Sometimes an animal comes along in rescue that moves you deeply to the core. Each time you touch their face or gaze into their hopeful eyes, you can feel this soft, warmth of sadness and gratitude fill your heart.
Rosie does this to me, she somehow just fills me with the gentle and hopeful longing inside of her.
I first saw her at the pound. The staff asked me to look at her and tell them what i thought. They were pretty sure they were going to euthanize her but they said they weren't quite sure.
I knew they were hoping that I would take her into our rescue. I knew I was lost before I even saw her, I can't see them and leave them behind.
She had no name, she was an unclaimed stray. She was dirty, her coat was matted and her back end was so weak, she kept sinking down. She came to me, I could feel her fear. She was not afraid of where she was, she was afraid that she wanted me to touch her. This dog was longing for human touch and kindness and she was so afraid that it would cause her pain.
Rosie came to SAINTS with me. She met our mandate, she was old beyond old. Her vision was clouding, she leaked urine while she stood. She needed medical care, and she needed to be surrounded by gentle kindness for however long she had left.
Happy endings do not always end with the perfect home. Rosie will probably never find a wonderful home of her own. She is old and incontinent, she cringes while seeking a humans touch. She requires three different pain medications to manage her physical discomfort. With her old and battered body, she does not have enough time left to patiently wait for that home to come.
So we become her home. I moved Rosie into the kitchen with the quietest and frailest dogs. It is also closest to the fridge where the cheese lives and the washer and dryer, where I spend a lot of time. Each time I pass her, I stop and bend down to the floor. I am careful not to touch her belly or chest which causes her the greatest fear of all. I lay my face against her head, I whisper that she is a very good dog. I feed her cheese slices and warm apple toaster pastries with cream cheese icing on top.
And Rosie's cloudy eyes are becoming warm, and happy. The anxious hope she was feeling is fading away as she trusts this new reality. She is touched with such exquisite gentleness, like she is a precious gift. She is fed the very best of all wonderful treats. She is forever wrapped softly in the warmth of our hearts.
Rosie will probably soon end her life as a homeless, sanctuary dog. But she won't know this. What she will know is that she must be a truly wonderful dog to be loved so well. If that is all she ever gets for her happy ending, I hope she will feel that this is enough and that finally, she has made the long and difficult journey safely home.
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what do you guys think?..i would like rosie to be our petfinder story but if it is not good enough, please be honest and i will keep trying with all of the other stories til we think we have the right one.
Now we are #1 in Canada and #15 in NA woooohooooo!