Bashful...Home Again at Last
By Sarah Domingos
Summer 2010
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Why don't they play with me anymore? Pet me anymore? Snuggle with me anymore? Brush me anymore? Why do I have to stay cramped up in my crate all the time? I promise to be good - to try not to have another accident.
Why did they leave me? What is this terrible place? These strange dogs and people and sounds and smells? Why this smell of fear and death and decay? All I want is to go home again. A nice lady came to see me and cried and took me home with her, but it wasn't really home. So many rough dogs, and a dark little hall. I just want a home of my own again. I just want to be loved and petted on and wanted again. Today two ladies came to visit my foster mom. I don’t even lift my head. Which of the other dogs will go home with them this time? Will it ever be my turn? My foster mom calls to me, and I trudge out of my dark little hall to be stared at by the strangers. What is going on? Two big dogs come running up to sniff me, but they don't seem very interested. Why should they be? I'm old and slow and I smell bad and my hair is all funny. After a bit my foster mom hugs me and says goodbye. One of the strange ladies picks me up and puts me in the back of an unfamiliar car. I rest on a fluffy bed all by myself. The two big dogs and the ladies get into the front of the car, and off we drive. |
Hmm. Where are we going? Am I going home? I'll just pop my head up and have a look-see. Swivel, swivel - with my long neck raised high like a periscope, I look all around. One of the ladies in the front seat looks back at me with a worried expression, until suddenly she smiles. Will all finally be right with my world again?
I snooze, only to wake up in the smiling lady's arms as she lifts me out of the car. Those two big, pushy dogs race on ahead of me as I totter up a ramp into the house. We all go out into a back yard full of new and interesting smells, and the ladies watch as I fumble around in exploration. I sense that the smiling lady may actually be mine! She sits on a big sofa, so I lie behind the sofa right near her. I won't get in the way there, and maybe I can stay. If I am really small and quiet, maybe she won't send me away. The other dogs and I get nice bowls of food and water, and later we head up to bed. Me, too! I have lots of trouble climbing all those steps, but I know I can do it! I’ll show her I can do it! Finally, I make it upstairs. Ahh. Next thing I know, I'm plucked from my feet and plopped onto a big, soft bed, and my very own smiling lady climbs in beside me. Mama holds me close and cries, and inside I cry, too. I really am home again at last. |
Bashful happy and at peace
Take a look at Dog Tails for more stories about our beloved dogs! To see how Sarah and Buff first became involved in dog rescue read "Commitment to Dog Rescue" under "About Us". You may also want to check out dog rescue resources on our links page.