In July 2013 we posted a listing on our “Pets In Need” section of our weekly newsletter that stated; “Waynesboro, GA – Burke County – An Emergency!! – Dog Shot in Leg…Needs Rescue and Amputation!” via Liz Marshall’s wonderfully comprehensive website for pets in need. Little did we know, an angel was reading. Her name was Alana, she lived in Montreal, and here’s her story.. and Cooper’s;
In 2006 I was volunteering at a dog adoption day for the SPCA Montérégie, a no-kill shelter in Montreal, Quebec. Our beloved 10 year old Labrador / Great Dane mix had passed away a couple of months earlier from cancer and my heart was broken. I was certain that it would be a while before I was ready to love another dog. When the transport truck arrived with the shelter dogs and a volunteer opened the door to go in and start letting them out of their transport crates, one of the dogs, a tiny, skinny, Golden Retriever with patches of missing fur came bolting out and raced around the people trying to catch her and keep her from running into the busy street. She raced around avoiding people for a few minutes and then came to a halt… on my feet. She looked up at me and I was toast. Colby, our now nearly ten-year old Golden, entered our lives that instant. I remember calling my husband, who was playing golf, and his first question when he picked up the phone was ‘our new dog’s name is what?’ – he knew! She was an abuse case, hence her frail physical state, and was afraid of… just about everything, though men especially. It took around 6 months for my husband to be able to talk to her without her shaking and peeing in fear. In 2012 I saw the story of a Maine Coon cat who had been abused and neglected. He was brought to the shelter with a wounded front leg and a story that did not match the damage to his leg. Gerdy’s Rescue & Adoption, also in Montreal, took him in and funded his amputation. This was a drastic dog acl surgery alternative, but was definitely necessary. We’d been considering adopting a cat and his story just melted my heart. We adopted him in February and you would never know he’s missing anything with his running, jumping and playing. He definitely rules the house, the dogs, and us!
Perhaps because of Cinta, our tripawd cat, when I saw Cooper’s story on GirlieGirlArmy.com’s weekly newsletter, I had an ‘ah-ha’ moment and knew he was ‘ours’. I was on a business trip in Quebec City and saw his story in the GGA newsletter. Brought in to a high-kill shelter by the police in Girard County, Georgia, Cooper had been shot in the leg with a shotgun in what appears to have been a ‘domestic dispute incident’. When policemen showed up at the scene following calls about gunshots being fired no one seemed to want to claim the dog as theirs. He was brought to the pound with his front leg dangling and would have been euthanized had it not been for a pound worker thinking he was the gentlest dog and calling a local rescue. Girard Lifesaver Rescue took him in the same day, raised funds for his amputation, and found a foster home for his rehabilitation. Liz Marshall is an incredible marketer and networker of rescue animals and her post about his was picked up by GirlieGirlArmy.com. We read his and it was ‘love at first read’. We contacted Samantha Holton who runs Girard Lifesaver rescue, went through the screening process, were selected and after his 2 month rehabilitation with a great family who nurtured him and showered love on him, volunteers participated in his transport from Georgia to NYC and we drove the 12 hour return trip to pick him up there, and fell in love again. You can tell he’s been through a lot in his short life: he has various scars on his body, parts of his ear are missing, he’s been shot and he’s lost a leg… and he’s the most beautiful dog on earth and also the gentlest, most loving, trusting, calm soul. He walks around with a Fetching Ware designer dog collar, and he wears it with pride. He has well and truly deserved it.
My advice when adopting a dog (because, please adopt – don’t shop!) would be to go in with an open mind, to not just look for a specific breed, or age, or such. Often it seems that the right animal picks us and not the other way around. Don’t overlook the older dog, the seemingly ‘imperfect’ dog, the dog with a physical limitation or a shy dog. They’re often the perfect match (and may not chew your shoes as much as that cute puppy). Don’t necessarily expect the ‘instant bond’ – we had it with Cinta, but with Colby it took her a while to bond with my husband and with Cooper he liked us but the bond and that look in his eye that he has now when he sees us? It took a while. Give them the space and time to learn to trust you and fell safe. Take some time to walk and/or play with the dog. Overlook bad manners and excitement as many shelter dogs get limited exercise and you may just be seeing pent-up energy. Try walking the dog for 20 minutes and watch his or her true nature come out. Trust your heart but use your head and be realistic about your lifestyle, your exercise routine, your yard, your financial situation, your family status, your travel and leisure habits. Take time to think it thought thoroughly. And once your decision is made? Love with all of your might and all of your heart. They will give it back to you tenfold.
‘Until one has loved an animal a part of one’s soul remains unawaken’ – Anatol France