You never know when something crosses your path that may change your life.
It can happen slowly or in an instant; it can be a situation that seems
a burden at first, yet turns into a joy; it can be that chance you took
that works out just right.
Oliver is one of those moments for me. He is one of my rescued dogs, a
Chihuahua. He was found by a deputy sheriff I know at the courthouse (I
am an attorney).
Deputy Ray had seen the struggling Chihuahua from time to time when he
drove his usual route to work. He promised himself he would try and
catch the little dog if he spotted him one more time.
Sure enough, he saw Oliver struggling to pull his body up and over the curb from the street.
From Oliver's appearance, it didn't look like he would last long
without any help. Oliver was a mess. His skin was pulled tight over his
ribs, he had lost most of his hair, and he walked with his tail under
his legs.
Deputy Ray approached me about Oliver (at that point, the little dog's
name was "Crusty" because of his skin and state of mind). Deputy Ray had
another large dog, and even though the large dog was partitioned away
from Oliver, Oliver spent his days hiding under a shed.
In the week that Deputy Ray had Oliver, Oliver never made a peep.
Deputy Ray asked me to take Oliver and see if I could get him to come
out of his shell. I had never owned a Chihuahua before, and I didn't
have a very favorable opinion of the breed. Every time I met one, they
yapped non-stop and never acted very friendly.
The second I met Oliver, and saw his sad state, all I wanted to do was
scoop him up in my arms and help him. I felt he needed me, even though
we just met.
In anticipation of Oliver's arrival, I made a small fort with rocks and
lumber, so he could hide if he wanted to while he got used to his new
family. The amazing thing was, he never needed it! Oliver took to his
group of rescue pals like he always belonged — he was the newest sibling
to my other dogs Mandy, Frenchy, Buster, Scraps, Mr. Bean and Wiggles.
Oliver's emotional and physical journey back to health was slow, but
steady. After his first doctor's visit, Oliver came home with a bag full
of medications. His fur had fallen out from stress and malnutrition,
and his skin had crusts.
Oliver's tail started to relax and point upwards during his second week
home, and then one day, he barked! I've never been so happy to hear a
dog bark over nothing. Oliver's hair started coming back (and this year,
after three years, his last patch grew back in)!
For some reason I still can't figure out, all the other dogs took to
him right away. There was no competitiveness, and they all seemed
interested in him. They let him get away with a lot — he could jump on
them, squish in between them and me, swat their faces with his paw, and
none of them ever got annoyed.
As Oliver's dog siblings embraced him, Oliver became more courageous
and happy. There is not a night that goes by without Oliver being
groomed by Scraps, twisting playfully in circles on the bed with Buster,
or being held in my arms as I fall asleep.
Oliver inspired me to write a children's book, “Oliver's Heroes, The
Spider Adventure.” I've never written a book before, but I wanted to
capture some of the magic Oliver had brought to us and share it. I hope
the book sends what I call a "two paws up" message, that all of us have
unique and special qualities and good friends that support and make each
other stronger.
I have rescued many dogs, but Oliver touched us in a way that we had
never experienced before. People have said, "that dog was really lucky,"
but we were the lucky ones the day Oliver came to stay with us.
I hope you all have the chance to experience a few of those life-changing, enhancing, completing moments in your future!
No comments:
Post a Comment