I am a HUGE advocate of getting your dogs from shelters but I am also a huge supporter of breed specific rescues, almost a yr ago I was blessed with the opportunity to rescue a boxer (Bugsy) from Bluegrass Boxer Rescue, I wrote this a few weeks after he got here and this was my experience.
9-17-07And this is a movie tribute I just recently made for him..
While on the phone with a friend the night Bugsy came home she asked me "So how does it feel?" Kind of stumped by the question I almost didn't know how to answer..How did it feel? I thought..I didn't feel proud of myself, or like I was special..I didn't feel like I deserved any thank you's or a pat on the back. I didn't want that, didn't need it.
So the past few days since the night my friend asked me that I question I decided to write down my feelings as they came so I could answer if asked again "How does it feel?"
I read them now and I see that one feeling shows up more then others, and it's "sad". I keep asking myself how and why do I feel so sad? I have always been an animal lover for as far back as I can remember, my grandmother was the same...couldn't let a stray go by with out food. I had always dreamed of rescuing a Boxer ever since I found out Boxer Rescues existed so why after all of these years when I have finally adopted a rescue do I feel sad?
I think if I explain it like this it might not sound so "out of this world" to you guys but it's like this. When you get a puppy and you have this over whelming feeling of happiness, you look in it's eyes and see playfulness, trust, love and innocence but when you adopt a rescue you have this over whelming fear of "please let this work out" and you look in it's eyes and you see worry, concern, confusion and the worst part is the loss of trust. They can't trust anyone because so many have left them or sent them away, some even hit them and tried to break their spirit.
It makes me sad to think of his worry and fear he may not be here forever and no matter how many times he lays his head on my chest and looks me in the eyes and hears me say "Don't you worry you're home now" I still feel that he's not quite sure if it is real this time or if one day he is going to wake up and have to go again. I cry sometimes when I go to pet him and he squints his eyes and ducks his head because I know at some point in his life someone did hit him and it makes me so angry at who ever that person was.
SO to keep from writing a novel I will try my best to answer this..
How does it feel?
It feels rewarding when he wags his nub when he sees me, it feels good when I see he is getting the hang of our routine, it feels great to know he will spend the rest of his life with us no matter what it takes and in the end it feels like he chose me..because after all it couldn't have worked so perfect if he hadn't.
It feels like love!
Support your breed specific rescue or your local Humane Society PLEASE!
3 comments:
ALL dogs are wonderful. It hurts that I can't say the same for most humans. My husband and I were brought to tears over your video and Bugsy's family of love.
Oh if we could have ALL the animals that need us.
God Bless You
Dana and Joe in Indiana
Awe thanks so much for the comment, Bugsy has come a long way since we got him. Poor guy still screams the WHOLE time we are gone and have to put him in his crate..I think it's because he's afraid we aren't coming back. I do wish I could save them all, I have spent a small fortune raising money and even wheelchairs for rescue dogs.
I couldn't agree with you more. Rescue is the way to go. My Travis was a rescue. I can't imagine what would have happened to him had we not sprung him from that guinea pig cage he was living in at 10 weeks of age.
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