We all have experienced that moment when things in life go from ‘tail waggingly happy’ to ‘tail tuckingly crappy’ in a matter of seconds. This is what happened to Betty and Rosie, due to unavoidable and regrettable circumstances. It was a very poignant scene when dad said goodbye to his girls, and I think all of us who love our dogs and think of them as members of the family can imagine the heartbreak he felt at having come to this inevitable parting.
It is not easy to adopt out an adult black lab (a surprising fact for those who own and love the breed). It is downright difficult to adopt out an 8 year old black lab. It is extremely difficult to adopt out two 8 yr old black labs together (separating them was never a thought). And so though we at the Humane Society knew these to be two awesome and lovable girls, we also realized the probability of a long stay here for Betty and Rosie. And those two girls were real troopers. Imagine for a moment that you go from stretching out on the couch during the day and sleeping in a nice, comfy bed each night in the only home you’ve ever known…….to the new world of a shelter kennel: without ‘your’ people, a small and lonely abode, the sound of strange dogs barking incessantly, and no home base to run for safety. But Betty and Rosie, as disoriented and confused as they must have felt, braved that storm of uncertainty with (reluctantly at first) tails still a waggin’.
I am firmly convinced that our thoughts and energy variants travel through the ether, affecting us in ways unimagined. For one day as I walked in to work and noticed Betty and Rosie nosing the kennel for attention, I thought of just those things which I mentioned earlier. And lo and behold, I receive an email from Linda. Linda is a friend of a friend of Betty and Rosie’s previous owners. She heard their story, and immediately felt drawn to them. She wanted to adopt them both! The only problem? Linda lives in Sarasota, FL and even if we were to get them to her, couldn’t take them for another month or so.
Usually I shy away from in-the-future adopters, as I call them. More often than not, the adoption falls through for any number of reasons. But the more I communicated with Linda, the more I began to realize that the match may be kismet, after all. She stayed in touch, emailing for updates on ‘the girls’ and asking for help to get them to her in a few weeks.
So I send out a plea for help from my trusty STHS volunteers. Can someone drive these girls to meet Linda halfway? I got a few responses, but always some little detail prevented the plan from going forward. And then…….Melody stepped forward to save the day. She and her friend Lisa drove Betty and Rosie to Tallahassee, FL to meet their new mom on Saturday!!! It was a great day for all……especially for our 2 girls. And I hope Melody will forgive me for quoting her, but it’s good stuff. When I thanked her profusely for donating her time, money, and energy in such a selfless manner, she replied:
This trip was possible thanks to my boyfriend, Joel, for the use of his van and a tank of gas, to Lisa for riding shotgun and helping to walk the dogs, and to Linda for opening her heart to adopting such fine animals.”
And in my opinion, that’s just what it’s all about, folks!
STHS Minion
We had a ton of fun delivering these beautiful girls! Linda is a truly special person and the sisters are fortunate to have such an awesome new mama!
ReplyDeleteLisa
I am deeply relieved to hear about Betty and Rosie! I found Betty laying in the road in 2004. She was "dumped" in the Wildlife reserve by her first owner. Terrified and injured by what we think was a car, my sister and I immediately picked her up and brought her to my house. We made a soft, safe bed, gave her food and water but decided to wait before bringing her to the hospital as it was early evening July 4th. By the next morning she was still sore but tail wagging and relieved. I tracked her previous owner down just to check if they lost her only to find out that they truly meant to "get rid" of her. :-( She knew numerous commands and was the best behaved sweetest little girl. After riding out Katrina in 2005 with (my boyfriend at the time, Mark, Rosie's previous owner, Rosie and Betty in a boat in the flooded hallway of my little cottage, we all "camped out" together for a couple of months until we could move into Mark's undamaged home which was still under construction. After three years we parted ways and I decided to leave Betty with her Daddy and inseparable Sister Rosie out in Labrador paradise on the Bayou. I was so sad and shocked to hear they would not be moving to England with him. I could not take them as I now share my home with 6 rescue cats and have a courtyard for a yard (NOT Labrador paradise). My family and I have been trying to find a home for the girls but have not had any luck. Linda, Lisa and Melody, you have brought tears of joy to my eyes as I heard this miraculous news! They both have such sensitive, emotional souls and been through a lot. It is such a relief to hear that this heartbreaking nightmare has ended in so much happiness. Please keep us updated on the progress in their new home. Thank you!
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