Meet Daisy, our Rescue Dog
It’s often said, “we don’t get the dog we want; we get the dog we need.” I don’t know who said that, but it’s definitely true.
Way before Covid-19 forced us into our homes, my family and I had been considering rescuing another dog. As many of you might recall, I was on the fence about this, because of our senior dog, Dexter. I wasn’t convinced that a new dog was what Dexter needed or wanted in his golden years.
After much debate over adding a second dog to a one dog family, my family and I decided that another dog could be just what the doctor ordered for Dexter, and for all of us.
Being the rescue advocate that I am, I began looking for a dog at rescues and shelters. I had my mind set on rescuing a black Labrador retriever, not necessarily a puppy, either. I was open to a young dog or not-so-young dog but definitely wanted a Lab. As fate would have it, there were no Labs to be found.
I began to consider fostering a Labrador, if I couldn’t straight up adopt a Lab, I’d foster one. But that was not to be either, as foster organizations have strict policies about adopting the dogs you foster. One of the policies is that you can’t adopt the dog you foster until you’ve fostered three or four dogs.
As understandable as this is, it wasn’t something I wanted for me and my family.
Relinquishing any ideas of only adopting a Labrador and allowing for the “right dog” to come to us, as is often the way of the Universe, when you put something out there and release resistant thoughts, the Universe provides.
The very next morning I received a text from my daughter, Nicole, asking me if I wanted one of “these puppies” as seen in a text message she sent, along with this picture:
A litter of eight puppies had been found dumped, in Malibu, near a garbage container, where they were huddled together in their own filth, no Mother to be found. A kindhearted, good Samaritan rescued them, took them to the vet, and saw to it that they received their first round of deworming and set about looking for good homes for them.
I studied their picture. There was no denying how adorable they were with their grey coats and white markings. Undoubtably, pit bulls of some sort. One of the puppies, on the far left had unusual facial markings, she was in my opinion, the most gorgeous of the bunch. I instantly texted back an emphatic YES!
And then I sent their picture to my husband…
What about these puppies? I asked innocently. What kind are they? he immediately asked?
I pretended to play dumb, “Uhm, they look like staffies.” I said, adding, “aren’t they cute?”
After a brief conversation about the puppies, it was left up to me. “It’s up to you.” Those were Larry’s exact words…now before you think, wow, she has a great husband. One, I do have a great husband and two, leaving it up to me could backfire. Especially if the puppy didn’t work out.
So, here’s where I dive in about my personal feelings about pit bulls. Remember, I’m a pet advocate, there are NO bad dogs, just bad people, that train them to do horrible things. Dog’s becomes aggressive due to neglect or abuse or both. Nevertheless, my feelings on pit bulls were, they’re fine for everyone else, just not for me.
As a professional pet sitter and dog walker I’ve met thousands of dogs and yes, many pit bulls. While I thought they we great, they were not my breed of choice. I got Dexter from a rescue and he’s not my breed of choice, but I love him to death, but this time, I really wanted a Lab.
Until I held one of those puppies in my arms and then I wanted that puppy. She could have come from outer space at that point, I just wanted her to come home with us.
As I handed her to my husband, I could immediately see, he felt the same way. We drove home with our new bundle of joy, now named Daisy, in the little cardboard box I had lined with a beach towel.
At home we introduced Daisy to her big brother, Dexter, who of course, immediately hated her.
In the coming days and nights, we fell into an easy routine with Daisy. Due to the pandemic, we had nowhere to go and even if we had wanted to go out, we were advised to stay home. So, we settled in with Daisy, as it became clear that bringing her home had been an excellent decision and we all loved her vey much. My husband and Daisy developed a special bond…maybe it was because Larry insisted it was not good for her to cry herself to sleep in her crate at night-Heaven Forbid!
Instead, when bedtime came, Larry would hold Daisy in his lap, while he sat in his recliner until she fell asleep, softly snoring. Only then, would Larry place her lovingly in her crate for the evening.
As Daisy grew, so did our love for her. During the difficult year that was 2020, having Daisy gave us a new purpose and a schedule to keep. We all bonded over the shared responsibility and joy of taking care of and watching Daisy grow. With the new puppy in our life, a sense of normalcy returned, righting what had been a chaotic free-fall.
The year went by quickly once we had Daisy, and to be honest, she became our obsession. How quickly she grew, capturing our hearts. As a family, we took Daisy to outdoor puppy classes. We took turns training her and walking her. We discovered a neighboring dog park and ventured out, masked, of course, to watch Daisy frolic and play with the other dogs.
Daisy is NOT aggressive, in fact, she is a little bit of a push over, choosing to walk in into the dog park the first time, practically crawling on her front legs, with clear signs of submission.
Once she was inside the dog park, she gave everyone kisses and quickly became the mayor of the dog park.
The unconditional love, devotion and mood boosting we received from Daisy cannot be undervalued. The joy of waking up to a puppy every day is priceless. Daisy saved the year, brought much needed new energy into our house and put a smile on our face like no other.
A year has passed, and Daisy turned one year old, but for us, it never gets tiresome. We would do it all again and remain eternally grateful that an adorable pit-bull named Daisy came into our lives.
If you would like to bring a puppy into your life and household, please consider adopting from a shelter or rescue: Remember, adopt, don’t shop!
