It's sorta like being a probation officer- I don't get them released, but I've worked with them to try to make their transition easier out there in the real world. I like that part of my job. Getting some of those dogs more relaxed and ready to find their new humans.
One of my first prized pups was a lovely mutt lady named Oreo. It was an unfortunately awkward name for a really charming, and scared girl. She was about 4 yrs old and had been turned in by an owner who couldn't keep her anymore. She was about as insecure as any dog I've seen before or since- she was convinced everything was there to be mean to her. The loud noises and people moving past her kennel- it was all too much. I saw this and decided I was going to get her to relax.
After spending a good chunk of time with her, and using a good bit of treats as bribery, she started to relax, and ended up in my lap. Which was no small feat considering she was probably 50 lbs. I spent even more time in there with her, and she started showing interest in the people coming past.
Oreo stayed with us at the shelter for a few months. We ended up taking her on a hike (a program we do with certain dogs in the local mountains once a month) and she did fabulously, not only on the hike, but with the other dogs that were around her. She was a dream dog, and I wished I could take her home every time I spent time with her. I knew it would be hard to see her adopted, but I was glad when I came in one day and she was gone. She'd been adopted a few days prior, and had been sent to her new home.
The pictures I took of My little Oreo are still some of my favorite. She helped me realize that volunteering was a good idea after all.
This past weekend, I was out for my longest training run for my upcoming half marathon. The good bit of the first part of the route was along a local bike path that runs near the house. I run this path on a semi regular basis these days, and see people walking their dogs all the time. A short bit into this path, on this day, I saw a lady walking a dog that looked really familiar.
"Excuse me, I hate to bother you, but did you adopt your dog at the Burbank shelter?"
"Yes, actually I did"
" Is this Oreo?"
"Wow, yeah- how'd you know?"
'Cause she's one of mine!
It was Oreo, with her new mom out for one of their regular strolls. She looked fantastic- Healthy, happy, alert, and confident. Just what I had pictured her when we'd worked together. We chatted for a couple minutes, I explained how I knew who this woman's dog was, and Oreo gave me some kisses. The dog was responsive and I don't know if she remembered me, or just knew I was a lady who was being nice to her, but I choose to believe she remembered me. I was fairly smelly by then, so anything she recalled of me was in hyper drive at that point.
Seeing one of my special project dogs doing well in her new home seriously got me through a LONG run that day, and continues to make me happy every time I think about it. The staff at the Shelter was thrilled to hear how well she was doing, which also makes me happy when I think about it. I did my job fairly well, along with the efforts of probably many others, and we got this dog into a home, and made her part of a family. All of our efforts, all of our caring- it all contributed. We get to do that all the time, but you rarely get to see the actual results. It's good.
No comments:
Post a Comment