Who saved whom?
If you have adopted an animal from a shelter or a rescue, there is a chance that although you intended to save the animal from shelter life, the animal saved you as well.
By welcoming the shelter animal – now called a pet and regarded as family – into your home, you gave the animal the ability to return the favor tenfold. Many rescued animals know they have been saved and will show their gratitude in different ways.
Showing their thanks goes far beyond the dog who barks to wake the family from a house fire or the cat who jumps and bounces on the stomach of a young girl going into diabetic shock. Most animals repay their adopter with far more subtle gestures like lying their head on your lap as you read. Animals can sense when a human is sad or upset. Service animals have been trained to support individuals with PTSD or severe depression, but the average household pet can also sense when you need a little extra love.
When we lost our 14-year-old black Labrador, Bear, back in December 2020, one of our other dogs, Bentley, began to act differently. He noticed that Bear was no longer in the home. He also recognized that mom and dad were sad and not our usual cheerful selves. We adopted Bentley from the shelter when others overlooked him. He was in terrible condition and weighed just 40 lbs. For a large golden retriever, he was extremely underweight. He had very little hair, and his body was covered with sores from fleas and other insect bites.
We nursed him back to health and, within eight months, he was a very handsome 80-pound golden with a winning personality. I believe Bentley remembers what we did for him and is thankful. When he realized Bear was gone and we were sad, I think he figured out what had happened. Instead of laying on the floor near our feet, he jumped on the couch and laid next to us, using his snout to probe us to pet him. Touching Bentley did make us feel better. He kept up this new behavior for about a month and then went back to lying on the floor.
People experience sadness throughout their lives – some more than others – but sadness is not unique to only a select few. We all deal with sorrow due to disappointments, a loss of a loved one, an unexpected challenge that ended poorly, or just plain and simple loneliness.
I hear from people regularly who tell me that the new pet they saved also saved them in return. Sometimes, people don’t realize just how much they need a pet in their life.
I also hear from people who have recently lost their best friend and say, “I will never have another pet. It’s too hard to deal with their passing.”
Losing your pet can be devastating.
The hurt you experience confirms how much you needed the pet in your life. Never having another pet would be a travesty, considering how many pets need a loving home and a human with a kind heart to care for them.
Experience your grief in whatever timetable is comfortable for you. In time you can tell your heart to beat again and let another animal save you while you save them. How do you know when you have been saved? A dog knows when they are lying on your bed belly up, snoring away. You know, when you see your dog on your bed and a smile comes to your face.
Please, adopt, don’t shop.