Two dogs recently managed to find their way into my heart - Boots and Minnie...
Minnie especially so because of her need to be held... You can't hold a dog and have them look up at you with those endearing eyes and not fall in love... And while I didn't realize it at the time I first saw Minnie at the shelter, a few days after wards, I noticed that she has that same 'look' my dear sweet Rogaine had... If you journey to his R.I.P. page here, and scroll down to the photo of him resting his head on my hand, you can see what I'm talking about... She would have made a great pet therapy dog - not only in size, but in personality for she loved everyone she came in contact with...
Accordingly, while I kept bringing her to adoptions and officially she was up for adoption, I had already decided that if people weren't interested in Minnie because of her shortened jaw, or the right person did not come along and also fall in love with her to the depth I had, I would outright adopt her myself...
I know, I know... Everyone loves puppies, but I'm the kind of soul that care much more passionately about the dogs that get left behind in the shelter for whatever reason - usually the sick, the seniors, the great dogs scared out of their minds because of the situation they've fallen into... Everyone can easily love a puppy, but it takes a VERY special person to love a dog that's not perfect or has medical issues...
And Minnie didn't deal well with the shelter experience she underwent, plus she was picked up as a stray... I'm sure being on busy streets with cars flying by rattled her more than most... Someone must have loved and held her a lot in her past, for Minnie wanted nothing more than to be up in your lap and held... My husband and I both spent a lot of time with Minnie in our arms or her asleep on one of our laps...
While she didn't scare easily as a rule, she didn't care to be away from someone she knew and loved... Especially if left in a strange or scary place... I tested out this theory several times and realized that her anxiety issues were directly connected to this...
But as long as she was being held, cuddled or was in eyesight of someone she loved, she was in Heaven... And you just can't help but to be touched in your heart when you run across a dog that wants you to that degree!
We'd had several people look at Minnie and quite a few emails about her... She just wasn't the size and temperament of a dog that would do well in a household with toddlers and small children running about...
I almost felt I wanted to tell people that they'd do better to buy their children life size stuffed animals that would move and bark rather than trying to adopt a petite sized dog like Minnie (just being honest here - I mean what I say and say what I mean)... People were attracted to her small size and adorable expression, but you want your children to be kids - run, holler, play, etc. and a small dog like Minnie is apt to be hurt eventually because she wanted to be with humans... And she'd run and try to engage with any human, but her desire to be picked up and cuddled would have been her downfall with some of the families interested in Minnie...
Last Saturday a couple came into adoptions and I operate a LOT on instinct... I really don't care how much money someone has or the kind of home they have, the kind of car they drive, etc... I operate probably 90% from the gut in regards to people and TLC dogs... I watch how they interact with the dogs and that's what I operate from... I liked the woman from the start and got the sense she would baby and cuddle Minnie just like Minnie had gotten used to here...
When the couple left to go to other rescues and look at more dogs, I felt an inwardly sigh of relief for I felt sure they'd find a more 'perfect dog' somewhere else... Minnie will always snore and sound 'wet' because of her shortened lower jaw... Her kisses will always be somewhat rough for her tongue doesn't completely fit back inside that mouth of hers (similar to how BeeGee's tongue is)...
To me, these things are adorable and endearing... But I know how the public views issues like this in a dog, so I had felt that Minnie would eventually end up being a permanent member of our household... (and had hoped it would be so!... smile)
When the couple returned, I have to admit my heart did sink a little bit, but it is really what is best for the dog and not me... And if Minnie had the chance to go to a great furever home and have someone's attention 100% of the time instead of sharing it with other dogs, that is what is better for Minnie and her life... My husband did the home check and called back to say it had been approved, so with a heavy but happy heart I started the paperwork progress for the adoption... I did my best to put a smile on my face, but I'd be lying to you all if I didn't admit I was sad in my heart...
Rescue is a bittersweet thing... You have to be extremely passionate about what you do in order to do it well... My husband has always said when the dogs reach a point that they've gone from great to awesome, they always move onto furever homes... But that is the essence of being a good rescuer... TLC may not adopt a ton of dogs, but each and every one is a diamond in the rough when we find them... And they develop into a multi-carat jewel by the time they are ready to be adopted by a loving person or family...
I couldn't have asked for a better home for Minnie... She is going to be loved and cherished, provided for and will have everything I had hoped for her to have... I will miss wearing my cuddle sack as I go about my chores, and that teeny tiny small spot in our bed where she slept is just SO vacant now... But I feel good about this adoption and am so happy a family was able to look beyond the physical shortcomings into Minnie's heart and abundance of love!
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