Volunteering: The Best Feeling In the World
I've had dogs all my life but growing up our dogs always came from a breeder or even a pet store (that was the 1970s for you). When I was a child I read all of Beverly Cleary's books. Her first novel, Henry Huggins is about a boy who finds a stray dog and manages to get him home on the public bus. The dog's name is Ribsy, and I was absolutely captivated by the story. My parents always wanted little dogs, but Ribsy was a big mixed breed stray. So as an adult, as soon as I was able, I visited a shelter and found my own Ribsy, a mixed breed we named Belle. She was very sick when we got her, she actually had pneumonia and almost died. But she went on to become such a great member of our family. Even trick or treating as Sirius Black with my kids.
When Belle was older I got her a companion, Steve, also a rescue (not sure she appreciated it, actually). While Belle had settled easily into our house, Steve did not. A big lab mix with an even bigger heart and a huge sense of adventure, Steve tested me many times. We had to chop down a peach tree in the backyard, because Steve was eating all the peaches, including the pits, which are poisonous. He'd rush outside, start inhaling peaches, and then run back inside and promptly throw up and have diarrhea all over the house. Steve had never lived in a house before he came to live with us, and it took months of patience to get him to be a civilized dog. Nine years later, Steve is still a handful.
When Belle crossed the rainbow bridge, Steve went into a funk (we all did). I knew we needed another dog, but I knew Steve REALLY needed another dog. I've always believed that most dogs do better in pairs, and Steve is a real social butterfly. A search ensued and I discovered Lucky Dog. Steve, my kids and I attended an event and after speed dating several dogs, Steve chose a smaller female named Cara. We renamed her Cara Luna. Luna is a former street dog from Puerto Rico and she is the smartest dog I have ever met. She loves to hunt in the backyard, and until I got two very large bells that she now wears, she was extremely successful. She rings a bell to go outside, and she can let herself back in by turning the handle. She's a problem solver and I have to stay one step ahead of her at all times!
When I adopted Luna, her foster Courtney followed up to see how she was settling in and to check on her. I started following Courtney on social media, and one day she put up a post that Lucky Dog was looking for new fosters, and with my younger child graduating from high school, I thought it would be a fun thing to start doing. The foster who sticks with me was a dog from Puerto Rico named Gorilla... Gorilla was so scared when he first arrived he didn't want to come out of the crate. With Steve and Luna's help, I worked with Gorilla to show him the house was safe, walks were safe, we were safe, he was safe. The day he was adopted I felt an enormous sense of accomplishment. He went off to live with a wonderful family and I know he's living his best life.
In addition to fostering, I've gone on to become an adoption coordinator for Lucky Dog. I love talking to people at the events. Drawing from my experiences with my dogs, I feel I am able to really prepare people to bring a dog into their lives. It's made me realize there is always another Ribsy out there, and if I can help find a home for one, that's the best feeling in the world.