AS SOON AS HEDGIE ARRIVED AT THE FORSYTHE RESIDENCE, HE BECAME VERY ANXIOUS ABOUT EVERYTHING.
Mindy, his mom, said he has tied down his whole puppyhood, and he never received any love from his previous owners. She was so happy to finally give him the life he deserved full of love and attention.
He was wary of people. She had been looking to adopt a dog for years with her son, Mason, but they never found the right one. Mindy was beginning to lose hope until she met a dog at the shelter who changed everything. He was scared and hid under the table when she walked in, but she knew he was the one.”
“When we were looking at all those other dogs, none of them really seemed to be speaking to us,” Mason said. “But as soon as we saw Hedgie, I knew he was the one I wanted or that was meant for me.”
However, on Hedgie’s first night in his new home, he was terrified and miserable.
The sleeping setup:
Mason decided that Hedgie was going to sleep with him in his bedroom that night. And that’s what he did; he carried Hedgie to his bedroom, where they both stayed the whole night.
In the morning, they woke up to find that Hedgie had transformed overnight. He was still the same dog, but he was different from the dog they had known just the night before. Mindy didn’t know what had happened during the night, but it was clear that Hedgie and Mason had formed a deep connection with each other.
Hedgie has now become inseparable from Mason and is always by his side:
Mason and Hedgie were joined at the hip. If Mason was doing homework, Hedgie would be on his bed and wait for him to finish.
And they slept together on Mason’s twin bed, which is hard for Mason because Hedgie is a big dog and he kicks in his sleep. Mindy used to worry that when they got a dog, she would be taking care of all of the dirty stuff – like walking him and feeding him, and picking up his poop. But it turns out that having Hedgie around has been really great.
Her son’s 15-year-old boys are not known to be that responsible. But Mason really surprised her by being much more responsible than she had anticipated.
He has provided all necessary care for Hedgie:
After Hedgie was diagnosed with a condition called megaesophagus, Mason made sure to take care of all of his needs. He wanted to be there for Hedgie and show him how much he loved him.
They soon realized something was wrong when their dog, Hedgie, couldn’t eat or walk. Other vets had suggested that dogs with this condition be put down. But that wasn’t an option for Mindy and Mason. They loved Hedgie too much to give up on him.
They were going to continue to give him the best life possible. One of the treatments they could do is to make sure that the food Hedgie eats goes to his stomach so he doesn’t get malnourished.
Providing sustenance to Hedgie is essential for its health:
At first, Hedgie would prop himself up on a chair while Mason hand-fed him his food.
Hedgie needed to be in an upright position, around 45 to 90 degrees to the floor so that his food would go to his stomach.
But they were able to upgrade to a “Bailey chair”, which props Hedgie up to the right position for eating. This meant that Hedgie could always wait for Mason to give him his food, rather than having to try and eat it himself.
He will only eat when Mason is giving him his food. This is because he trusts that Mason will give him the food he needs in order to survive and thrive.
Mason and Hedgie are best friends:
They enjoy spending time together and doing things together. They have a lot of fun when they are together and they always have each other’s backs. They have a deep affection for each other and are practically inseparable. It’s as if they were destined to meet and become close friends.
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