Friday, March 16, 2007
Spotting my Soul Mate
You never know what you are going to get. Almost two months ago, I adopted a dog from here that most people wouldn't have adopted. Camilla Rose was an older Dalmatian who had already been diagnosed with cancer. She was more than 30 pounds overweight, she had some very odd habits around eating strange things, and she was really quite a couch potato. When I heard she not going to be adoptable due to her medical issues, it was not really much of a question as to where she was going to end up. I took her home that night and adopted her at 9 am the next morning. We had an excellent time together. We took hikes, put her on a diet (she lost 22 pounds!), she got lots of love and skritches, and she started getting better. For a while there my sweet Camilla learned how to play again. Maybe it was my younger dogs that brought it out, or maybe it was just being in a home and knowing she never had to have puppies or scrounge for trash again. Camilla's favorite pastime was following me around, tail constantly wagging, and staring lovingly at me. I think she worshipped me as much as I delighted in her.Last week, Camilla was fine. A few days ago, she got sick very suddenly, and we had to make the decision to put her to sleep. As of yesterday morning, I am back to having two dogs. Time goes so quickly, and circumstances change just as quickly. I, of the young and agile herding dogs, never thought I'd own an older, overweight, silly spotty girl. Thousands of dogs come through this shelter, and I could have had my pick of any of the younger, stronger, better looking ones, but somehow I knew THIS one was the one for me. Go figure. While I am very very sad still that she is not with me any more, I am pleased as punch that we found each other just in time. Sometimes dogs and people are made for each other, regardless of what other people think of that bond. I didn't set myself up for disappointment, I set myself up for love.
I know that there are dogs in this shelter and in other shelters that people overlook because of how they look, because of their age, because of a particular behavior trait that might be annoying. I would remind you that we are not always in our best packages, either. Sometimes, it is that dog that has been here a long time, or that dog that is not perfectly fit in body that has the soul we can most easily connect with. Look at Lucca and Destiny and Miracle. Lucca is an absolute clown and has the funniest facial expressions I have ever seen in a dog. Lucca gets along well with other dogs, and has has become somewhat of a legend around the shelter. Destiny is incredibly well trained, easy to get along with, and is beautiful, besides. Miracle not only has a great rescue story, but also is super cute and full of energy, even if he is a senior dog. Consider giving one of these ones a home. You never know what you are going to get.
