him in his recovery. Even this morning he wasn't thrilled with it but at least I didn't have to hand feed it. He loves to play with his chew rope, tossing it in the air and swinging it back and forth. I know he wants to play tug, but it is too soon to play a game of that sort. First he has to learn the "drop it" command. All things in good time Mr. Louie.