Every time a dog enters our home into rescue we know there will come a time that we need to have 'the talk'.
You have to know a bit about 'The Talk' to know why it's so important for me to have one with the dog who's life I am about to turn upside down again, just when he started to feel safe in his new home. I learned about the talk from my friend, rescue role model, Grace Salsaa. When I started being an active Border Collie rescuer I was on my own, living in rural Northern California there wasn't a rescue group I could hook up with but still there were dogs that needed to be rescued. So I jumped in with both feet and looked at how others were doing who's morals and ideas I felt most comfortable with. Grace was one of them, she documented a lot by writing beautifully about her rescues and she was always willing to answer my questions. She made me aware of the fact how important it is to have conversations with your dogs. If you do not believe in animal communication that's fine, it's not just for the dog it's also important for you to be able to close another period in your life.
Grace always communicated with her dogs and so I developed the habit of having 'The Talk' the night before the dog's new owners would come for a visit and who knows, if we both liked them they would take him home. I have always felt that they understood me, saying goodbye to a rescue that you have nurtured for a long time, sometimes through an illness can be very painful. Not just for you, tears are often there, but also for the dog. Some think of your home as their home and it's important they understand they deserve more than that.
Last Saturday evening I took Rueben, my rescue boy, into my office, we sat on the bed and I looked into his eyes and we had 'The Talk'.
Over the years I fine tuned the talk but the content is still the same. I did a lot of reading on how to communicate with pets and know how to think and 'talk' in pictures rather than in words. I looked Rueben in his beautiful trusting eyes and I knew I was about to turn his life upside down and change was coming, but it was a change for the better. While I talked words and thought in pictures and told him how wonderful little dog he was and how much he had grown since he came to us. How proud we were of him. All the new stuff he had to learn, how to become more independent and confident, how to sleep in a crate at night and how well he had mastered that.
I had the pillow cases in my hand that his new parents had sent me and where he has been sleeping with for the last 2 weeks. I told him about Anita and Laurel, who met him here, on his blog and in the video's I took of him. Who fell in love with him the moment they saw him. I told him about the STUNNING cabin high up on the lake in the mountains in No-WA., about the running trails Laurel is going to do every morning with him, the cross country skiing that he is going to do, the kayaking, the agility, the herding sheep, how Anita is going to be home with him all day and will not leave him if she has to go some place, about all the traveling he was going to do to Alaska to see the sleigh dogs, where Laurel's sister Lisa lives who is an exceptional dog person, and basically how he is going to be spoiled rotten and be loved and cherished forever. Because a wonderful spirit like his needs 2 very special people who will nourish and care for that spirit and who will make sure it will bloom to its full potential.
I told him they were coming to see him tomorrow and if he liked them he could decide to go home with them. I told him to make sure to let me know it was okay and I let him know that for me it was okay if he would go, I have Fynn who watches out for me. I will be sad but it will be okay and it's time for him to go to his forever home and be at peace and happy for the rest of his life.
He sat very quietly and listened intensely, after that he gave kisses but not for long because the cats were asking his attention and he had a job to do. ;-)
So this morning Laurel and Anita drove for about 4 hours to Oregon to meet the little guy they met and knew so much about because of my blog. They called before they arrived in Portland, we put Rueben in his crate in the living room with his beloved stuffed Kong. He was calm and relaxed. When they arrived we sat down and chatted and Rueben was watching them in his crate his little black nose make overtime. Did he recognized the smell? Did it smell familiar? When he finally was allowed to go and say hello there was no barking, no frenzied behavior, no shyness, he just went right up to them, sat for a treat and sniffed and smelled them, they sat on the floor with him and he sat in Laurel's lap and he leaned into her, putting his nose in her purse where he smelled yummy salmon treats. We chatted for a while and he was laying across her lap when he looked back at me and looked me straight in the eye as if to say,'it's okay mom I like them'. For me that was the sign I had been waiting for.
Together with Fynn, who is trying to steal all treats, it's not scary!
By myself..... hmm... still thinking about it.
Okay, I'll sit here next to you. You smell nice ;-) And have Yummy treats, I think I like you 2!
Rueben is a velcro dog who wouldn't set a step without me. For him to be laying there and not being next to me on sitting on my feet was a miracle. I went to use the bathroom and he didn't even follow me! ;-) Needless to say it was love at first sight for both of them. After 2 hours of chatting, we signed the adoption contract, put on his harness and Waldo carried him out to the car and put him in his crate with a pillow case that W. slept on all week. Just so he would have his familiar smell with him. And off they went. 2 extremely happy people and 1 happy pup. We're happy too, no I didn't cry, we couldn't have asked for better or more fitting parents for this special boy. We will miss him, especially Fynn will miss him, but we still have Fynn-pup-boy to entertain and love us.
Our other boy is on his way to his forever home and that's how it should be, it's why we do what we do.
Anita and Laurel have send me several updates since and we are all amazed by how well he has adapted and how fast he feels at home. His whole attitude towards this change tells me he was ready for this, to be the spoiled pup with doting parents. he loves his new older brother who is 14 years old. I know he would do well, he loved our Lotte who is also 14 and was very respectful of her. Never tried to engage her in play by pestering her like he could do with Fynn. I think he like the quietness of an older dog and I know he will have lots of play time with the Aussie friends Anita and Laurel have, No we're not worried one bit ;-)
Many thanks go to my dear friend Vicki who was so brave to trust me with Rueben to find his forever home. I'm humbled and honored that she found the courage to do so and most of all thankful that we got to share his life and his love even if it was just for a little while. This little dog has some much love to give and I'm happy with got some of it.
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