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His vet records list him as Einstein, but in his forever foster home he was known as Peanut, or the more formal Peanut Butter. He came to the Cocker Inn in November 2006. He was living as a stray in a small East Texas town. With cold weather setting in, concerned neighbors contacted Cocker Spaniel Rescue hoping to save this little guy. We cleaned him up and found he weighed a mere 14 pounds and he had a horrible cough. The cough turned out to be chronic, and he struggled with lung and breathing issues his entire life. It's likely a bout of pneumonia while he was a stray permanently damaged his lungs.

We will never know how he came to be a street dog, but at one time he must have been a beloved pet in a caring home. We noticed he walked with a limp and seemed to have a constant pain in his leg. X-rays revealed a too-long pin in his left rear leg. The pin must have been for the treatment of an old injury, but the pin began rubbing against his knee joint and needed to come out. Because of his lung issues, orthopedic surgery to remove the pin was delayed until December 27, 2007.

His health problems made him practically unadoptable, so he settled easily into the routine of a Forever Foster. While not above literally biting the hand that fed him, Peanut was an affectionate member of the pack with a personality all his own. He was very much a mercenary, willing to do anything for an animal cracker. After grooming or a bath he would go the cookie cabinet and demand his payment. Requiring frequent nebulizer treatments, he would flatly refuse to go into the breathing tent. . . until he saw a cookie. Once he verified he was going to get paid, he would willingly trot into the tent, and cheerifully take the treatment.

Rest in peace, Peanut Butter. Even in a house full of foster dogs, it feels somehow more empty without you. May you breathe easy at the Rainbow Bridge.