I’m an animal lover. I like animals better than people most of the time (no joke). My dogs never judge me and no matter what kind of a day I’m having, they are there to greet me accordingly. Nothing makes my tears disappear like Brody’s kisses… literally – he has a huge tongue. So it should come as no surprise that I have been invested in the 4 legged population for quite some time. With a degree in Animal Science, I have a pretty good handle on all things furry and have fond memories of all of the animals (large and small) that I’ve had in the past (including the hamster I got busted with in my apartment in college). I even buried the birds that would fly into our big picture window – they deserved more than being thrown in the garbage can.
When my husband and I bought a house, my primary motive for such a purchase was to have a place where I was allowed to have a dog because I definitely believe a house is not a home without one (or two). Capone was my wedding present from John – most women expect jewelry or… well, jewelry but I wanted a dog. Bad. I had been looking for a rottie for quite a while and as the wedding drew near, I told myself to back off on the search because it would be really bad timing. I’m sure you can see where this is going… that’s right – I totally stumbled across Capone’s big ol’ mug on the website of the rescue I had been working with and Fell.In.Love. I contacted the rescue and we set up a meet and greet 2 weeks before our wedding (what were we thinking?). The second he hopped out of his foster mom’s truck, we were sold. Only problem was the ridiculous timing of it all. After our walk in the park, we drove home and discussed it and decided he was perfect for us so we asked his foster mom if she would be willing to go WAY above and beyond her volunteer duties and keep Capone for another month and we would pick him up on our way home from our honeymoon. And she said yes. The woman was clearly a saint. We picked Capone up literally as we drove home from the airport… it was what made married life “different.” He settled right in and has been such a blessing since. Fast forward a couple months and we decided we’d like to start fostering for the rescue, kind of a pay it forward thing. Our first pup was Joe… a boxer/pittie mix that totally stole my heart and the heart of his forever home which he found about 2 months after moving in with us. What a sweetheart. I often wonder what he’s up to.
Seriously??? How adorable were they?!?
After Joe was gone (and we knew he was definitely staying in his new home), we decided to do it again. And Brody (fka “Brolic” – what?) arrived in our driveway via the transport bus, horribly sick and tired and oh so cute. It wasn’t exactly love at first sight for the boys… but it only took about an hour long walk and they were good buddies and by the end of the week (and the end of the testosterone in Brody’s system so he stopped humping Capone) they were best friends and have been inseparable ever since. We tried to find Brody a home but after three “perfect” placements fell through (to no fault of Brody’s) we realized that he was exactly where he should be… and the rest is history. The decision was made while John and I were laying in bed one night when he was the one convincing me that Brody should stay. As we were having the conversation, we could hear rustling and we looked over the side of the bed to see Brody getting up from his own bed and curling up with Capone on his… talk about a sign. We listened.
Could you have been able to resist this face??? This was his shelter “mug shot.”
Right after Brody got home from ACL surgery this January – I had to hold Capone back so he’d stop kissing him!
This is a common occurrence in our house – terrifying, aren’t they?
Once Brody was in our house and the cumulative weight between the two of them outweighed my husband, we realized we probably wouldn’t be doing much long-term fostering in the near future. We did a couple short term overnights but nothing substantial and I’ve missed it. I missed the excitement of their arrival, the chaos of the intros, the new slobbery kisses but most importantly, I missed the feeling you get when you look into the eyes of a pup who would have died that week and you KNOW in your heart of hearts that they will be eternally grateful. I swear that’s true – ask anyone with a rescue dog.
Tula was a 14 week old pup (who thought she was as big as the boys) who was one of our overnight guests before I placed her with an acquaintance of mine in Maine.
Hazel was also a short-term guest at Casa de Darcie&John before heading to a beautiful farm where she’s living the good life now.
I’m sure you can see where this post is going. Although I haven’t been uber-involved in the hands-on part of rescue as of late, I still keep myself updated on the dogs who are in need and I will sometimes reach out to my colleague and say, “if suchandsuch a dog hasn’t been spoken for, we’d be willing to foster” but the dog would have been already pulled by another rescue and wouldn’t be coming to my zoo house after all. Yesterday, I saw a face that I could not resist. I have a thing for blue pitties and as soon as her photo popped up on my Facebook newsfeed, I emailed aforementioned colleague and said the same shpeal as I usually do. And wouldn’t you know? No one had stepped up for her and now she’s coming to me.
Ummmmmm…
Holy crap. What. Have. I. Done? It’s the BUSIEST month of the year for me work-wise and I haven’t fostered in SO long… what if the boys don’t acclimate? what if SHE hates the boys? what if I can’t find a home for her? what if I fall in love with her and she stays? it’s almost Easter – what am I going to do about going away on the weekends? she’s sick – how do I make sure the boys don’t get sick? because she’s sick, she hasn’t been spayed so I’ll need to follow up with all of that too! Clearly a GAZILLION questions flowed through my head but this only lasted about 2 minutes before I settled on the answer.
This was the conversation I had in me head in a span of 30 seconds:
“Are you f-ing kidding me Darcie???? That pup was going to DIE if you didn’t pull her. And if you can’t handle introducing 3 pretty friendly (albeit rambunctious) dogs, how the HELL do you think you’re going to handle having children (and we know I have enough anxiety about THAT)???” People say all.the.time. that there’s never a convenient time to have children – you’ll always want more money, you’ll want a bigger house, you’ll want to be closer to family and if you wait for all of those things to happen then you’d never have them. Well, truth is, that’s exactly true for fostering too. I’ve made a bunch of excuses over the past 2ish years about how “it’s almost the holidays,” “we’re busy at work,” “Capone blew out his knee,” “Brody blew out HIS knee,” “we’re going on vacation,” etc. etc. etc. I’m sorry that MY busy schedule has kept me from saving the life of a pup who has no choice in the matter. Shame.On.Me. And besides, I’ve been trying to be more spontaneous… mission accomplished.
So… meet Diamond who’s arriving at our house tomorrow (Saturday) around 4pm. She’s 4 years old and was dubbed “the perfect dog” by shelter volunteers and is “calm, sweet, friendly and low key.” She likes “most dogs” and I like to think my boys are pretty easy going so although we’ll take intros slow (especially because she’s sick) I think it will be just fine. We’re going to embrace “crate and rotate” so she has time to get better and recover from her spay and we are absolutely going to show her what it’s like to really be loved.
I’d like to think that she’s sticking her tongue out at her old “owner” who dumped her at the shelter and saying “luks at wut ur missin out on, jurk!”
That face… I couldn’t resist.
I really should have put this on my list – foster another pup (or two but shhh… don’t tell John) but I don’t think there’s anything saying I can’t do things that AREN’T on my list… these things are just going to make this year that much better! Is it going to be tough? Hell yes it is. Between acclimating the three of them, getting her better and having to then say goodbye to her will be some of the hardest things I’ve had to do in a long, long time. But you know what? I donated blood and remember how terrified I was about doing that? And then remember how AMAZING I felt when I accomplished it? Either way, I’m saving lives – whether it’s the 2-legged or 4-legged variety – and that right there is the only inspiration I need. There is no greater challenge than to give of yourself and if I can accomplish that this year (in a variety of ways), I know I will be a better person because of it… and that’s what this list is all about, right?
Besides, this is a good test to make sure I should be allowed to babysit for one of the many new babies in my life (per #21).
And if you ever wondered whether or not you should volunteer some time or even rescue your own pet, read this and you won’t think twice:
The Rescuers
Unlike most days at the Rainbow Bridge, this day dawned cold and gray. All the recent arrivals at the Bridge did not know what to think, as they had never seen such a day. But the animals who had been waiting longer for their beloved people to accompany them across the Bridge knew what was happening, and they began to gather at the pathway leading to the Bridge.
Soon an elderly dog came into view, head hung low and tail dragging. He approached slowly, and though he showed no sign of injury or illness, he was in great emotional pain. Unlike the animals gathered along the pathway, he had not been restored to youth and vigor upon arriving at the Bridge. He felt out of place, and wanted only to cross over and find happiness.
But as he approached the Bridge, his way was barred by an angel, who apologized and explained that the tired and broken-spirited old dog could not cross over.
Only those animals accompanied by their people were allowed to cross the Bridge.
Having nobody, and with nowhere else to turn, the dog trudged into the field in front of the Bridge. There he found others like himself, elderly or infirm, sad and discouraged.
Unlike the other animals waiting to cross the Bridge, these animals were not running or playing. They simply were lying in the grass, staring forlornly at the pathway across the Rainbow Bridge. The old dog took his place among them, watching the pathway and waiting, yet not knowing what he was actually waiting for.
One of the newer dogs at the Bridge asked a cat who had been there longer to explain what was happening.
The cat replied, “Those poor animals were abandoned, turned away, or left at rescue places, but never found a home on earth. They all passed on with only the love of a rescuer to comfort them. Because they had no people to love them, they have nobody to escort them across the Rainbow Bridge.”
The dog asked the cat, “So what will happen to those animals?” Before the cat could answer, the clouds began to part and the cold turned to bright sunshine.
The cat replied, “Watch, and you will see.”
In the distance was a single person, and as she approached the Bridge the old, infirm and sad animals in the field were bathed in a golden light.
They were all at once made young and healthy, and stood to see what their fate would be.
The animals who had previously gathered at the pathway bowed their heads as the person approached.
At each bowed head, the person offered a scratch or hug. One by one, the now youthful and healthy animals from the field fell into line behind the person.
Together, they walked across the Rainbow Bridge to a future of happiness and unquestioned love.
The dog asked the cat, “What just happened?”
The cat responded, “That was a rescuer. The animals gathered along the pathway bowing in respect were those who had found their forever homes because of rescuers. They will cross over when their people arrive at the Bridge. The arrival here of a rescuer is a great and solemn event, and as a tribute they are permitted to perform one final act of rescue. They are allowed to escort all those poor animals they couldn’t place on earth across the Rainbow Bridge and into Heaven.”
The dog thought for a moment, then said, “I like rescuers.”
The cat smiled and replied, “So does heaven, my friend. So does heaven.”
- Author Unknown
***Look for updates about Diamond and if you’re interested in adopting her or maybe another pup in need of a forever home, email me at adogslove@gmail.com (not to be confused with my normal bloggy email of carharttsandcoachbags@gmail.com) and I will give you some more information about the rescue I work with.
The purpose of life is not to be happy – but to matter, to be productive, to be useful, to have it make some difference that you have lived at all. ~Leo Rosten
I need this shirt.
