Adoption Stories
BRUTUS
I was there on the day that he arrived at the shelter.
He was old, thin, his coat was dull and the muscles in his hind end
had atrophied. Those big brown eyes held a depth that I didn't see every
day. I fell in love
immediately. I asked for his
story and was told that his previous owners had left him tied to the porch
and then moved away. We
expected that it would be nearly impossible to find his forever home.
Brutus became somewhat of a celebrity amongst the volunteers.
So many of us felt that he would be finishing his final days at the
shelter and we wanted so much to take very good care of this beautiful old
man. He went snow-shoeing,
took car rides and even visited a local business for a “day on the
town”. Many of us tried to
figure out a way to integrate him into our homes, but there always seemed
to be some reason why it wouldn't work.
The
day came when I heard that Brutus had an adoption pending!!
Numerous volunteers rejoiced and said their farewells.
Tragically, a few days passed and Brutus was returned.
Our hearts fell and hope was failing fast.
Months
passed and Brutus became more and more frustrated.
He started to bark a lot and even showed some aggression towards
the other dogs. This is
always a bad sign, and we worried that his mental health would continue to
deteriorate. One day, I
noticed that Brutus had been assigned a playmate!
She was a dog named Cayenne, a beautiful red hound dog that ran
like a gazelle and could melt even the hardest heart with a glance from
her deep, dark eyes. I put
them out together that day and watched that old man come alive.
He was running around, chasing Cayenne like a puppy!
I stood there watching them and crying like a fool.
Weeks
later, an elderly couple came in on an adoption day with an interest in
Brutus. They filled out
pre-adoption papers and we held our breath.
We hoped that this would be the real thing, but our dear old man
was returned yet again. He
came back stressed out and depressed, and I could swear that he knew that
his chances were dwindling rapidly. Many
tears were shed and we all felt that he was destined to live his final
days in the shelter.
One
day another volunteer told me that a couple was coming with their elderly
male dog to meet Brutus. Uh-oh,
I thought, how likely is it that Brutus is going to tolerate another
full-grown male? Still, I
crossed my fingers and said my prayers, knowing that when it is the right
match, small miracles happen. It
was an excellent meeting! The
two old men mostly just ignored each other and got down to more important
business (like peeing on the world).
Brutus was going home!!!!!!!!!
I
went to visit after he'd been there for about a month and saw a glossy,
handsome, happy, well-adjusted Brutus!
I swear he looked years younger, and he seemed like he had always
lived with his new pack mate (Cesca, the fifteen year old Husky).
His new people love him with abandon, and his professional
photographer “Mom” (Brigitte) has already sent FAS a gorgeous black
and white portrait that now graces our wall.
– Submitted
by Mel Hastings
Sadly,
Brutus has passed away since this article was written, but he went in
peace, knowing the joy of loving owners and a happy home.
This is our hope at Frontier – loving and happy homes, providing
comfort, care and a voice for those who cannot speak for themselves.
Quarter
I first met Quarter, and his daughter Sasha, last March.
Emaciated beyond belief, they were the most pathetic dogs I had yet
encountered at Frontier.
I could visually count every rib and clearly see their hip bones
– it was awful!
These dogs were so terrible looking, I had some serious doubts
about their health/survival, much less the adoption chances for two such
sad and desperate animals.
As I walked up to Quarter’s kennel, my eyes welled up with tears
as he rushed up to meet me.
Weak and sick as he was, his tail was thumping and he reached to
lick me through the kennel.
I leashed Quarter and walked him out the door - all the while he
was trying to get as close to me as possible and leaned into my body.
A bit unsteady at first, he walked on the leash like a dream –
never pulling, always more interested in me than the many exciting sights
and smells at the kennel.
Quarter was so happy to be with me.
That was it – in about sixty seconds this dog held my heart.
I wanted to do anything I could to see that this sweet and gentle
dog would never suffer again.
Somehow, someway…
As the months went by and Sasha was placed and quickly adopted through
Echo Dog rescue, I wondered what the future held for Quarter.
He improved daily, putting on weight, gaining confidence and
re-learning his trust in humans.
During adoption times, people would walk right by his kennel as he
rushed up to meet them with a hopeful look and a wagging tail.
Who would adopt this older, neglected dog?
How could we ever find the perfect home for him? Would Quarter’s
final home be at the animal shelter?
One night, as I arrived at Frontier for a cleaning shift, a
couple was in the parking lot in their car.
I explained that we were not open for adoptions at the moment, gave
them our regular hours and turned away.
Something made me turn back and ask what had brought them to
Frontier. Dog-less for many years, Nancy was ready again to share her
life with a special canine. He
had to be older, large, friendly and willing to share their home in a
rather private location. No
children, no cats, no other dogs, no dogs living nearby – and then out
came Quarter for his walk with one of the volunteers.
I had to laugh when Quarter made a beeline for them and jumped into
Johnny’s lap in the car! Now
I’ll let Quarter tell you the rest.
- Melissa
The
Fabulous Life of Quarter, (as dictated to Nancy)
Hi!
My name is Quarter and this is my life story, so far:
After
many years of life in not so good conditions, I came to stay at the
Frontier Animal Society in Orleans. I
was not exactly at my best upon arrival, but all of that is behind me now.
Thanks to the loving care and patience the volunteers showed me, I
slowly regained my trust and faith in humans.
I was happy to stay at Frontier, where everyone loved me and told
me I was a very special boy. Little
did I know what would happen next…
One
night I was coming out for my usual stroll when I saw two new humans look
my way. As I walked closer I
knew this was it – these were the humans that were waiting for me
and I ran up to the car. Boy,
did I turn on the charm – I crawled up into the man’s lap, I leaned
into the woman, I showed her my pretty smile, I pulled out all the stops.
As
fate determined, I now live in my Forever Home on the shores of Seymour
Lake. Some of my Retriever
friends are quite jealous, but I think the birds can have the lake.
However, it does make an awfully handy watering dish!
I love to run and play near the lake and enjoy long walks with my
humans, Nancy and Johnny. Hunger and cold are a distant memory, I get a
lot of ear scratching and I love my warm and safe crate at night.
My humans want me to be something they call a “watch dog” and
alert them when strangers come around the house.
I’m not much of a loud mouth, but I have finally figured out the
barking thing. Hey – it’s the least I can do!
Every
Monday night Nancy, Johnny and I go to something called “obedience
class”. After several
weeks, I have finally trained the humans fairly well.
I think they have a lot of potential and, with a little more help,
I may have taught them what they need to know.
I have made several doggie friends and we all struggle together and
have a good time watching the silly humans.
I
am so happy with my new life and I believe that Nancy, Johnny and I were
brought together for a very special reason.
I hope and pray for all of the unwanted, neglected and abused
animals waiting for their happy ending.
Life is good for some, but fabulous for me.
Ciao for now – Quarter
PATCHES
After
spending days on "petfinder.com" searching for the perfect dog
match, I was about to give up when I saw Patches. A part Dalmatian, part
something else mix. Her pictures showed her as mostly black with a polka
dotted under-belly; her face: half salt and pepper, the other half black;
her white tail, striped with rings of black. One ear fell to the front,
while the other stuck out to the side. She was a funny looking dog, but
for some reason, I felt compelled to e-mail my application immediately.
Soon I got a call from Melissa, one of the volunteers at Frontier Animal
Society. She told me that Patches had spent the last six months in the
shelter and was showing signs of depression. She needed to be placed as
soon as possible. This dog was not leash trained, was fearful of men,
didn't have experience with cats and little with kids, plus she didn't
have the classic beauty and breeding of most of the dogs in my
neighborhood. This wasn't the set up for an ideal love connection.
That was what we knew about Patches, but this spirited dog didn't know
anything about us. She didn't know we are in our mid sixties, live a quiet
lifestyle and are still dragging our feet into the twenty first century.
Not in tune with the latest music, the newest styles or the pop culture.
We would rather listen to Bob Dylon than Gwen Stefani (although, I do love
Gwen). We pick re-runs of Seinfeld over The Bachelorette. We wear
polyester rather than spandex and to us, Brittany, Lindsay and Paris are
places on the map. (Although we do think Rachel Ray is adorable.) We could
be referred to as "the old couple". Yes, Patches would have had
doubts about this love connection, too.
Well, we did it anyway. With MapQuest in hand, we traveled three hours and
forty eight minutes from Portland to Orleans, Vermont to meet our new dog.
Was it worth it? Did we make the love connection? Time has passed and she
has settled in. She's good on the leash and is comfortable with her
surroundings. She's a devoted, loyal companion. She is funny and loves to
entertain us with the tricks she already knew and the new ones she has
since learned. She's quite a great girl! What I once thought of as a funny
looking mutt, I now see as a richly patterned and wonderfully textured
tapestry. Unique and beautiful.
As we've come to appreciate each other, we've realized this "spirited
dog/old people" match isn't that far
off. We have a lot in common. Things like: getting up at daybreak for an
urgent morning pee and the desire to bark at strangers who come the door
or who call on the phone. She loves the "doctor recommended"
long walks, rain or shine; Goferyde (that's going for a ride) seems to be
something we do often. Whining when things don't go our way is something
we share and a-h-h those afternoon naps. On the weekend, we all greet the
grandchildren with kisses and when they leave – a-h-h-h those afternoon
naps. Having supper by 5:00 instead of the fashionable 7:30 is right and
we prefer hamburger to sushi. Going to bed by 9:00 so we can stretch out
and be comfy while watching Animal Planet or the National Geographic
Channel is the perfect way to end the day. Another positive, doing the
math in "dog-years"
means that in just five years we'll all be the same age with even more in
common.
Yes, these are the things that have made us a compatible match for a
lasting and happy relationship.
-- Submitted by Roxanna Spizuoco