Meet Edgar

His name is Edgar.  He does not know that though.  

That cold drizzly morning when the dog warden picked up the wet, shivering, muddy dog and transported him to the local shelter, the intake person wrote on his chart:

Chow chow mix, 6 years old, intact male, medical needs, name: Edgar

 She just selected the first name that came to her mind-perhaps from the book she was currently enjoying- as they need a way to identify every animal taken in.  Someone snapped his likeness

on a call phone camera and the picture was copied to his record.

So Edgar he became.  Taken to the shelter Vet for assessment  , the dog stood before her, head lowered, his body half naked from the horrific skin disease that had taken so much of his rich red mahogany coat, leaving elephant skin on his hind quarters and a long thin hairless tail which looked like a dry branch stuck to his butt.   Scattered over his body were growths of varying sizes, one on his chest was oozing a bit. The odor from his ears  was akin to potatoes going bad in the bin.  The Vet weighed him on the platform scale and noted 47.3 pounds.  She then sent some meds with the young man volunteer who led Edgar to the medical section. There Edgar spotted a soft mat in the little room where he was placed.  He curled up in a tiny ball, nose tucked into his chest.

Edgar remained there for a month.  Every day someone came and took him down the corridor to the medical room where he was given his pills, his ears cleaned, and several times, a bath with a strong smelling shampoo.  His room was cleaned while he was out.

No one wanted to play with him.  He did not feel like playing much anyway.  He picked at the dry kibble left for him in the stainless steel bowl and returned to his mat.

to be continued