Rescuing a Pet has Exponential Rewards

Rescuing a Pet has Exponential Rewards

Our kids wanted a pet. The two beautiful cats my husband and I adopted before the kids were born had passed on, and only our oldest daughter could remember them. We were reluctant to get a new pet, needing a lot of time to decide “cat or dog?” Our oldest daughter wanted a cat and her younger twin sisters wanted a dog. We allowed this controversy to play out for several years because it bought us time.

One weekend, we went to a dog show and decided that family majority would rule … we would get a dog. The only remaining question was, what breed? Many people we knew had “designer dogs,” some of which were flown in from foreign countries. I researched breeds endlessly without coming to a conclusion.

A week after the dog show, at a grocery store, I parked next to mini-van where a strikingly adorable dog was sitting sentinel, waiting for her owner. As luck would have it, her owner returned just as I got out of my car. I said, “Your dog is so cute … what breed is it?” “Well, she’s a mixed breed. Are you interested in a dog?” I said that yes, in fact, we are interested in a dog, but we are thinking of a younger puppy. She said, “Let me introduce you to Daily.”

Chaos ensued as Daily knocked me over and dug up mulch in the parking lot. But she was so charismatic that I couldn’t help but be entranced by her. Her owner said, “Daily, you’re making a good impression!” And the owner said “Would you like to take her home for a trial period?” By that time I was hooked and said, sure, and we agreed that she would bring Daily to our house that afternoon.

More chaos ensued when Daily arrived. She was not used to a lot of freedom, as her owners had to crate her in the house and outdoors. They had rescued her some months before, when she showed up at the husband’s office building collarless, scrawny and flea bitten, and hoping for some handouts of food. When she started coming to the building every day, they named her Daily. As colder weather set in, the husband brought her home to live. But Daily was too rambunctious for their household.

At first, our kids were not thrilled, as they had envisioned a tiny, fuzzy, designer puppy. But. Daily has brought us so much joy and laughter. The girls say that Daily has changed their lives. You can always tell where Daily is because wherever she is, someone is laughing. She has full reign of our house and most of our property where we have an electronic fence. She is a happy, beautiful, shiny-coated, muscular dog. It is such a pleasure to see her enjoying her life as she couldn’t before, and to experience the joy that she has brought to our own lives.