Dogs make us better people....

A volunteer told me the other night she has a hard time trusting folks that don't like animals and the discussion went from there onto other topics... Like the connection between domestic violence and harming animals in the home, etc...

As I drove home that night, I mulled over the feelings that I have in regards to what I do and the passion for saving small dogs... This makes me a better person... And those of us who have a loved fur baby in our lives (or more than one) become better people because of sharing our heart and love with these little ones, ya know?

Right before Father's Day, a fella came into the rescue shop... He'd been debating about getting his dad a dog or not, but was concerned that it might not work out and then what would he do with the dog?... Normally I don't get this involved with everyone that walks into the rescue shop, but as I listened to him talk, I saw visions of those old vintage Hallmark cards... Add a small pipe and a much longer beard, and this guy could have passed for Santa!... Those twinkling blue eyes got my attention, but the feelings I got from him held me captivated...
His dad had lost his little Yorkie awhile back and then a few months ago, his dad had moved into Sunrise, our local assisted living facility... His dad wasn't handling all of the changes real well, and his son thought maybe having a little dog would help...

One of the volunteers suggested our little Rebecca... For those that follow our blog and the journey at the rescue shop, you might remember Rebecca's story... She came out of Camarillo preggers, we rushed her to ER late one Sunday night and it was feared Rebecca would not make it through a C-section, let alone a natural delivery...

One of the pups had turned sideways and Rebecca was bleeding internally while the other three pups could not move on to be delivered... It was really a touch & go situation and when I left her, my heart was heavy - not only worrying where I was going to find $1,200 for an emergency C-section, but would she survive at all?

Four hours later, I called them at 3AM to learn that Rebecca had (apparently) heard "C-section" and delivered those puppies on their own... Even though she had delivered the pups, things were still touch & go because of her own medical issues, could the pups be nursed, etc.?

For days we pampered Rebecca as she refused to eat... And without wanting to eat, she had little enough to make milk to nurse her pups... Sadly, we lost her four pups one by one, but we saved Rebecca... Sometimes you really have to wonder why your journey takes the twists and turns it does... I cannot begin to even tell you how many times I have looked skywards and asked, "Why me, Lord?" or "Why this now, Lord?"...

Rebecca got better and better... Eventually she was well enough to be spayed and eventually put up for adoption... And when she was being looked at by Ted (Ray's son), Rebecca worked it!... Cute and as cute could be she was!... 

This week, Ted came back into the rescue shop to pick up the license for the county we had talked about, and as I asked how things were going, he just lit up and started sharing photos of his dad and Rebecca together... His dad leaves his door open all the time and Rebecca does not leave his room without him...

She now rides in the basket of his little scooter thingy, sits down and puts her paws on the very edge of it and does not try to jump out... Once in the room, he lays down and she immediately jumps up and lays by Ray's belly... And if out on a walk, she will only walk so far and then sits down and stops, waiting for Ray to catch up with her... Then she gets up and repeats this until they get to his room - and she always picks the right door too!... What a smart little girl she is!

But even better than all of this?

Ray has had a hard time making new friends and apparently is a bit shy... Now he has all kinds of folks coming by his room, asking if they can walk Rebecca... Folks stop him all the time to tell him how cute little Rebecca is... And he has made all kinds of new friends at Sunrise... 

One little dog, who has the 'attitude for gratitude' found so commonly in rescue dogs, has made a profound impact on one of our senior citizens in our community... Numerous times along her journey she came very close to death and think about she now 'pays it forward' with unconditional love and comfort to Ray...

Amazing, huh?... Yes, these are the things that make us rescuers better people for our calling and passion!

As always - hugs and paws,
Linda, Director, TLC