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
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