Sadly, after 1 year, 9/28/21 was REO’s last day with us as the boss of all the other rescues, which she absolutely loved doing.

We will miss this ‘speedy’ girl bolting over to correct one dog or another who needed supervision. What a gem, what a character and lucky for all of us to get a glimpse of her wonderful mind and soul…sorely missed this one will be…a female Border Collie doing her self-appointed job!

REO had been a Virginia neighborhood Border Collie all her life, waltzing the street and checking on everyone until her owner became ill and abandoned her…a neighbor stepped in and to rescue she came and honestly, Reo never looked back..a new assignment she did with such brilliance. The other Border Collies didn’t care for her CEO-like nature but they all agreed she could have the job.

So, today was a day when REO trembled and shook with her heart racing because she collapsed every time she tried to stand. She had somehow supported that sloppy backend by making a tripod with her two strong front legs and one ‘good’ back leg but today, it was over and she knew it. Her bladder cancer wasn’t the culprit here, it was the mobility and that just wouldn’t do for this girl.

Never a vulnerable girl, it was time to wave her over to the other side where she could be limitless.

For now…REO is a boss in spirit til she decides what’s next…she’s totally in charge. Her sage expression said it all...

September 2021
A wonderful gal with a will…She is made of the good stuff where energy seems to come out of nowhere! We just checked her bladder tumor and it has not grown, so the meds are keeping the tumor from growing, which gives her more time. We have had a couple alarming episodes that seemed to be ‘the end’ but she rallied and seems strong thankfully.

She and Jude are pals, of course, so like football players beat up on the turf yet determined to go for one more pass…it’s clear as a bell what they feel: 'get out of my way’…’I’m not done yet’… and they speed along (well that is an overstatement) but do charge and get going faster than you would imagine!

July 2021
Fate has turned in a different direction for REO, shortening her life... she has a cancerous bladder tumor, discovered on the ultrasound monitoring we regularly do with the Seniors.

While we have caught it before it got too large, it’s in the worst spot right at the opening of the bladder so eventually will grow to cause extreme pain when urinating... it is not operable. We had a BRAF bladder test done and she has Transitional Cell Carcinoma which is aggressive and fast acting to not only create urination problems but also move into the lungs. We are pursuing meds to gain some time by shrinking the mass until a quality of life decision must be made.

REO'S HISTORY...

Sanctuary Resident REO arrived into rescue July 2020, turning 13 in our care! She is making the most of her time, “racing” around with her ’side-winder’ gait as she barks at the other rescues and birds and anything else that needs some supervision... she is a hoot!

REO arrived with significant orthopedic pain... xrays confirmed severe arthritis in her back and back legs though no dysplasia. She often stands with her back left leg under her belly, creating a tri-pod support enabling her to then use her front legs to move forward. The assumption is some trauma in her history, it’s possible she was grazed by a car. REO is on daily pain medication and doing very well. It’s still hard to watch her get herself up from laying down but once she’s up, she knows how to move to minimize discomfort.