Filbert on the day of the Senior Super Save

Here are the pictures of Filbert taken by the Young At Heart Senior Pet Rescue crew on June 20, 2011, when he was selected as part of the Senior Super Save from Animal Welfare League in Chicago - an open door shelter that takes in 5,000 lost, stray, unwanted or otherwise homeless pets a year. And here is a You Tube video which is also available on the YAH home page.

Young At Heart (YAH) and Trio Animal Foundation arranged a day for YAH to go in and select 12 dogs and cats aged 5 and older that would be rescued from a less than secure fate. Filbert, a doberman mix approximately 6 years old (who was previously called "Puppy") caught their eye and obviously had a sweet personality, but he was SO starved and skinny, it looked nearly hopeless. Of course they couldn't leave him behind, so he became one of the lucky baker's dozen of 13 older dogs and cats rescued that day by Young At Heart.

Each pet was vetted and amazingly they were a healthy lot, with just some respiratory infections here and there, and some spaying/neutering needed, along with a few dental cleanings. With help from Arlington Heights Animal Hospital, especially Dr. Darin Flaska, these medical needs will be handled, and all of this will be funded by YAH and Trio - which means via DONATIONS - gladly accepted - and each pet will be put up for adoption by YAH. Check their website under Adoptables to see these (when they're ready) and other wonderful adult dogs and cats just waiting for the rest of their life to begin.

As for Filbert, what's his story? Why was he there in the first place? His people brought him in saying he was sick and asking that he be put down. The shelter manager fed him a bowl of food which he gobbled happily and told the people to leave the dog and never get another one.

I am trying not to judge too harshly as I truly don't know them or their circumstances, and at least they did bring him in which gave him his first chance of a better life. And if they had him his whole life prior, they did something right because he is the SWEETEST dog, house trained, calm, loving, attentive and mannerly (except when you have a bowl of dog food in your hand, then he loses his poise!).

Adult male dobermans are usually around 70+ pounds according to the information I read. And at that weight you can usually still see their ribs and they still have bony structures, that's just their build. I don't think Filbert is meant to be quite that heavy, but he does need some meat on his bones. He was 32 pounds when rescued, 35 when we picked him up from the vet to foster him, and when he gains about 10 more (so around 45 pounds dripping wet) he'll be neutered and after that, he'll be ready for his new forever home too!

We're having fun with a dog that is SUPPOSED to overeat, rather than trying to keep them from eating too much and getting fat, which is the more normal order of things in beagle-ville. Here we go...