The hound dog in the tub with the big
dreamy eyes has only one New Year’s resolution, aside from keeping sparkly clean. He’s howl bent on being
a better dog.
His initial
motivation is sure to break your heart. Our bubble bath boy was hoping if he accomplished his objective, his ‘humans’
would come back. But he wasn’t quite sure how to achieve this lofty goal. He thought he might have known the secret
once upon a time, but that was nearly ten years ago when he was still a puppy. He remembers feeling like a part of the family
in those days. Maybe they just liked him more back then for some reason. They used to pat his head and call him by name. He
barely recognizes his name anymore. Perhaps it’s just as well. They named him after booze.
He
was a farm dog. You might think that would be fun, but it all depends on whether or not you’re considered family. For
some dogs, it can be a lonely life left tied outside. For some dogs, days are spent waiting and wishing for just an occasional
pat on the head.
The farm where he lived was
sold and his humans were preparing to move. He assumed he’d be joining them, especially when they helped him into the
car a couple weeks before Christmas. He loves car rides! But the excitement was short-lived. They brought him to a strange
place, signed a piece of paper and left. He’d never been inside an animal shelter before. It felt crowded
with so many sad dogs barking around him. But he didn’t know it was over-crowded. He didn’t know the kind staff
had some difficult choices to make. He didn’t know he was among the “unadoptable” because of his age. He
didn’t know it didn’t matter if you were young at heart. But he also didn’t know the nice lady who gave
him a soothing bath soon after his arrival and let him hang out with her in the front office whenever she could, was desperately
trying to save his life. She made a phone call and, afterwards, she bent down to meet his soulful eyes and told him to cross
his paws.
Christmas came and went. If not for the nice lady, he may have given up
all hope. Despite the circumstances, his tail remained operational. That’s because of all the attention she gave him.
It made him happy and happiness is always worth a tail-wag. Little did he know things were about to get even more wag worthy!
The nice lady had finally found him a fairytale happy ending with Big On Beagles (BOB) Rescue. He didn’t
know he was only one exciting car ride away from a foster family anxiously counting the days until they could pat his head
for the first time. He also didn’t know someone had been working on a new name for him. It needed to be one that sounded
close enough to his old one, just in case he vaguely remembered being named after booze, but much nicer.
By
the time this article comes out, we will have enjoyed a whole week with our first rescue of the year. That adds up to at least
a thousand pats on a very special dog’s head accompanied by a thousand grateful tail wags.
We
named him Wesley, after the farm boy in The Princess Bride…”Poor and perfect, with eyes like the sea after
a storm.”
There’s
nothing quite like true love to kick off a new year! We loved Wesley before we even met him. The stories passed along by his
devoted office mate at the shelter and the family who gave him temporary lodging a week before his one-way trip to Toronto,
was all it took to win our hearts. Wesley loves hugs. Wesley loves walkies. Wesley loves sleeping in the people bed.
Wesley loves cheese and crackers.
He’s still
working on that resolution but with a different goal. He figures if he keeps striving for perfection, his new humans will
give him even more loving…if that’s possible. Wesley is a bit of a perfectionist, especially if his efforts might
lead to more cheese and crackers. Of course, he’s got our full support. Don’t we all want to be a better version
of ourselves? Despite how perfect he already is in our eyes, we resolve to cheer him on with a pat on his head and a whisper
in his ears, “As you wish!”
Here’s to worthwhile resolutions!
Our thanks to Sarah at Kingston Humane Society for resolving to save Wesley by calling Big On Beagles (BOB) Rescue, www.bigonbeagles.ca! We also thank brand new foster parents, Ben
& Catherine, for their own timely resolution – to give a less fortunate beagle the chance to find true love! Finally,
we thank YOU for resolving to inspire rescue groups like ours year after year, resolute dog after resolute dog. Happy YAPPY
New Year, everyone!
