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Shane's Transport

Normally I try to come up with something cute and catchy for my blog titles, like "Popcorn in the car" or "Buddy on board" but Shane's transport is different. Normally I am running a dog to the vet, taking them from the vet to foster, or even taking them from one foster to another but today I was picking up Shane from his home and taking him to foster.

The drive up to get him was easy and the traffic was extremely light despite it being the 4th of July. I made it to the house in record time. Shane and his mom were sitting on the porch and he was right beside her, head in her lap. My heart twisted.

I parked the car and hopped out, trying to be cheerful. Shane barked only once, and then gave a grin as he wagged and looked to his mom. She welcomed me and asked if we had to leave right away or if we could stay for a bit. I felt a thump in my chest. Sure we could stay for a bit.

We sat for a few minutes and she explained about why she had to do this. She told me how good he is, he proved it by giving paw and rolling onto his back for a belly rub. She explained about how he'd started masterfully climbing the fence and touring the surrounding fields and a trailer park.  She told me how she was afraid he's run into the highway and that's- her voice began to catch, and shake- that's why she was doing.. this. I tried to reassure her that it would be ok and that saving his life was the right thing to do. She'd done it twice now. She'd taken him in after he was pulled from the shelter, and now she was letting go so he could live and be safe.

Ear up, tongue out. So Shane.

Shane sat beside her, tail thumping. She went to the kitchen to give him his meds one last time, his flea preventative and  heartgaurd. He barely noticed when I went to the car to get a leash. When I came back in he sat beside her, thumping. tongue out and one ear cocked at an angle. We sat for a bit longer. Shane was begining to catch on. He looked up at her, then me, then back at her and he scooted closer to her. She looked at me, "Ok, i guess you two better get on the road." I nodded, "ok."

I put my leash on him and handed hers back to her. My heart twisted. I flashed back to sitting in a vet's office, waiting for the vet to tell me if my dog was ok, and watching another vet come out to another family with a leash. It felt the same now. We walked out to the car, Shane questioning why I was holding the leash but accepting it, His mom was.

"Wanna go for a ride Shane?" I tried to be cheerful. He smiled and hopped in to his crate. I hugged his mom tight and she thanked me. I promised we'd drive safe and she slowly returned inside.

The trip was quiet. Shane didn't make a peep. We arrived at the fosters without a problem. The moment we arrived his fosters hurried out to meet him. They're a beautiful young couple with two dogs of their own, a high fence, and a beautiful home. We walked him around the front yard and they ooed and ahhed over him.

Getting some reassurance from his foster dad.

They loved on him and then brought out the first dog to meet him, another border collie. Shane did amazingly well and got along swimmingly. His new friend promptly brought us a tennis ball and lay down, waiting for us to throw the ball excitedly. While he waited (talk about an incredibly patient dog) Shane met the second dog, a brown mix. They met, wagged and after a few throws of the tennis ball with all three, it was time for Shane to see the house. He made himself right at home, played with someone else's toy, and wagged. He was a little unsure, but he was ok.


 We went back outside to take a few pictures of him and his fosters. He came to them when called and stood beside them. He was ok.    You could tell he didn't quite understand what had happened, or maybe he did and was being strong, but he was doing well.

I knelt down to say goodbye, "Shane?" His ears perked and he hurried over for an ear rub. It would be ok.  Shane is such a good boy and the family that adopts him will be very lucky. As I walked through the gate to leave my heart twisted again, I felt like I was leaving him... out of the corner of my eye I saw his foster dad kneel down and cuddle him. Shane sat beside him and thumped his tail a little. For the first time all day I felt my spirits lift. As hard as all this was, it is a new start for Shane.  His fosters are great dog parents and will make sure he gets great dog parents too.

Upcoming Transport: - Shane the Stunning

Well, today I found out that I may be celebrating the 4th of July weekend with my first transport of the summer!

Between the end of spring classes, the last minute wedding plans, the wedding and honeymoon, returning to summer classes, and the summer slowdown there has been less of a need/ability for me to transport. Of course that does not mean that there are less dogs needing a home. In Florida the summer heat, vacations, etc all interact to drop the number of families looking to adopt and unfortunatly, many pets find themselves without a home due to moves and a lack of time for them.

Shane is one of the few lucky dogs this summer. He is about a year old and was rescued from a high-kill shelter around Memorial Day. His rescuer, Amy, took him to her mother's house to take some pictures (see full story here) and Shane immediately adopted her mother and her mother fell for him, as did her two dogs.

Unfortunately, sometimes life has other plans. Shane has a great disposition, he is young with the personality of a much older, wiser dog, well behaved and well trained. He loves to explore and exercise,  which was fine until his new owner hurt her leg and had to put him out in the yard to exercise. Shane, being the curious young fellow his is, found her small fence little obstacle when exploring the world, and because their house is near a busy highway, his adoptive mom now worries for his safety. It is because of this, she made the incredibly hard choice that it was better for him to leave, and be safe, then to stay and risk his life. 

Too often we see people give up animals for the wrong reasons, they are moving and there is no room for the dog in their new life, they don't want to spare the time or effort for their care, or they just decide that the dog is a thing to be thrown away. This is NOT Shane's tale. Shane is love and well cared for. Anything he needs he gets and unfortunately, like medicine, sometimes what we want is not what we need. Shane may not understand why we do this for him, but we must lead him to find a new family and new happiness so we may spare his life. So I will go and get him and carry him to his foster's home, so that he can live safe and so he may find a new happiness.

I look forward to meeting Shane, and dread having to take him away. 

I have no doubt I'll carry a heavy heart on this transport.

All Posts on Shane

 

→ Upcoming Transport - Shane the Stunning

 

→ Shane's Transport

 

→ Shane went home 7/9/11!

→ Shane's Original Story

→Shane's TDL Page

The Transport that Never Was

"Give me your tired, your poor
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free"

- Statue of Liberty -

First, no transports lately. Summer is slow in Florida rescue... this is part of the grief I am currently going through.

In Decatur Georgia sits a shelter where countless paws are pacing, waiting. Their eyes are searching for someone... even if they're not sure who. Pictures are taken and posted... this is where I saw a puppy called "Elvis."

Elvis had a lot going against him. For a start, he had "black dog syndrome" which unfortunately means he is at the top of the list to get looked over and passed by. He is one of many dogs and puppies waiting, which is another strike. He has siblings to compete for a home with, and they have one last advantage over him: they aren't scarred.

Little Elvis was apparently injured at a young age. A scar runs from his left nostril to the end of his lip, possibly where another puppy or dog bit him and pulled through. It gives him personality, and he stands tall despite being different. Most people would take one look at him, feel sick, and never look back. I visited his picture at least once a day, posted it to my profile, and admired the courageous little dog.

I couldn't admit it then, but I desperately wanted to do something for him. I have a soft spot for the little guy, the one with a disadvantage who might not be the prettiest lil guy, might not be perfect, but has heart. I never got the chance to meet Elvis, but I promise you he had heart in abundance.

One by one his siblings got moved to the adopted folder. I knew I couldn't be the one to bring him home, not yet. I'd be getting married and then what would happen? Who would watch him for the weeks I'd be away? I steeled my emotions and convinced myself that maybe, if he was still there when we came back, I might be able to make it work.

Returning home from the trip I quickly logged on and went to the folder where his picture had been... HAD... been. He wasn't there. For a moment my heart skipped a beat, could it be someone had adopted him? I excitedly switched over to the adopted folder, but no Elvis. Maybe they hadn't updated it yet. I waited.

The next day I went back and clicked both folders- no Elvis. I have been checking now for over a week and now must face the fact that other dogs have been moved to the adopted folder, Elvis has not. He probably never will... unfortunately, he was the underdog. Underdogs don't go home without help. They sit, and wait, and wait, and finally someone comes for them and leads them out. They wag their tails, happy to have attention, and follow joyfully as they are led away from their cage. They will not come back. I am sure that little Elvis was brave and courageous to the last, but that is just it... it was probably his last.

I have finally posted, asking the question I almost certainly know the answer too.... quietly daring to hope that maybe they just forgot to add him to the adopted or rescued folders... but in reality, there are very few people who want a maimed little black puppy. I could have been his chance but I wasn't able, and now I mourn his little life... all 9 or 10 weeks of it...

How many more must face Elvis's fate?

For now I will continue on and wait to see if an answer ever comes. I'll be the one who roots for and loves the underdog and hopefully, one day I will be the one to walk the underdog out of his cage and into freedom. Until then, I will mourn little Elvis and let his memory drive me to do better, to save more lives, to get people to spay and neuter, to educate owners, and to pray for the day when others won't face his fate.

"Give me your tired, your poor

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free" 

- Statue of Liberty -

I love you Elvis... and I am so sorry.

All Posts on Jake - Adopted!

→ Jake - 4/30/11

Jake went home 5/12/11!

→ Jake's TDL Page

Jake - 4/30/11

Normally I try to come up with some sort of catchy title or cute pun, but with Jake there just aren't words.

I attended an adoption fair where some of our sweet dogs were strutting their stuff. As the day began we had Flyboy, Dimpsey, Spike, and Creampuff, all who were at their best wiggling and smiling at everyone. About an hour in the big white van pulled up, our newest transport was here! As we unloaded our three dogs one had some paperwork to be done, so Gisele asked me to get the last one, Jake, a border collie from a high kill shelter in Alabama.

Jake, standing in a state of shock.

The lady who had driven them all the way here opened the back of the van and in a large carrier stood Jake, staring off into space, not barking, not crying, just waiting. He is a big boy and has a large bone structure compared to the average BC. He has a large head and beautiful deep brown eyes, currently holding a little bit of sadness and fear behind them. This was my first impression of Jake.

We opened his crate and he gently stepped forward, pausing at the open door of his cage, on his own accord, so we could slip off his travel collar and put our leash on him. Normally, when dogs come off the huge transport (well over 10 hours) they are barking and BOLT out of the cages as if to scream "FREE! Free at LAST" but not Jake. Jake waited until we encouraged him to hop down, "Come on Jake, let's go!"

Jake didn't pull or charge off to meet other dogs, He just stood. I encouraged him to go potty and so he quickly marked two trees and then returned to my side. He was almost in a state of Shell Shock. He didn't know what to expect next. I mean over the past 24 hours he went from a chaotic shelter life, to living in a carrier in a van for long hours, and then he is suddenly in a field full of people and dogs, I don't blame him for being confused.

For the next hour I walked Jake around and tried to comfort him. When he first met the other TDL dogs he seemed confused but willing to learn. Soon they were all wagging, sipping water, and he was happy to just lay between Flyboy and Spike. That was until I reached in my transport bag and pulled out treats. Suddenly Jake had new life (Which makes sense because he wasn't fed while on transport {so he wouldn't promptly throw it back up}).

Jake's ears were perked like he was ready to learn, so I showed him a treat, then held it over his head, "Do you know Sit?" Foom! Jake sat like a perfect gentleman and promptly received his treat. Then to my surprise he threw a trick (throwing a trick - when a dog performs a trick in hopes of coaxing another treat out of you) and held out his paw.  I was stunned, "You know Paw?" Jake responded by plopping his paw in my hand.

A while later he was laying down and looking adorable like he wanted a belly rub. I opened my arms and asked, "Ya want some love?" and he rolled to his back, paws open, as if to say "Oh hug me hug me!"

Jake was obviously incredibly bright and  as long as you had treats in your pocket he'd follow you anywhere. When the treats ran out he still followed, no pulling or dragging. All I had to say was, "Let's go Jake" and he was right there.

After the event we all went out to lunch, and I do mean all of us. Gisele, lil Sarah, and I sat at the table and Jake lay quietly beside us. He got a few chips but never begged for more, he'd just wait. When the steak came he was a bit more interested and would stand and watch but never tried to take it, even though he easily could.  Jake is a heart-throb and just about everyone who walked past, the women at the next table, and our waiter all loved him. The waiter even stopped to give him a belly rub which Jake just ate up.

Jake after the shock wore off, noble and true.

I have NEVER seen a dog like him. He is an old soul in a young body who is noble and true. He is Loyal and loving, even despite the fact that life has been very hard for him the past few weeks.

When he wants more attention he gently lays his paw on your leg, as if to say, "hey, don't forget me ok?"

All I can say is "Don't worry Jake, I never will"