06/03/2024
The phone rang early a few weeks ago on my land line, which I rarely answer. But as luck would have it, I was standing right there and picked up the receiver. The woman on the other end was clearly upset and speaking rapidly. I asked her to slow down and her story began to unravel. She was at a vet clinic and there was an 8 month old purebred German Shepherd female at risk of euthanasia if a home was not found immediately. The dog had done nothing wrong, but be born into a world where there were more dogs than homes.
She had called several shelters only to be told everyone was full, as were we. But I like to at least listen to a story before I shut someone down, so I asked a few questions. “How is her temperament, how is she with other animals?” Her reply stunned me. “I don’t know, she is under sedation waiting for the final euthanasia shot.”
I was stunned. STOP! I said, tell them we will take her and let me make a phone call. Hands shaking, I called my friend Cheryl who is a German Shepherd lover, and told her to get in her car and start driving.
“I am on my way,” she said , and we stopped the ticking clock.
When we look back on our lives, we see how many things were more than coincidences. The employee who happened to be there at the right time, the vet who waited in hopes of a reprieve, the phone call to SCARS, Cheryl being home and so the pieces of the puzzle began fitting together perfectly thus sparing the life of an innocent dog.
When Cheryl rescued her, she was coming out of the sedation and able to walk, although wobbling. She was thin and dehydrated and her coat was unhealthy, but she was alive. Cheryl worked on her diet, her exercise and she slowly gained strength. We took care of all of her medical needs and she is now spayed and current on shots.
Saving lives is a process. It does not happen overnight. Good food, nutrition (Cheryl swears by salmon oil), love and exercise will work its magic in time. Please be patient with these animals who have been through so much. They cannot offer you perfection right away.
Today Astrid is just about ready for adoption. She is almost housebroken, good with other dogs, probably no cats although she chases them and does not hurt them, knows basic commands and is loving and sweet. In the scheme of things, I would say she is a miracle.
And perhaps one day in the not too distant future, a high school English teacher will give her class an assignment to write an essay on the most precious gift they ever received.
One student just might hand in her paper entitled, “My dog, Astrid.”
