Kalini is a sweet 10 year old Labrador mix from Mississippi. Her world came to an abrupt change a month ago when her human Mom passed away and her human Dad was placed into a nursing home. Kalini and her 10 year old sister, Nini, were placed in the county shelter.
Due to their age and no one showing interest in adopting senior dogs, Kalini and Nini were quickly placed on the euthanasia list. That is when To Love a Canine Rescue stepped in. The rescue placed both the senior sisters on the next transport to Pennsylvania.
Kalini arrived a week ago and came home to stay with us until she can find her new furever home. I thought having another senior dog in the house would be closer to Zoey’s energy level, from our previous fosters. Zoey will be 12 years old this week. However, when Kalini arrived, she presented as much older than Zoey, although she was 2 years younger in age. Kalini has large fatty tumors on both hips and on her right rib cage. The slightest activity winded her for hours. Her left back hip is arthritic, making walking difficult. It was apparent that living with elderly humans she was not given the exercise she needed.
Our first evening together we took Kalini for a short walk, about a half mile. She had a difficult time making the walk, even at a turtle’s pace. Jason and Zoey continued on with Zoey’s 1.5 mile walk and met back up with us at the house where Kalini was recuperating from her walk. For the next few days, I kept Kalini’s activity level a bit smaller, starting just with walking around our yard during the day. As her energy improved we embarked on short walks, about a quarter of a mile in the evening.
After a week, Kalini’s stamina is increasing. She still gets a little winded after exercise, but recovers much quicker. The fatty tumor over her right hip has decreased in size with the increased movement and exercise. Although her hip still gives her some trouble, the increased mobility is allowing her to sit and lay down much easier. Her overall energy has increased and she is becoming more playful.
Kalini’s true personality is coming out more and more each day. She always has a smile on her face. She tries to engage Zoey in play. We have discovered her love of tennis balls and belly rubs. She looks forward to going on walks, getting excited as soon as she sees her leash, and can make the first loop around the block at a normal walking pace. Her second loop is a bit slower, but she can make it a second loop, which is close to the half mile mark! She has a cute little waddle when she tries to run in the back yard. We even introduced her to our pool. Although she didn’t get in all the way, she seemed to enjoy catching and grabbing the ball out of the water.
Kalini has a lot of life and love to give yet. This ole’ gal is young at heart and will make a great addition to someone’s home.
If you are interested in Kalini please check out her bio. Her sister, Nini, is also available for adoption. Her bio is here.
Check out my entire Foster Diary here!
