Some dogs have way too much personality to ever be able to forget about them. I had a woman come from a local rescue group and while I got the paperwork finalized we got to talking.
“Remember those four black and tan Pug Chihuahua mixes that we rescued last year?” She asked me. “One was blind, two were really shy and one of them was a bit… snappy?” Snappy. Who could forget him! I turned to my computer, typed in his name and his picture came right up. We chuckled at the attitude he displayed even in the picture. That little spit fire barked at everyone and everything that day I took his picture. I myself can’t remember how we got him back into his kennel but I do recall it being a chore.
“He would not let me pick him up,” the rescuer recalled. “I tried three times to wrap him in a towel and take him to safety but I finally got him. Did you know he never did snap at anyone ever again the moment we got him away from the shelter?” I told her I could believe it; no more barking dogs, water hoses and strangers. I was delighted to be finally getting the end story on these dogs and honed in on the tale.
According to this rescuer, the sad blind little dog wasn’t actually blind! The moment he entered the rescue he was bounding up the stairs and coming to those who called him. The vet couldn’t decide if he had gotten into some kind of chemical or had lost part of his sight due to an illness. Though his eyes were creamy, he still had enough sight to get around. He and a shy litter mate found a wonderful home with an older couple. The other shy brother also found a good home but Snappy’s home matched his unforgettable personality.
“His new owners drove all the way from Oklahoma to adopt him,” the rescuer smiled. “They pulled up in a Mercedes and had a doggy car seat already strapped in the back! I asked them a few basic questions, one of them being if they had a pool. We had learned very quickly that Snappy LOVED water. He would jump right into any puddle or pool we had at the rescue center. The first thing the new owners reported Snappy doing when he first arrived to his new home was to jump into their koi pond! They had to make little steps for him so he could climb in and out!”
Snappy and his brothers’ happy endings brought a smile to my face for the rest of the day. I thanked the rescuer for sharing. I often never hear what happens to these pound dogs once they find a home. “I always ask my adopters to keep me updated,” the rescuer told me rather seriously. “Without these kinds of stories, I would have had to quit long ago.”
