Serendipity
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
By: Stephanie Tierney

Who rescued who?

Ernie and I first met back in October of 2011. I meant to write this story back then, but hey, better late than never!

About a year ago, my life hit a bit of a turning point and I found myself in a place where I sort of needed to start over. It was scary, to say the least - and the future was completely unknown. I wanted a little buddy by my side to help me along, but I didn't want just any little buddy. I wanted a little buddy who would understand that I didn't have everything together just yet, but that I was open to trying to figure it all out. I had been searching rescue sites and local shelters for what seemed like forever, and left empty-handed each and every time. After a long day of work, I decided to pop into HSHV for a quick visit. I had stopped by at least a hundred times before with no luck, but figured it couldn't hurt to stop by again. I was passing by on my way home anyway.

 
I wandered up and down the halls for a few minutes, but was exhausted and decided to call it a day. As I was leaving, a little (and, if I am being honest - pretty mangy looking) mutt walked in from the outside and sat down right in front of me. I stopped at his cage, bent down and slipped my hand through the bottom. He sniffed for a second, but seemed completely uninterested in me. I tossed a few treats into his cage, and he turned his back to me and walked back outside.

 
His info sheet was pretty bare - he was found in an abandoned garage, he was underweight with fleas and he was sporting some pretty nasty cuts from fighting with something that obviously won. He was a Terrier mix and was about 2.5 years old. He was 11 pounds of dirty hair and bones, yet something about him kept me from leaving. I spoke to a volunteer who had said that he was brand new; he had just come out from surgery and hadn't even been posted up online yet. I asked if I could meet with him. Inside of the room, he clearly wanted nothing to do with me. He was skittish, scared, and wouldn't sit still for longer than a second.

 
Still, something was telling me not to give up on him. I placed a 24-hour hold on him, headed back home, and re-evaluated the situation. I returned the next day with my mom, my sister, and my niece. We took him for a walk around the yard and he was an absolute monster. He pulled every which way and cowarded down at the sound of any voice he heard. He wanted nothing to do with us. My family didn't know what to say - clearly, this pup was not what I needed. He was petrified of people, he didn't listen and he was, as my niece so honestly put it, not cute - at all. He was a mess...but hey, so was I. And so, a few hours later, I signed his adoptions papers. And my life has never, ever been the same.
It didn't take long for my family vet to figure out that this little pup had been severely abused his whole life. From there, he was either kicked out onto the streets or somehow managed to run away. My vet was honest: it was going to take a lot of work and a lot of patience to win him over. His morale was low, his self esteem was non-existent, his health was far from great, and he lacked all trust in people...and there was a good chance he might never come around.

 
It did take a lot of work, and it did take a lot of patience, and there has not been even a single moment of this crazy ride where I ever considered regretting this decision. From the minute we walked into the house, he clung to me as though he knew I was going to be different. And 10 months later, he is still clinging to me. He is happy, healthy, social and has a personality that can make anyone smile. He is hilarious and sweet; he will cuddle with complete strangers, yet stand at attention to protect me from a house fly. He is loyal, he is confident, and he is the best decision I have ever made for myself.

 
I have heard it said that rescue dogs love more, because they appreciate what you have done and want to show you just how thankful they are. I have also heard it said that sometimes it is the dog that ends up rescuing the people. I couldn't agree more with either statement. Thank you, HSHV, for bringing my little buddy into my life - I cannot imagine it without him now.