Over the past few days I have had the difficult job of helping a client accept the fact that the dog she so tried to make fit into her life was simply the wrong choice for both of them. Yesterday she returned him to the rescue. This choice was beyond difficult for her, for me, for everyone. But, the choice was the right one. She nor the dog could go on living together in the state they were in. She needed a very different type of dog due to her health issues and age, but she couldn't reject the hyper, young and loving dog her family gave to her as a gift. No matter how obedient he was she still found herself being pulled to the ground more times than she could count, scratched up to the point of needing stitches and ending up with a fractured foot, it was time to face the fact that this dog was more than she could handle. He needed a home that could exercise him properly and play with him. She needed a more serious and calm dog. It was just a bad match.
The silver lining in this story is, once the rescue knew he was coming back, they called a family with a 12 year old boy that had seen this same dog at an adoption event, but by the time they decided they wanted the dog, he had already been adopted out. Luckily, the family had not found another dog yet, so they agreed to be at the rescue when my client returned him. This lucky dog then went home with a family that in my opinion is a much better fit and I have my fingers crossed that this will be his forever home.
It made me think about my own adopted boys and how lucky I am. Both my dog and cat are special in different ways. My dog was so fearful most people would have never taken on that responsibility and my cat was considered an elder when I adopted him out of the shelter. Two animals that others would have passed on, but for me they are perfect. I could not imagine my life with any other dog or any other cat. With all their issues I love them and accept them and they love and accept me with all of mine. I also realized how lucky I am that I don't have to worry about my health or age being a factor in the care I give to my animals.
I found this video that has a compilation of happy endings for some lucky dogs and cats from this rescue. Sit back and enjoy the smiles and warmth you get from it. If you are the proud owner of a rescue, I hope this makes you think of your own story.
If you want to share a story, give me a bark! Bark!
