This is Quinn at 7 months of age. He is one of those “special” dogs that sometimes come to SAINTS even though they are not palliative or senior but he was very much a “special needs’ kind of dog. I still remember picking him up at the municipal shelter. He was so scared that when I picked him up to carry him to my car he peed… on me. Instead of going to SAINTS he came home with me and my sister so we could foster him while we looked for a special home for him. It took us over an hour of attempted bribery, flattery, and trickery to get Quinn into our house but he was too afraid to move from the spot he had hunkered down on in our back yard. Finally we put a leash on him and coerced him inside. Quinn stayed with us for two months and he got better… kind of. Quinn did find the most perfect home with a person who was categorized as not being a perfect home at all. Craig was young, single, rented and had an active social life. We got a few comments from people saying what the heck… you gave a young dog to a young guy.
I received this message from Craig a few days ago
“Hey just want to thank you guys for the 14 year gift you gave me..today we are bringing him in he's not doing so great..but he's still so strong and never complaining...he is an amazing gift and I know we were meant to have this time...thank you I just thought you'd like to know.”
Quinn got to live the best life he could have with Craig his wife Chelsea and their 4 sons and his sister Maya. Too often we that work or volunteer in shelters and rescues are unwilling to take the risk and adopt out to those that don’t fit the check list we have created. We need to learn to talk and listen to people rather than go by a check list when choosing homes. Below is the post Chelsea wrote on Quinn’s passing
“It’s with deep sadness that we had to say goodbye to our dog, Quinn (Toy) yesterday. He was such a good dog and there is definitely a void in the house now.Craig adopted quinny from SAINTS rescue within a couple months of us dating. Quinn was a beautiful but very timid dog - Craig spent so much time just trying to get him in to the back of his car to bring home, and then had to spend another hour or more getting him through the doorway into the house. I wasn’t even allowed to come over or meet Quinn for at least a month!
Over the years he had become less timid and would even go up to people he trusted. We introduced him to his new best friend and sister, Maya. Over the years he had gained human brothers that he loved so much! He also had many kitty friends, chicken friends, duck friends, and goat friends. He was always up for a good adventure and loved camping!
We loved quinny very much and he is deeply missed already. ”
We will be forever grateful to Craig and his family for giving Quinn the most perfect home.
~Quinn's Foster person Sheila