Rastoff
US Veteran
For those that know the love of a dog, this will be no surprise. For those that don't, maybe it will shed a little insight. Bear with me a moment while I tell a tale that is both happy and sad.
About 6 or 7 years ago, we lived in a different city. It is a desert city and not what most would call an upscale neighborhood. In fact, it was somewhat depressed. Still, it's a decent little place, it just has a few undesirable spots. We lived in one of those spots. Our neighbors were nice people. They were just of modest means.
The one neighbor who lived two houses down and just around the corner got a dog. Like many, she wanted a companion, but didn't realize just how much work a dog can be. She put this dog in the back yard and pretty much left it there. I'm sure it wasn't her intent to be cruel, she had just taken on more than she could handle. She named it Princess.
At this point it's important to understand that my wife loves animals. More important is that animals love my wife. Whenever a dog got loose in our neighborhood, which wasn't uncommon, it would come to our house. Such was the case with Princess. Every now and then, Princess would get loose and come to our house. My wife would let her play with our German Shepherd, Sage, for a while and then take her back.
This happened a bunch of times. Then one morning while on my way to work, I met princess at our back door. I told my wife we needed to take some steps to prevent this because it was becoming common. That evening Princess was still at our place. My wife told me the owner wasn't home, but would be in about an hour. This time I was going to take her back and have a chat with the owner.
I put Princess on a rope and started walking her toward her home. At first all was well and she was happy to be on a walk. However, when I turned the corner to her house, she dug in all four feet and did not want to go further. I had to pick her up and carry her to the door. This was easy because there was no meat on this dog, just skin and bones. The owner thanked us for bringing her back and apologized for the inconvenience.
I wasn't invited in, but I could see the conditions that Princess lived in; it was not good. As we walked back home, I told my wife, "If Princess is back in our yard tomorrow, we're taking her somewhere else." Sure enough, Princess met me at the door in the morning. With the owner's permission, we were going to find another home.
This was on a Saturday and I regularly shoot Trap on Saturdays. So, off I went fully intending to deal with the dog later. While at the range I relayed the story. Not surprisingly some of the guys there showed some interest in the dog. So, I called my wife and told her to bring the dog. She did and here's where the story gets good.
My friend Art took a liking to the dog and wanted to take her to meet his wife. After we were done shooting we did just that. The funny part is "Princess" was Art's nickname for his wife. She and the dog hit it off immediately. They took the dog in as their own.
This could be the end of a decent story, but it gets better. You see, Art's wife had serious health issues. She often spent all day in bed. But now Princess was there and the two girls became the best of friends.
Now in a loving home, Princess filled out nicely. More than that, Art's wife started to get better. She looked better and was able to get out of bed and even go places with Art. Their home went from a dreary existence to a place with laughter and happiness again.
If Art's wife needed something, Princess would bring it to her. If she had some issue, Princess would go get Art and bring him. More than that, Princess went from being an emaciated, scared animal to one of the happiest dogs you've ever seen. Not only did we rescue a dog, the dog rescued Art's wife and even Art.
Unfortunately this story does not have a happy ending. Art's wife gave up the struggle last week and went to be with her maker. Princess the dog gave Art and his wife at least 6 more years and happy years at that. I have not been to his house yet, but I'll stop by tomorrow. I'm sure Princess is still providing more support than any person could at this time.
The love of a dog cannot be measured by human standards. Their love is not predicated on your love in return. But neither are they toys that can be brought out when you feel like it. Either they are part of the family or don't get one. However, if you make them part of your family, you'll find a companion unparalleled in this world. I'm sure Princess is grieving right now, but she still has Art and he still has her.
About 6 or 7 years ago, we lived in a different city. It is a desert city and not what most would call an upscale neighborhood. In fact, it was somewhat depressed. Still, it's a decent little place, it just has a few undesirable spots. We lived in one of those spots. Our neighbors were nice people. They were just of modest means.
The one neighbor who lived two houses down and just around the corner got a dog. Like many, she wanted a companion, but didn't realize just how much work a dog can be. She put this dog in the back yard and pretty much left it there. I'm sure it wasn't her intent to be cruel, she had just taken on more than she could handle. She named it Princess.
At this point it's important to understand that my wife loves animals. More important is that animals love my wife. Whenever a dog got loose in our neighborhood, which wasn't uncommon, it would come to our house. Such was the case with Princess. Every now and then, Princess would get loose and come to our house. My wife would let her play with our German Shepherd, Sage, for a while and then take her back.
This happened a bunch of times. Then one morning while on my way to work, I met princess at our back door. I told my wife we needed to take some steps to prevent this because it was becoming common. That evening Princess was still at our place. My wife told me the owner wasn't home, but would be in about an hour. This time I was going to take her back and have a chat with the owner.
I put Princess on a rope and started walking her toward her home. At first all was well and she was happy to be on a walk. However, when I turned the corner to her house, she dug in all four feet and did not want to go further. I had to pick her up and carry her to the door. This was easy because there was no meat on this dog, just skin and bones. The owner thanked us for bringing her back and apologized for the inconvenience.
I wasn't invited in, but I could see the conditions that Princess lived in; it was not good. As we walked back home, I told my wife, "If Princess is back in our yard tomorrow, we're taking her somewhere else." Sure enough, Princess met me at the door in the morning. With the owner's permission, we were going to find another home.
This was on a Saturday and I regularly shoot Trap on Saturdays. So, off I went fully intending to deal with the dog later. While at the range I relayed the story. Not surprisingly some of the guys there showed some interest in the dog. So, I called my wife and told her to bring the dog. She did and here's where the story gets good.
My friend Art took a liking to the dog and wanted to take her to meet his wife. After we were done shooting we did just that. The funny part is "Princess" was Art's nickname for his wife. She and the dog hit it off immediately. They took the dog in as their own.
This could be the end of a decent story, but it gets better. You see, Art's wife had serious health issues. She often spent all day in bed. But now Princess was there and the two girls became the best of friends.
Now in a loving home, Princess filled out nicely. More than that, Art's wife started to get better. She looked better and was able to get out of bed and even go places with Art. Their home went from a dreary existence to a place with laughter and happiness again.
If Art's wife needed something, Princess would bring it to her. If she had some issue, Princess would go get Art and bring him. More than that, Princess went from being an emaciated, scared animal to one of the happiest dogs you've ever seen. Not only did we rescue a dog, the dog rescued Art's wife and even Art.
Unfortunately this story does not have a happy ending. Art's wife gave up the struggle last week and went to be with her maker. Princess the dog gave Art and his wife at least 6 more years and happy years at that. I have not been to his house yet, but I'll stop by tomorrow. I'm sure Princess is still providing more support than any person could at this time.
The love of a dog cannot be measured by human standards. Their love is not predicated on your love in return. But neither are they toys that can be brought out when you feel like it. Either they are part of the family or don't get one. However, if you make them part of your family, you'll find a companion unparalleled in this world. I'm sure Princess is grieving right now, but she still has Art and he still has her.
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