#petwalk2013

Aloha and good morning from the Hawaiian Islands! I've been a little quiet the past couple months; it has been a great time of transformation for myself and my husband. I would like to announce that we have adopted a beautiful one-year-old pup named Kane from the Honolulu Humane Society and we have delayed outside projects to focus on our growing, furry family. Kane comes into a family of fish, parakeets, guinea pigs, and, of course, us humans--all who have accepted him and love him as much as possible! This wasn't an easy transition and it was certainly hard not to be emotional while bringing Kane into our home. Kane is one of the bravest souls I know and even he knows that those bad times are behind him.

It makes me angry and upset to talk about those bad times. Kane spent his puppyhood in pain, hunger, and sadness; it was the only life he had ever known. Kane is a rescue dog. He was seized by the Humane Society earlier this year from people who abused him and neglected him. He was brought to the shelter and treated--but his abuse was mentally ingrained. Kane didn't respond well to human contact--he shied away from people and cringed under chairs or as far back into his cage he could go. He found comfort in his canine companions, but he was scared senseless of humans.

The rescuers told Ryan and I that he is a Mastiff/American Bulldog mix with the possibility that some Pitbull blood runs in his veins. Because of his lack of proper nutrition and care during his first year, he will most likely never reach the full 150-200lbs he should be; instead Kane is only 63lbs. He had been adopted once already by a family with young kids--the shelter volunteers were hopeful Kane had found his forever home, but a month later the family returned him saying he wasn't "social."

The whole story makes me upset. The whole ordeal this young, innocent puppy had to face is just unimaginable and my eyes burn with tears Kane can't shed.

My husband didn't know his story when he picked Kane to come home with us. We arrived at Petsmart an hour before the Humane Society arrived for the dog adoptions. Ryan had been looking at puppies online the night before and he made arrangements see some black Labrador retriever puppies after we saw the dogs at the adoption event--I don't think he was expecting to fall in love with Kane.

My husband has a soft spot for animals. He adopted our UGLY guinea pig, Ri Ri (his name is actually Beast, but Ryan insisted on calling him 'Retarded'). This little rodent is a hairless guinea pig with red eyes and little, scraggly tufts of fur. We originally went to the pet store to buy our guinea girl, Beauty, but Ryan wouldn't leave the shop without Ri. He later told me he wanted to adopt the ugly guinea pig because no one wanted him and he believed every animal deserved a chance-- turns out Ri is one cool animal. Within a week he was healthier, happier, and even running around his cage pop-corning; I'll admit it... he grows on you once you get over the whole hairless part ;)

So it was no surprise that when the Humane Society showed up, he bugged the poor rescue worker until she let him see some of the dogs. The very first he laid eyes on was Kane. I saw Ryan from inside Petsmart; he was hunched over and had his hand inside the big cage, his blue eyes already shining.

Here we go, I thought. Ryan is already in love!

The lady had Ryan back up as she pulled an absolutely gorgeous brindle and white dog out of the back of the truck. He had his tail tucked so far in between his legs that it looked like he didn't have one at first. He didn't even want to make eye contact with anyone and he crouched down on the sidewalk, shaking. Ryan sat down next to him and offered his hand. The dog ignored it at first, but after a few minutes he gave Ryan a sniff before turning his head away. He had the most beautiful brown eyes I've ever seen. They were big and sad--the kind that pulls your heart strings and I knew he was the dog we were taking home. Ryan and I walked Kane around outside as far as we could around Petsmart. He was so scared, buy Ryan kept telling the dog,

"Don't worry, Kane-- we won't hurt you. You'll come home with us and have a good life."

We adopted him on the spot. We filled out the forms, dotted our i's, crossed our t's, and Kane was ours. He was so scared and I was afraid for him during the car ride home. He needed some coaxing to get into the house and we let him explore. After an hour or two, he had become comfortable enough to jump up and take Ryan's spot on the couch. I let him outside and threw a rawhide around--to my surprise he wagged his tail and started to chase after it--I felt like a proud mommy when her baby takes their first steps. The real reward came around dinner time when Kane gave Ryan and I both a kiss. We went back to Petsmart to get Kane another bed for upstairs when we ran into the lady who helped us earlier at the adoption event.

"Wow," she said. "He looks like a totally different dog!! I'm so happy for him!!"

This one furry animal has totally and completely changed our lives and the love we have shared with him and the bond we created has totally changed his. He wags his tail so fast now and so often, we have bruises covering the middle of our lower legs. I wake up every morning to Kane pressing his wet nose against my hand, nuzzling me to get up and play. Every night before bed, he grabs his favorite stuffed pig and tucks it right beside him for sleep. He gives us kisses and he even gives our guinea pigs a good lick or two! He is extremely obi dent and listens to us; he respects us when we tell him no and is enthused when he tell him yes. He is still shy around people, but he is much better than before. I look at his story, where he came from, and I'm filled with such emotion and joy that we were able to take his innocent animal and show him the compassion and love he deserves.

I try to imagine what he looked like when the rescuers saved him from his abusers, but then I think: Why? Why imagine that? Kane's moved on. He's learned to love and trust again; be mad about what happened to him, then move on to the happiness he has found. I love my dog more than anything because of his spirit, his ability to love unconditionally, and his enthusiasm to LIVE.

I cannot stress enough to people out there looking for a furry addition to the family--please, thing adoption first! There are so many shelter dogs who DESERVE a second chance (this was Kane's third!). It really does save lives.

On October 6th, 2013, Ryan and I will be participating in the Hawaiian Humane Society's annual PetWalk in Honolulu. In lieu of a registration fee, the HHS has asked for walkers to make teams; teams can then ask sponsors to donate and help the shelter continue taking care of rescued animals. It costs $250 PER ANIMAL to receive vet care and basic necessities. Ryan and I have set a goal for $250 to give at least one animal a better quality of life before going on to their forever home. I know that someone's donation helped Kane receive the care he desperately needing during his time at HHS and now we want to give back. Hopefully, we can raise more to help other animals, but every dime, every dollar, counts. Here is the link to our page and feel free to donate or just swing by to visit!! Our animals really are our families and here is just one small way we can give back!