This weekend my daughter Sarah and her boyfriend Hadrian stepped up in a big way and this momma's heart is overflowing.
As a family, we have always been animal lovers. Kate got a golden retriever for her first birthday and we have not been without a four footer, or two, or three, since then. 29 years for this family. Art and I both had pets growing up also, so pretty much forever for us.
As a child, Sarah loved Alex, our golden. She used to take his canned dog food and line them up in a row. When asked what she was doing, she told me they were Alex's puppies (they had puppies on the label). She never missed a chance to pet any animal in the area or ride a pony. She was sure she would grow up to be a marine biologist.
When she was in college, it was time to say good-bye to Dakota, dog number four, commonly known as the best dog ever. She came home when she heard the news and spent two days loving on him, sleeping with him... after all, she was his favorite toy. Sarah insisted he be buried in our back yard. We did as she wished, with a picture of her under his leg, next to his heart. She was his best friend. My eyes are leaking again, that was over 10 years ago darn it.
For many years our family has been involved in dog rescue. We have seen the worst and the best in humanity. Once we we were sitting a dog for a lady and she decided she didn't want it back. A big black lab named Ben. A couple from church got him. It was about that time 6 years ago that Sarah adopted Peanut. A young pit bull pulled from the euthanize line at the kennel. He had sooooo many issues. Like afraid to leave the yard on a walk. His excitement level is over the moon. She had such patience with him, waiting as long as 30 minutes for him to be calm enough to get his dinner. He sings like a bird, still. She has done so much to help him be a "dog" and enjoy life.
Then a friend ran into a situation where she had to re-home some of her pets due to a change in her living arrangements. We took a cattle dog mix and the lady's son who took Ben came and took her home. A pit bull named Major was found chained to a fence with a tow chain. We took him in when he was skin and bones and scared. He now lives the life as a singleton to a lovely couple who think of him as their baby. Poor pit bull Wilber came to us an old man with one eye, a cast on his leg and multiple skin conditions and scars. We all loved on him until he had to be put down on July 3, Sarah's birthday. I'm still so sorry about that honey... leaking again.
There were many more dogs that came in the door of our house and out that same door to a happy forever home. Since our move to Arizona, Sarah and Hadrian have continued the good work of a dog rescue. Some of their dogs they took in for a day or two, some for years. Some are foster fails. Which brings me to this next story. Rocky.
On Friday night in the Humboldt Park neighborhood of Chicago, a young pit bull covered in fleas, bite wounds and emaciated was thrown over a locked fence and left in someones yard. This dog had every rib showing and his hip bones... and yet you could see the tail wagging. The kind homeowner contacted several people who networked to find a foster for this dog. This is where Blackdog All Breed Rescue got involved. They put out the call for a foster and of course you know who stepped up to take in the poor baby. I saw the pictures on Facebook and I said to Art, "I'm going to call Sarah and tell her take him." Art said, "You're crazy." I read farther down the comments and saw that Blackdog had a foster, it was Sarah and Hadrian. I told Art and he said, "I'm glad, he will be fine now."- softy.
So they drove to Chicago that night and got him so he wouldn't have to sleep on the cold floor of the ladies garage. Sarah actually held his head up while Hadrian drove them home.
They took him in the back door, closest entrance to a bathroom. Four baths later - assured every single flea was drowned, he went out the back door and around the house into the front door. A cozy crate with fleece blankets was waiting for him there. Sarah told me the red on his back was the flea poop. There was so much the water running off of him was red. Okay, my eyes are leaking again. They wanted to really scrub him to be sure they were all gone but the feel of the bones under the skin reminded them to go softly. Excuse me while I grab more tissues.
He went to the vet today and was told he is only 45 lbs, should be closer to 60. He is covered with flea bites and an ear infection. He is totally in love with Hadrian, as most the four footers who walk into that house are. He has a long road ahead of him, but his life is going to be better from this point forward.
Sarah has a huge heart. I'm so grateful she found someone to be beside her on this wild ride she is taking. My cup runneth over with love for them. When you see the posts on Instagram and Facebook about this situation, you realize there are good people out there.
We need to focus on those and not the horrible ones we see on the news or hear about. Lets raise up the good ones until everyone strives to be like them. I know I want to be more like her.
If anyone wants to help in Rocky's Road to Recovery, please donate to Blackdog All Breed Rescue through this PayPal link. Every little bit helps.
My prayers are with you all. My husband and I have saved the lives of abandoned and abused for over 25 years. We know the sacrafices you make to give them a good life and forget the past. God Bless you.
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