Sorry for not getting back to you yesterday with Hero's good news but my back went out and I was not able to MOVE! It's still pretty bad, in spite of two prescriptions from my doctor, but I was able to shuffle into the office to make this post. The video was actually filmed yesterday ~ before my back went out. Sable threatened me with bodily harm if I didn't let
her tell you the good news...
What?
What do you mean you can't understand Sable? Well, that's the silliest thing I ever heard!
OBVIOUSLY, Sable is excited to tell you that Hero will be staying here, with us, for
EVER!
Many of you know that I was really struggling with how I could possibly part with him ~ ever since he first arrived at my door. I can still remember the first time that I laid eyes on him. The couple that found him, pulled up my driveway and the husband got Hero out of the back seat. As they walked from the car to my garage I thought: "this is my forever dog!" I loved him from the very first moment that I saw him.
Of course, I love ALL of my rescue dogs. Each one is special in it's own way and I form a bond with each and every one of them. That loving bond makes me want, all the more, to find them the perfect forever home. Except with Hero. From the moment I laid eyes on him, I knew I would never want to part with him. Of course, the traumatic experience we went through a couple weeks later did nothing to diminish that bond. There's nothing like literally
holding an animal's life in your hands to deepen the connection between human and animal. (not that I needed any deepening of our connection!).
But I was torn. As much as I love the big lug, Hero is a rescue dog. Technically, he belongs to Bluff Country Canine Rescue. Donations to the rescue paid Hero's vet bills. His adoption fee is $250 which would add desperately needed money to the coffers of BCCR. Lord knows I can't afford to pay the adoption fee and I felt that just keeping him would be like stealing from the rescue. Oh, how I struggled. To make matters worse, there was a very nice lady (who lives VERY far away from me) who had expressed an interest in adopting Hero.
I spent many a sleepless night trying to figure out what the right thing to do was. I prayed. I asked for a 'sign' of what I was supposed to do. Of what was the
right thing to do. I prayed a LOT. I wrote to a very dear lady (in rescue), whom I love and respect and asked her advice. When she wrote back, I was devastated. She agreed that Hero belonged to the rescue and that it would be morally wrong for me to just keep him. She reminded me that I will fall in love with many dogs in this endeavor. I sobbed the whole time I was reading her letter. She pointed out that the fact that someone wanted to adopt him so soon after I got him was probably the sign that I'd been praying for. My heart was broken but I felt that the letter that Ginny had written to me was my sign.
I contacted the lady that wanted to adopt Hero and told her that we could move forward with the adoption. She had some concerns about possible health complications that could arise from the abdominal surgery that he had to undergo because he had a retained testicle. Apparently, she and her husband had a dog with a similar experience, in the past, that developed complications later and it was a very difficult and expensive ordeal. She also asked me if Hero was accustomed to staying in a kennel.
I checked with my vet and he assured me that Hero should not be at any higher risk for further health complications as a result of his surgery than a dog that had been neutered the 'traditional' way. I was, however, very concerned about the question of Hero being used to a "kennel". What did she mean? Was she talking about a crate in the house? I have no problem with that. Many people teach their dogs to use a crate in their homes. In fact it is recommended that dogs learn to stay in a crate when necessary and many dogs actually love it. But she said "kennel". Which to me means and outdoor house and fenced in run. I needed to talk with her before we could proceed with the adoption. I did not want Hero staying in a kennel. He needs to be an "in the house" dog. Part of the family. Even though I was assured that it was a very nice kennel, with heat and air-conditioning, I could not let my big, black dog go live in a cage! I asked the potential adopter to call me so that we could discuss this. Several days later, I got an email from her saying that because of her concerns over possible health complications from Hero's surgery and the difficulty arranging transport to get him to their home, and because she knows how much I love Hero, she had decided to pass on adopting him and they will get a dog from a shelter closer to where they live.
THAT is, most definitely, my sign!
My incredibly wonderful, sweet, kind, generous Baby Sister had already offered to pay Hero's adoption fee for me (when I was crying about having to let him go) as her birthday gift to me. It just so happens that my birthday is this weekend and Penny said she couldn't think of a better gift to give me!
So...Hero will be spending the rest of his days with me and Bella & Sable. The girls both love him and he's so gentle and sweet with other dogs that he'll do just fine with me still bringing in rescued dogs. To say that I am blissfully happy would be the understatement of the century. My dog is home. It is as it was meant to be
.
I just could't bear to watch him suffer
