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| I bet you'd rescue him too! More about Trigger/Maxi in a few minutes. |
Rescue Dogs
For today's post, I thought I'd show you some pictures of real dogs in my life, almost all of them rescues.Pax was our first dog. My husband was a dog person; I wasn't, until Pax converted me.
Sorry the photo is grainy. It's a poor scan done years ago of an old album photo. This is Pax with my oldest daughter, now an adult, on the beach near Gibson's Landing, British Columbia. Pax was one of the sweetest dogs that ever lived. I have a vivid memory of my daughter pulling a bone out of her mouth, playing with it, and giving it back. Lovely gentle Pax!
This is Joey. He was advertised as a cocker/poodle mix at the pet store (I didn't know any better at the time). By now I was a single parent and Pax was living with my ex. I figured my daughter, who was 7, could have a dog, and when she went off to university, he'd be old and die and I wouldn't be burdened with a dog. Ha Ha. The joke was entirely on me. Joey turned out to be pure hell-on-wheels terrier, and he lived to the ripe old age of 18 years! Joey was the role model for Trigger in Who Is Candid?—a pint-sized escape artist with a Napoleon personality!
Once I moved from Canada to Alabama, the dogs started accumulating, all rescues! BTW despite having broken his back (it healed), Joey was still going strong! Our first rescue dog in Alabama was Soos, plucked from the side of a rural highway as a baby bundle of red fur!
Soos grew into a gorgeous, large Chow mix. She was the best dog and the best mama ever! She was impregnated very young on New Years Eve when we were camping out at a creek. Oops. Her five pups all found homes with family and friends. Jessie, the runt of the litter, is my daughter's dog, and has lived happily ever after in Alabama, Florida, New York City, and now Chicago! Soos died in her sleep of old age last year, having lived the ideal dog's life, hugely loved and with 100 acres of beautiful Alabama countryside to roam.
Fast forward several years and as many as nine dogs at a time (we did have 100 acres). Trust me, they were all spayed and neutered as young as was safe! The one who is still with me, having stuck by my side through twelve years in five states and two countries, is my beloved Gemma.
She's getting old now, aren't we all?, but is as gentle and loving and gorgeous as always! She's also been an excellent guard dog, and still loves to sit by the glass door and bark at passersby. I wrote a poem about rescuing her from the side of a highway in Alabama. My response to 9/11 was an overwhelming urge to rescue dogs. The poem appears in my second book of poems, Equivocal Blessings, and was anthologized in Whatever Remembers Us: an anthology of Alabama poetry. You can read it here, if you'd like.
The newest addition to our household is Maximilian, Maxi for short. He was rescued from the streets of Colima, Mexico, where I live, by a neighbor. The photo at the top of the post was my first look at him, by the side of her house.
Maxi is ten pounds of photogenic adorableness who has won over Gemma's and my hearts. He came to us skin and bones and scared, and in two weeks has been neutered, plumped up, and loved to bits.
He started with us as a foster, and even had an prospective dad-in-waiting, but when I saw how much Gemma loved him, I couldn't give him up! Maxi has brought new life to what will probably be her last few months. My gratitude and love for them both is unbounded!
These are a few of the fabulous dogs I've shared my life with. I can't wait to hear your stories about the dogs in your life! Please share photos too in the comments! Let's have a dogfest!!
And don't forget to download Who Is Candid? tomorrow when it's FREE! Woohoo! You can continue to follow Lucy's story here on the blog, with photos and personal anecdotes from stops along the way.
Check out these dog-related posts:
I grew up with rescue dogs, as well. My parents were adamant about saving dogs from the pound and passed that on to me. My husband and I have a 2 year old yellow lab mix we rescued as a puppy from a local Humane Society.
ReplyDeleteThe cats I grew up with were always strays that ended up as house cats and that's the same now with my hubby. We have 3 cats (2 that were his and 1 that was mine before we met each other). His 2 were cast offs that he and his ex-wife found along side the road and my cat was a sort of wedding present to me from my ex-husband. My cat is almost 15 y/o and my grandma rescued him from the shelter where she was working. When my ex and I went to her house after our honeymoon in 1998, Orange Crush, my cute and tiny orange and white kitty, came home with us.
Don't worry....all 4 of our pets are neutered/spayed and won't ever contribute to overpopulation.
Wow, Saph! We have a lot in common. Big hug!
DeleteMy family always had cats, which I didn't like all that much. Turns out I'm highly allergic, which might explain the aversion.
I bet your puppy is adorable! Maybe I should start a page here where everyone can share their pet pictures. Hmmm... will have to see if that's possible.
I work on sterilization campaigns here in Mexico, and am probably a bit too sensitive on the topic! Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing your pet stories!
More hugs,
Carole
I knew I found a kindred spirit in you! Nana is our latest rescue. So far we've fostered or adopted 20 dogs and one cat...who thought he was a dog.
ReplyDeleteThey're my kids.
Kindred spirits for sure, Maria! Thank you so much for stopping by and commenting!
DeleteSend me or post a photo of Nana! Love them all!
Hugs for you and all your humans, canines, and felines!
Carole