Ah, My Little Porkopotamus

This is the story of Wren, my little sweet potato (so called for both her color and general shape). Here she is snoozing on my floor near Fergus and Seamus:

A real pair of personality-pooches. Winky is the little crab and Wren is sweet yet so fat she can't maneuver the stairs:

My little dog, Wren, is a rescue from my days volunteering at our local animal shelter. I'd taken in many foster dogs and was especially fond of the small and the old ones. One day a friend told me I should go over to the intake building right away to take a look at a chubby little Chihuahua mix which had come in. Before I got there, however, the Shelter vet (we secretly called him "Dr. Death") arrived with little Wren on a leash. She was tubby and her owner had died. They feared she might have Cushings Disease though her tests had proved inconclusive. So they were bringing her in to put her down right away. I met little Wren on the way to her death and rescued her on the spot.

She's been both healthy and happy, a delightful little pooch and is living a good life. I've had her for perhaps 4 years now. But she is fat and needs help going both up and down stairs - a LOT of help. She stays with Winky in my bedroom for most of the day and the two of them have become buddies.

My friend Rick saw me helping her down the stairs one day and called her my little "porkopotamus." It was the perfect appellation and so it stuck. In this photo, both Wren and Winky are poised at the top of the stairs:

When Wren goes up the stairs, I cradle her butt in one hand and act as a chair lift. Her little legs move, but I am largely moving her up the stairs. When she descends the stairs, I support her torso and once again, her legs move but I am essentially responsible for keeping her from rolling down the stairs like a potato. In this photo, she's stopped midway for a break:

Wren has gone hiking a few times with the other dogs but it became too difficult for her. And she's aging rapidly. But her life is happy and I thought it was time for me to post a tribute to my beloved little porkopotamus. Here she is descending the stairs. I'd normally have both hands on her, but had to use one to hold the camera:

So here's to all the sweet, loving and lovable dogs and cats who are looking for homes and to the people who work so hard to rescue them. Ah, my little porkopotamus: