By Loree Walden
For as long as I can remember, my brother and his wife have had dogs. They’ve always adopted the ones who were overlooked either for medical issues, age, or just needing too much care.
There was Tonshu and Shasta who were German Shepherds who needed extra care and attention. There was Sally, who’s owner fell upon hard times and had to rehome her dogs. Sally was an Irish Wolfhound who was 6 years old and spayed, and thus nobody wanted her… until Loren & Erica met her!
There was Gandalf whose owner was a friend. Gandalf was not neglected or not wanted… he had an FCE (stroke in the spine) at four months of age & was paralyzed in the back legs. His owner got him up & walking again, then Loren & Erica brought him home at 6 months of age because they had the means and the facilities near their home where he could get the help he needed.
He went to various rehabs daily – physical therapy w/PT vets, hydrotherapy, & canine massage. He always walked with a limp but was the biggest love bug! Sadly, Gandalf crossed the Rainbow Bridge about two weeks before his fifth birthday.
Winnie was their first puppy and you’ll read more about her and their story below.
Destiny and The Dog with No Name
Our oven arrived at 3:17. It was to be delivered between 11:00 and 2:00. Erica was in the house crying. There has been a lot of that from both of us. Our 2-year Irish Wolfhound, Eowyn, “Winnie” died on the operating table the day before with complications from anesthesia and a compromised heart.
Winnie was our first puppy. We have had several rescue dogs over the last 27 years – all loved, and by choice we often brought home the “projects” or dogs that may get passed over. We have the experience, time, and means to help these dogs. But this time we desired a puppy that would be with us for many years.
Raising a puppy presents its own challenges, but she developed into a dream come true. The dog who ran out to the field to play with us and her four-legged friends with abandoned joy. She only knew joy in her short life. Her death left our legs with no lift and our hearts empty and aching.
The night of Winnie’s death, as we consoled each other, we decided to foster a dog. Our house is not a home without sharing it with a canine companion. We know every day there are animals that need a home, and often only one day can make a life and death difference. Besides, “What would we talk about if we did not have an animal with us?” an inside joke that helped break the sorrow if only for a moment.
The appliance installer sported a gray tattoo of a dog on his arm, and another tattoo on his shaved head of a dog snuggled over his ear and onto his temple.
I told him that our dog died yesterday and that I could barely keep it together. He looked at me and said that he understood, nodding to the tattoo on his arm. He was sorry for our loss and in soft tones we shared stories of dogs in our lives – averting each other’s eyes as we spoke.
When he learned that our dog was an Irish Wolfhound, he said that at one time he lived next door to a breeder who had “too many dogs” and some were Irish Wolfhounds. He contacted her to see if she had any available.
We learned she had one, a 9-month-old who was paid for, but the people who wanted him kept postponing the pickup and eventually disappeared. The breeder said we could have him if we wanted him, and she would be glad of it as he was going to be destroyed. We made the drive there the very next day.
Perhaps you have watched videos of puppy mill situations. This pup had been out in a cow pen for months, was infested with fleas, scabs, a deep open untreated wound on his chin, hematoma on both ears, emaciated, skittish, filthy, and frightened.
“What’s his name?” I asked.
“Name? Well, he ain’t got one, but he is a handful.”
We knew we had to get him out of there.
It took cautious and practiced patience to get a leash on him and out of the kennel where they had “corralled him with a rope”. It took time to get him to move a few feet towards our vehicle without bucking and straining at the leash.
We took it slowly and carefully, not knowing the dog. Not wanting to put any of us in danger or to set further trauma upon him.
It was on this twenty-foot journey to the car that he stopped and refused to move—mind you, even a malnourished nine-month-old Irish Wolfhound is a formidable being.
After several frustrating minutes I cautiously knelt down near him and tearfully in a choked voice whispered aloud “Winnie, I need your help. I think you brought us here to help this guy, and I don’t think we can do this without your help.”
A moment later this pup lifted his head a bit and moved tentatively towards my wife and the car. With a little more coaxing he stepped in and curled tightly upon the bed not to move for the two-hour drive to his new home.
Liam now has a name, love, a quiet home, veterinary care, nutrition, and is learning about his new family routines. After three weeks he lets us gently touch him and takes food from our hands.
We are reminded that transformations take time, and we are going to give him all the time he needs. He is a challenge, he is a joy, and he is a gift from Winnie to help us all heal.
Thank you for letting us share our story. We encourage you to look past some of the challenges that come with some dogs, and to look into your heart and realize what you can do for that dog, and more importantly what that dog may do for you.
No animal should have to go through what Liam did. To not even have a name? To never have been inside a home? To never have had a bed of his own? To have only known pain and suffering? To not know what it’s like to be loved and taken care of?
Sadly, we all know it happens every day, and as much as we wish we could, we can’t save them all.
But we can be their voice. We can share their stories and hope that someone will hear them and help. We can advocate to stop these puppy mills and breeders who treat their animals like a commodity instead of a living being.
The old adage of, “If you see something, say something” can be a lifesaving decision for an animal. (By the way, this puppy mill has been reported.)
Our message is that all dogs deserve a home of their own, and to be loved and taken care of. Luckily, my brother and sister-in-law are able to provide this to the dogs who have come into their lives for one reason or another.
Was it because Loren and Erica needed them, or they needed Loren and Erica? I think it’s a little of both, and it’s why I say… with every adoption/rescue I see, “Who rescued who?”
