The moment 22 abandoned dogs realize they're being rescued is priceless
Not a doubt in my mind. Even though there is a part of me that is sad that I won’t get to interact with the dogs that I see at Midlands Humane Society once they find their “furevers,” my favorite part of being a volunteer is seeing the dogs get adopted. At least 9 in 10 times, I can see how happy and excited they are in the photos taken of them. The before rescue and after rescue photos are obvious-and they are the most rewarding part of volunteering for me that I can possibly think of. They know. Even when I see a slip of paper on their cage putting us all on notice that they are about to go home and tell them that they are going to go to their “furever” between soft pats and strokes on their backsides, they know.
This is Gizmo, a chow chow mix. Not more than a few minutes after arriving home. After being returned once and having a stay for close to seven months in the shelter, he knew.
Little Lola, a 12-year old terrier who had no idea why she ever went into the shelter when her old owner could no longer care for her. She DEFINITELY knew. This smile was the only one we ever saw from her.
Baloo, a pit mix. He always had a playful streak to him, but that smile says it all. He knew.
Tori (now Faye), who, outside of my beloved and dear Buddy, is the sweetest and smartest black lab mix I have ever met-with her family for a Christmas photo. She had that same smile etched across her face when she was a puppy going home. She knew.
Snoop, another pittie, knew too.
So did Rigby. So much so that he had to jump into the toy box to show his excitement before he left the shelter, family that he had paw-picked right behind him when he made like Elvis and left the building.
No way you’re going to tell me that they don’t know when I get a front row seat to moments like these. These moments are why I do what I do as a volunteer. The look on these dogs’ faces when they choose their human and get chosen back is precious and priceless.
UPDATE: I can’t resist putting this one in. This pretty girl, a Shepard/Husky mix, came to us in October and was in the back for a solid 2 months getting trained by staff. She actually bit two staffers in the face when they were feeding her (thank God they didn’t put her down after that, realizing that she was just scared and slow to adjust-as it turns out, she didn’t like people kneeling down because she felt her space was getting invaded), and really only took to liking just one of them-the lead dog handler and the woman who trained me when I first started volunteering. Because of her history, she was a staff-only dog, so I regrettably never got to walk her, although I DID get to interact with her during play groups and while I was walking past her cage.
I won’t forget when she first showed up on the adoption floor. The first Saturday after she was put there (in late December or early January), I saw her and was instantly smitten. She looked up at me with those hypnotizing eyes, and I couldn’t help but bond with her right then and there. I literally stepped back and audibly gasped. “Wow! What’s your name sweetheart?” I looked at the the paperwork on her cage. Eden was her name-a fittingly beautiful name for a beautiful dog. She immediately pressed herself right against the cage, which, as I’d learned, was a dog’s way of asking to be pet or to have their necks scruffed. She gave a soft whisper of a “woof,” imploring me to pet her. I saw the sign on her cage that said she should not have anyone reaching in to give her treats or pet her. In a crestfallen voice, I said, “Sorry girl. You’re beautiful, but according to this sign, I’m not allowed to pet you through your cage.” “Woof, woof,” she whispered through the cage again. I smiled down at her, and teased. “Oooohhhh, I see how it is! Trying to get me in trouble, aren’t you?” I couldn’t resist, and gave her a quick scruff of the neck. “Woof, woof!” She asked for more, a little louder this time. “I have to go, sweet girl. Other dogs to work with, even though I’d love to spend the rest of the day with you.” She gave a little louder and more demanding, “Woof, woof!” I gave her another scruff of the neck and a few pats on her backside. She seemed content at that point. I ended up being the only volunteer she would bond with in that fashion during her time in the shelter. Myself and the lead dog handler were the only people in the shelter that she ever really took a shine to.
She got adopted out in the middle of January but was returned only a day or two later. Even though the staff at the shelter told the couple, especially given her selectivity when it came to who she did and did not like, that new people should not be introduced to her for at least two weeks after her adoption, one of the couple invited their parents over the night she came home, and she snapped at the parents. I was angered when I heard this, but I was not going to rest until she found a good home. I started to tirelessly campaign for her on Facebook. As it turns out, she got adopted about a week after our shelter was shut down and made appointment only after the COVID-19 outbreak (and about a month or so after her return to the shelter), so I wasn’t able to see her go home. The young lady who adopted her brought her by for training a week later, though, and our lead dog handler posted these photos on the shelter’s Facebook page. When I saw these photos and how well-adjusted and happy Eden was, I literally cried tears of joy.
I know that we shouldn’t play favorites at the shelter, but sometimes, it’s totally unavoidable. Eden was definitely one of my favorites because of how I was one of the few people she chose to warm up to and bond with. What made me even happier was finding out that her owner had another dog for her to play with. Eden LOVED play groups, and I enjoyed watching her engage with other dogs. It gave me a glimpse into her more playful and sneaky side (her favorite thing to do with dogs she particularly liked was to sneak up on them and give them a playful nip in the rear end). I think she preferred the company of other dogs to people (much like me), which is something I could associate with and something that I believe she picked up on with me straight away. I’ll never forget Eden, or that bond that we shared right from the moment we first saw each other. Even though I am happy that Eden found the right home for herself, I still miss her terribly. But she deserved the forever that she found, and I will always be grateful to her owner for giving it to her.
UPDATE: They say that you never forget your first, and whoever coined that phrase was correct, especially in this instance. This handsome devil is Owen, a Great Pyrenees/Saint Bernard mix. Owen was the first dog I trained with when learning how to maximize walk time with the dogs at Midlands, about two years ago. His parents just posted a photo of him on Facebook enjoying life at home a few days ago.
While Owen was a very even-keeled, laid back dog at the shelter and didn’t seem to let much bother him, I look at that photo with a great deal of joy, seeing him living his own life of luxury with that look of total contentment etched across his face while lying on that leather couch. I never saw anything even remotely similar to that look in his time at the shelter, even though he got along with pretty much everyone-dog and human alike-during his time there.
He was also a unique personality. I took to calling him Don Juan de Owen, because as it turns out, he was a shameless and incorrigible flirt! It didn’t matter if it was a female dog or a woman out for a morning jog. Ol’ Don Juan de Owen didn’t discriminate!
I’ll never forget what happened after I got done with his second walk. After I put him back in his kennel, I took out the next dog to walk; a gorgeous Husky named Prudence. While I finished leashing her up before her walk, Owen literally stuck his nose through the cage and goosed her! What’s even funnier is that Prudence didn’t seem to mind! She just swung her head back, gave him a big grin, and then walked with me out the door for her walk with that same doggie grin etched across her face! Owen and Prudence continued to have their little dalliances at the cages when one of them was getting walked and the other was kenneled until Owen was adopted out about three weeks later. Prudence got adopted out about a week after that.
On our subsequent walks, Owen flirted with no fewer than three women out for their morning jog, and five other female dogs-three of them fellow shelter transients and two others that were out for their own morning jaunts with their humans. He didn’t goose them per se, but he did start panting heavily and took to making a leisurely jaunt a full-blown gallup in pursuit of the objects of his affection, with me in tow! I hope he’s still allowed to flirt in his forever home-and something tells me that given that shamelessly relaxed smile on his face, he’s probably finding a way to get around when he can as only he could. :-)
UPDATE: This lab/pit/bulldog mix, Sparky, was only in the shelter for a few days before he got adopted, and I’m not surprised. Affable, handsome, and fearless with both other dogs and humans, he loved being doted on by staff, volunteers, and other dogs during play groups. Get a load of this ear-to-ear grin when he was adopted about two weeks ago! The poster boy for the happiest doggo to go home ever!
UPDATE: I have another one from the beginning of the month. This sweet cocker spaniel, Hershey, is looking on is new dad with the most adoring and loving face I’ve ever seen. He DEFINITELY knew.
