The Paw Files
Almost four years ago I adopted/was given a dog from BARCS Animal Shelter in Baltimore. Declan Blue was to become a Peanut Allergen Alert Service Dog for my daughter. It was a time of deep frustration and I decided I did not want to watch her fight for her life again. In short, things were not so pawe some during training, and he was not treated as well as he should have been. He had a home no matter what, and we finally met on Sept. 1, 2015.
This week, for unknown reasons, Declan fell out of our second-storey window, slid down the roof of the veranda into the tree below, and then dragged himself to the end of the driveway awaiting our return from a quick trip to the library.
To find your dog outside when he is not with you, on his leash, is shocking. To see your dog falling over trying to follow you into the house ... well, there are no words, except emergency vet visit. (Turns out he has one broken bone in his front paw, two very swollen wrists, lots of bug bites and scrapes. Pretty lucky little man.)
All we have been through with Declan, and all I know (and can guess) he has been through, is why I do this each week. He has gone through so many changes in his life: from homeless to foster home, back to the shelter and then another foster home, in-training to his final stop with his family.
His personality is as massive as his head. He is funny, intelligent, goofy, curious and, secretly, a crazy cat lady. He is also a bed hog, a squeaky toy killer, a surprise kissy face, and ... a bit of a tooter. Trying to imagine life without him is impossible. To say he has changed our lives would be an understatement. He is actually what our family was missing. To think one week would mean we never would have met... well, we got to him in time!
So my Declan had a pretty terrifying Tuesday and was expertly handled by Kelly Hodder, so he was able to give kisses, wag his tail and be his ‘adorkable’ self while going through the unimaginable pain of examination after such a Scooby Doo type experience. Being able to bring my bubbaloo to people I was not familiar with and see how comfortable he was – made things a little easier on all of us. For the next few days he gets to be a sofa tater, and be waited on hand and foot. And carried around.
While accidents happen, please let our experience stick in your minds and keep your little furry ones safe!