Rescue a dog, save a life
by Cheryl, posted on January 17th, 2012 in Just me
Once upon a time, there was a gray dog. Someone decided she was worthless and tied her up in a yard that had not one soft surface upon which her body could rest. No one cared if bugs ate at her soft fur. Or if concrete brought sores to her skin or the chain around her neck became almost imbedded in her skin. Or even if she ate.
Somehow she ended up at the shelter in Devore. Where every bone in her body could be counted. And they decided her time was up and she was going to be put down to make room for other dogs, maybe just like her.
But then, the day she was scheduled to die, an angel arrived in the form of a volunteer from I.C.A.R.E. Dog Rescue. They saw her soulful, sad yellow eyes and her gentle spirit and they rescued her. With love and kindness and patience she became brave enough to wag her tail and lick a hand. She no longer cowered when someone stood suddenly. She began to think that not everybody had hate in their hearts.
Then one day she lied on a blanket in a cage at an adoption event. She chewed contentedly on a bone while, all around her, dogs barked and yelped and raced around. People peered into all the cages, stopping to hold the wiggly puppies. She didn’t come to the front of the cage to look at anyone. She didn’t do anything that would draw attention to herself.
But I saw her anyway. I saw her sleek grey fur. I saw the bald patch on her leg and her soulful eyes and her soft muzzle. I asked to take her out and when I pet her beautiful face she looked at me and gently licked my chin. And then, after 10 minutes or so, she licked Sage’s chin, too.
We took her for a short walk. Then I sat on a bench to call David, and she lied down on my foot.
Tonight, we took her home to be part of our family.
She was too busy sniffing every square inch of the house and meeting her new furry older brother to pose for a picture. But here is one taken Saturday when we first met her.
If you are looking for a dog, I urge you to check with local rescue groups and shelters. There are a lot of people devoting their time, money and hearts to saving these “disposable” dogs. Or consider volunteering to foster a dog while it waits for its forever home, or even donating money or things a group or shelter might need – like collars or blankets.
This dog who was neglected and deemed fit to die? Is now snoring softly by my feet. We are ready to love her the way she should’ve been loved since the beginning.
Thank you, Amanda, for bringing our girl back to life. And thank you, I.C.A.R.E Dog Rescue, for all you do to help dogs like ours. I wish all endings could be happy.
Devore is flooded with animals from all over San Bernardino County and many never find their forever home.
Tonya Rosenberg Says:
Leslie Says:
Lisa Clark Says:
Wendy Says:
Cheryl Reply:
January 18th, 2012 at 2:13 am
From what I understand the shelter is horrific. They spade our dog while she had a chain around her neck. Awful
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