Rescue Dog

Tibet the Rescue Dog…

He sat in his cage at the pound not moving. He was dirty, filthy dirty. In his left eye was a large, swollen bubble of skin. I would later learn that is called a cherry eye. He looked very sad and quiet. Everyone else was looking at the cute little Shih Tzu named Bella. She was wearing an even cuter sweater and jumping up and down with the prospect of meeting a new family. But he just sat there, not moving almost not breathing, as if to say I know you won’t pick me. My heart felt complete sorrow for him. I didn’t know how old he was. I didn’t know his history. I didn’t even know if he liked kids when I asked for him to be taken out of his cage. I would learn that he had been there for three weeks and no one wanted him. I would learn that the volunteer at the facility was worried he would not become adopted and would be ruined by being in the pound for so long.  I would learn that he was sick with worms, and a double ear infection, which most likely caused him lots of pain. I would learn that he rescued our family when we rescued him.

I remember that day like it was yesterday. I drove out to the pound out of complete need and desperation. We had just buried our beloved family dog Tucci less than 30 days before. December 9, 2010 to be exact.  The Christmas Holiday was a blur that year. I found it difficult to walk around being joyful when I only felt grief and loss. We went away for a week right after the Holiday. While flying home I knew I could not return to our home without a dog…dog less felt so raw and I wasn’t willing to do it any longer. I knew I needed the presence of a dog in our home.

You see I am the one that spends the time with our dog. The kids go to school and my husband goes to work but I stay with our dog. I feed the dog, walk the dog and play with the dog. I like to say I have a dog… our dog likes to… I hadn’t truly accepted that I was without a dog. With a car packed full of luggage and hearts filled with hope we set out to meet our new dog. We made one stop to meet some friends. They offered to make the trip to the pound with us. They brought their dog along hoping we could find a dog that liked to be with other dogs. Our friends knew the importance of the trip and how it would help us heal.

When we arrived at the pound the original dog I was hoping to see was no longer available to us. “Sorry but we can’t adopt him out to anyone with small children. He snapped at someone today.” Our hearts fell, our faces fell and so did our spirits. The nice woman must have noticed because immediately she said, “Please go look at these two dogs back there but that’s it, just these two.” So we went. The kids were all excited as if it was Christmas morning all over again but I wasn’t. I didn’t want to deal with one more disappointment.

As I looked into the eyes of our soon to be dog it was if his pain was mirroring my pain. I felt that the last month led me to this exact spot looking at this exact dog. I felt his need for us matched our need for him. He wanted love, food, water, a warm shelter to call home and a gentle hand to guide him. We wanted a dog to love, to play with, cuddle with, to give a better home to, and to be the gentle hand that would guide him. We both had needs that needed to be met. The question was could we meet them for each other?

When we brought him to his new home,we gave him a name, Tibet, we gave him a collar, a leash and his very own crate. I told him he could borrow Tucci’s bed. I told him he had some pretty big paws to fill. He immediately set out trying to capture my heart. He followed me around begging, pleading with his eyes for love, daring me to open my heart to him. Eventually he earned his own dog bowls, toys, and blankets and yes his very own bed. He slowly worked his magic over all of us. While we healed and opened our selves up to him, he healed by basking in our love. He has earned the “Top Dog” spot in our family. Someday some other dog may be told as they lay on his bed, “You have some very big paws to fill.”

I hope you find it in your heart to adopt your own dog today.