I haven't written in many months, because I had been making many decisions regarding my shoulder.... shoulder surgery or stem cell? So here goes one of my newest animal adventures.
I surprised myself when I got the chance to foster two adorable dogs who had been dumped by their owners. In the past whenever I said the word "never" the Universe and God laughed. The declaration 'never' was like a boomerang that often came flying back to me, so that I got to re-examine the statement of "no, never". Because of my love and attachment to my own dogs throughout the years I never felt like I could foster a dog. The thought of giving them up would be hard. Actually, five years ago a friend found a beautiful black Labrador Retriever running along a highway in Los Angeles and brought him to my house for me to keep, because she couldn't. The dog was totally disruptive to my existing pack and my newest puppy was afraid of him, I had to give this wild black Lab up. Luckily, with the help of a friend, I found a fabulous new home for this energetic dog. That wasn't hard for me because the synergy of the pack was the most important thing and he didn't fit in.
Well, the universe surprised me and I rescued a couple of two year old pups who had been dumped in the hills in the country where I often hiked early in the morning. I was with a girlfriend and just as we had started out for our walk when these two pups ran out from under a tree towards us. We were clearly in coyote country and in the middle of nowhere. They were scared, very very thin, lost and wanting to be rescued My friend stayed with them while I ran to a neighbor's house and asked them to help. They came back with me in their car and drove us and the pups back to my house. I immediately took the dogs to the Vet to see if they had a chip, which they didn't. I then took the two little girls to a groomer to be washed and combed out while I went through the neighborhood knocking on doors and posting signs. After doing this all day I took the dogs back to my house and created a safe place for them to sleep and eat. They were very content and slept quite well that night. I went out again the next day to find their owners convinced that I would find them and they would safely be back home soon. After a another day, I realized that they had truly been given up and were no longer wanted by their family. Now it was the day before I was going to have stem cells injected into my shoulder, something that I had waited for two years to do. Hmm and these pups arrived right before my surgical procedure. Coincidence or divine timing? Was it possible they we were all being healed?
Of course my dogs were very great nursemaids and delighted that I was staying home for a few days and spending more time resting. My trio watched my every move and were happy when I took a nap and left the pups in their own room. The experience was wonderful of course, but not without challenges. These dogs were not house broken because they had been kept in cages as breeding dogs and they knew NO commands like "yes or no" or "come and sit". And of course I had no idea what their names were, so I made up two names for them. They seemed emotionally deprived, and their trust factor and ability to listen was missing, they were in their own sweet worlds for a few weeks. But each day the two became more and more affectionate and responsive to me and others who came in my house. They didn't play with my other three dogs or form a pack, but they watched them and as time went on they began to pee and poop outside by copying my guys. They also learned to play with dog toys and expect frequent treats as mine did. Of course constant reinforcement and praise helped tremendously.
Each day I fell more and more in love with these two cuties and in my heart I wanted to adopt them. But I knew they both needed to be Number one in a household, not number four and five. They were Cocker Spaniels and one person dogs. At first I wanted to adopt them out together as a bonded pair thinking since they been together they needed to stay together. But as time went on, I found it more difficult to find a home for two untrained dogs, than one at a time. The little blonde one who I named Taffy was adopted first. She went to a wonderful home with a couple that knew the breed and wanted to train her and love her. At that time I had bonded with Taffy more than the little black dog, I thought, but in the next forty five days I completely fell head over heels in love with Nece, the black dog. We became tied at the hip and her heart opened and so did mine, she was my little baby girl that needed love and I was more than happy to give it. As her self confidence blossomed she could understand commands and even responded to her name. Amazing how one's lack of self confidence keeps one's heart and brain from functioning at a normal capacity. Uh Oh, now I was in trouble, because I knew that I needed to find home a wonderful home for her and my resistance could keep her from finding that perfect home. The universe wanted me to let go, just the very reason that kept me from wanting to be a foster mom in the first place. The good news is I worked with a wonderful dog rescue lady who found a home for both dogs and made sure they were loved, trained and cared for. Christmas Eve, Nece ended up going to a fantastic home with four middle school aged boys and she was their Christmas present. I put reindeer ears on her, coupled with a big red bow. She looked absolutely precious.
What did these babies have to offer me? I wasn't sure at the time I found them, but in retrospect they touched my heart in ways that I truly needed. And I in turn helped open their hearts, to trust again and to know they were lovable and loved.I actually really enjoyed and loved my time with these two dogs. Would I ever do this again. Well I have learned Never! Say Never, who knows what the universe has in store for me.
