Willow's Rescue: Part One

Willow is my new dog, and she is awesome! Oh and, yes, her story is definitely one of precarious beginnings.

One afternoon I found myself perusing the online ads for affordable rentals just to get an idea of what was available. I was living, unhappily, in a “no pets allowed” apartment with an untidy and contentious roommate. I had just received a raise at work so figured it was time to start looking for a new place. After checking out the rentals, I also scanned the sites of shelters and rescues to see where I could adopt a dog once I moved. Well, I did it all backwards! Yes, I moved, but I adopted a dog first, and this is how it happened:   

I ventured on to Craigslist which everyone knows is the place to find anything and everything— including pets. There were hundreds of ads for dogs, cats, birds, reptiles, you name it. I knew I could easily find a dog when the time came, so satisfied with my research, I was about to close out of the webpage when an ad caught my eye; it said  “rescue me from a life of 24/7 on a balcony.” I had to click on that—right?  It beckoned me; it was predestined, karma, whatever you want to call it—it was meant to be. There I saw the picture of the sweetest little dog you can imagine. She was tiny with big, sad, brown eyes that tugged mercilessly at my heart. The ad said she was less than a year old, left on a balcony 24/7 without shelter, whether in the stinking hot sun or the pouring rain, and had very little human contact. My heart broke for this furry little creature and the cruelty she had been forced to endure. Frustrated and sad that I was not yet in the position to rescue this little pup, I closed out the browser....for about five seconds. I found my way back to the ad, stared into those puppy brown eyes and sent an email; I decided she was mine, and I was going to rescue her.

The ad I saw on Craigslist

The next day I received an email. The ad had been placed by a concerned neighbor. She knew the dog was being severely neglected and mistreated, and that in a few days the owners were moving and planning on taking her to the pound; her situation was dire. The nice neighbor arranged to pick up the dog and I met them in a park. As soon as I reached out my arms to take her, the poor little pooch flew into them like she knew where she belonged. She was so tiny and scared, trembling at every sound and movement. I said goodbye to the kind woman and thanked her for initiating the rescue. She left with tears in her eyes, happy she had found a good home for this little dog who had suffered such a rough start in life. I took her home and named her Willow because I thought she looked like the wispy branch of a willow tree. But now what? I wasn’t allowed to have pets where I lived; a slight hitch. Luckily, it was the end of the month, so I promptly gave my 30 day notice and began looking for a new place to live. In the meantime, it was operation stealth mode.

Next week: Part 2

Who is Writing this Blog?--In a Nutshell

So, exactly who IS this person starting up a blog? More importantly, why should anyone bother to read it?

Well, I guess if you find the answer to the first question interesting, then maybe that will answer the second question, although the two may be mutually exclusive depending on how interesting you find the writing.

I’ve been around for half a century—oh god, already??? Time flies, doesn’t it? Right now, I live in SoCal with my little rescue dog, Willow. More about her in the next blog; she’s fascinating.

So, here’s my life in a nutshell:

I’m half Cuban/Irish, which means, I’m Ricky and Lucy all rolled up into one; this reference should provide sufficient evidence to my years. Okay, let’s just skip the, “I was born and raised” bit and jump to the college years, shall we? My college education was interrupted when I married my best friend from high school, but after five years we divorced when both of us discovered we were gay. During those college years, I studied classical guitar, but post-divorce I went to GIT (Guitar Institute Technology) in Hollywood, CA and studied pop/rock guitar. At the time, I was a born-again Christian, and denying my gayness, joined YWAM (Youth With a Mission) in Amsterdam, The Netherlands where I became a “musicianary.” After five years, or so, I could no longer deny that I was as gay as a picnic basket and “came out,” Shortly thereafter, I left YWAM but lived another ten years in Amsterdam making a rather meager living as a musician. I loved and lost. I converted to Buddhism. I loved again. Disillusioned with life, I took my spiritual conviction and headed off to India where I became a nun in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. After seven years, I became disillusioned with that too, disrobed, and moved back to the U.S. where I now teach guitar and work a day job. I also have a black belt in Taekwondo, but I’ve forgotten most of it and I’m really out of shape. I’m a vegan and a member of PETA( People For the Ethical Treatment of Animals), even though I think it’s okay to feed her meat; yeah, our teeth are different. I’m still a student because I want to change careers—yes, again, and please don’t judge because it’s sooo unattractive.

Well, there you have it. I’ve left out about ninety-five percent of my life, mainly because this is meant to be a short blog, but also, if I give it all away on the first go then I’ll have nothing to write about next week. Not that I plan on writing entirely about myself all the time, mind you, but I do plan on adding an interesting anecdote here and there from my precarious life and travels. I hope you plan to stop by now and then for a visit.

Salut!