Adoption Day

"Yesterday was an adoption day.  I came home mentally and physically beat.  I was way too exhausted to write, but I have discovered that this is a great way for me to vent at the end of the day. So there is a dilemma… I can stay up and write into the wee hours and get all the emotions out, or I can fall into bed, toss and turn, and stay up all night replaying all the events of the day.

My day started with Emma, one of our rescue dogs, jumping the fence and taking off.  Harry left to set up for the adoption, and I kept calling her to get her home before I had to leave.  I could hear her barking relentlessly through the woods, and I was concerned that she had fallen into the ravine and couldn't get out. I called my neighbor and asked her to check outside to see if she could spot her.  She was there all right.  She had their cat trapped under their deck!  They chased her off, and she came home, but she made up her mind she wasn't coming inside.  Exasperated, I left for the adoption.

We had a little puppy at the adoption that we called Foxy. I knew I had to get her placed because the foster mom had company and couldn't take her back.   We also had Merlin, a wonderful big guy that has been shoved around way too much.  It's been a  mystery to me why he is still waiting for a home.  He's a beautiful boy, and so well trained.  We had Petey come back as well, to my dismay.  He is a darling Pit Bull, and he just hasn't found the right family.  We were so sure that the foster family would adopt him, but I guess their young Boxer got on his nerves, and Petey put him in his place.  That ended that!  We also took out a very sweet and depressed boy named Mac from animal control.  He's a four year old Boxer/Lab mix.  My heart went out to him.  He was turned in by his owner, and I could see the grief in his eyes.

It's so nerve racking to do these adoptions.  These animals need a home, and animal control fills up too quickly.  The pressure is on us every week to save them.  Passers by have no idea what we are really feeling out there.  They have no idea the pressure we are under to find these animals good loving homes.

All the comments are well intended, but they drive us crazy!

"I'd take everyone home if I could."  We hear that over and over.  My response to that... "We're not asking you to take every one home, but saving one life would be wonderful."

"Good luck!  I hope you get rid of all of them."  We're not trying to "get rid of them."  Their owners did that.  We're trying to save their lives!

They look at tiny puppies and ask, "Are they housebroken?"  That's like asking if  a newborn baby is potty trained!  "What are you thinking?"  I want to respond, but I bite my lip!

"Do they shed?  I don't want dog hair in my house."   My response... Get a poodle or a stuffed animal.

"Do they have to come inside?  We don't want a dog inside."  I want to say, "No, of course not!  Just leave them outside alone to freeze. They don't need to see people anyway.  Just throw the dog some food and forget it."  But I don't say that.  I simply reply, "Yes, they have to be allowed to come inside."

One thing that really gets to me is this one; "Oh, I could never foster.  I just couldn't take one home and have to bring it back."  My answer to that is simple.  "It's not about you;  it's about them.  It's about being unselfish and putting yourself out there to save a life.  Without foster homes they die."

You can see how frustrating this can be as we stand out there twice a week for at least 6 hours a day trying to save these animals.  No one knows the anxiety and stress we experience unless they've done this themselves.  A very nice lady came by yesterday and told us how much she appreciated us.  "I did this for a few years back home, but I burned out," she said.  I knew just what she was talking about.  I reason with myself on a daily basis why I need to quit doing this after seven long stressful years, but then I think of the animals in those cages over there waiting for someone to come and save them.  I just can't walk away from them.

About noon we  had a couple come by, and they fell in love with Petey.  They had a dog that passed away recently, and they had another older dog at home.  We felt that Petey would be fine with their older dog.  They signed the foster to adopt papers and walked away proudly  parading Petey through the foyer of the mall as people commented on what a fine dog he is.   His tail was wagging wildly, and he seemed to know that he was going home. Hopefully this time it will happen for him.

Then a young girl came by and decided that she wanted little Foxy.  She had been looking for a puppy, but we suggested that she take the puppy home to foster for a week just to make sure that she is up for such a commitment.  I hope she is!

Another couple met Mac, and it seemed to be a perfect match.  I was almost in tears watching them. He had his big head in the lady's lap, and she just sat there stroking his head for at least an hour. She walked with a cane, so they wanted to make sure they got a gentle dog that wouldn't pull her down.  He seemed great with other dogs out there at the adoption, and his previous owner said that he had been with other dogs, so we felt good about him being with their Beagle.

  He would put his foot on her husband's foot just for the comfort of touching someone.  The lady was deeply touched by all the affection that he was giving to them,  and they made up their mind to take him home with a foster to adopt.  They walked away proudly with Mac, and they headed to Walmart for toys, and doggie things.  We all waved good-bye as they headed off.  Mac was in the back seat with his big head resting on the man's shoulder. "I am so happy for Mac," I said to my friend, Kelly.  We all had tears in our eyes just watching them drive way.  I even got a picture text of him in the truck that said, "We love Mac."

A guy came by and spent some time looking at Merlin.  He introduced him to his dog, and he said he thought he might foster him.  He's a nice person, and a real dog lover.  His other dog died recently, and I could tell that he was struggling with the idea of bringing Merlin home.  Another young man was also interested in Merlin and promised to call back, but we hadn't heard from him.

"I really need to get him in a safe foster home," I told the man.  "Please consider taking him for a week , so he doesn't have to go back to animal control."   He decided he would take him home to foster him, and Merlin seemed very happy to jump in the car with his other dog and head down the road.

We were all rejoicing that all of the dogs were safe.  There were still kitties that had to go back to their foster homes, but no one had to go back to animal control.  It had been a good day. We had some work to do on our website, so three of us headed to Panera to do a few things on the computer.  It was about 5 PM and we were beat. We just got settled, and the phone rang.  It was Helen, the lady that took Mac.

"Penny, I'm so upset. I just hate to call you, but we're going to have to bring Mac back." she sounded like she was in tears, and my heart just froze.

"Why?" I asked feeling totally shocked

"He growled at our beagle, and the hair stood up on his back.  He jumped up on the bed where our beagle was, and I don't think he will get along with our dog."

"But you just got home! " I reasoned.  "This takes time.  He is not dog aggressive.  He is probably wanting you to himself, and he has to learn that there is another canine friend there for him.  Can't you give this a little time?"

"No, I just don't think it will work," she said

"I have no where to put him at this hour, " I said, feeling panic set in. "The gates are locked at 6 PM at animal control.  I don't see how you will make it back here, so we can get him there in time. I just hate this for him," I said as my friends looked on in disbelief.

"We'll hurry," she said.

We all sat there numb.  We just couldn't believe it.  "Poor Mac," Kelly said.  Pat looked ill as she shook her head.  "Poor Mac," was  all we could say as the mood changed abruptly.

Within minutes the phone rang again.  I was hoping it was Helen telling me that they had changed their minds.  It was Mark, the man that took Merlin.

"I may have acted too quickly taking Merlin.  We just got home, and he's pacing around the house," he said.  I had been standing, but I sunk into the chair.  Everyone's eyes were on me waiting to hear who was on the phone.

"You must have just walked in the door!" I said  feeling sick to my stomach.  "He's great in the house," I continued on.  "He's been in a foster home, and everyone loves him!  The other young man that wanted him just stopped by,  and I told him that you were fostering Merlin and he left!.  Maybe I can call him and see if he will take him," I said as everyone at the table looked absolutely stunned.

"Well, he's playing with my dog now," he said.  "I can come and get a crate from you  otherwise, but if you can get a hold of the other guy it might be good."

I called the young man, but I got his voicemail.   'I give up!" I said.

Just then Helen and her husband showed up with Mac.  She was very upset.  It was 5:50, and we would have to race to animal control to get Mac back in time. I asked Kelly to make some calls to get Merlin safe, and Harry and I took off to animal control.

"Hurry up," the guy at the gate told us.  "I need to get out of here."

We raced up to the building, and Harry got poor confused Mac out of the back of the SUV.  I was in tears at the sight of that dear soul going back into that cage after seeing the transformation in him with that couple.

 "Don't worry, Mac,"I  called out  the window as Harry whisked him away.  "We'll get you a wonderful home. I promise!"  "We'll be back in a few days!"

Harry came back and hurried through the gate so we wouldn't inconvenience the poor guy who was  ready to go home.  "

"I feel so sad for him,"I said wiping tears.  "If I didn't have to leave town I would never have brought him back here."

"He's a great dog," Harry reassured me.  "You will find him a good home.   He's safe for now. He'll be fine."

We got back to the mall, and the group was there waiting for us.   Kelly had things under control with Merlin.  The new foster dad had come and had taken him home.  "Everything is OK, " Kelly said.  "Let's go see Nikie."

Should we go now or after dinner?" I asked Harry.

"Let's go see the guy now," He said.

Nikie was happy to hear our voices. He got up and leaned into me, and greeted everyone. He's so thin, but he is eating now. In time he will recover from all of this horror he has lived through. The emotional scars of what ever happened at the house is another story.

We went to see Hope, the parvo puppy.  She looked pretty sick, but they were still optimistic that she would make it.  The poor little thing broke my heart alone in that cage curled up on her little blanket.

" I don't know who will take care of her when she leaves here,"I said.  "Somehow we'll figure it out.  she needs love and care."

Our eyes all went to a poor old dog that had been brutally attacked by another dog.  I found out the night before when I saw her at the vet office that she was 15 years old.  She had been stapled up all around her back down to her stomach. there were staples all over her body.  I just couldn't believe she survived at that age.  I had been told that her owner had cancer and was going through chemo. It was a terribly sad story.

As I walked down the hall, Harry called me to come to meet a man standing with him. The man looked very worn out.

"This is the gentleman that owns the poor old dog that was attacked.  He just got out of the hospital today.  He's been getting Chemo treatments.  That's his wife over at the desk.  They are very upset.  He will be spending a lot of time in the hospital off the mountain. He's having surgery in a week in Winston Salem. They are looking for help for Lucky. They were asking the staff about a rescue for her just now. I told them that you run a rescue."

The poor man had tears in his eyes. "I don't know what we'll do with her after all this.  She needs care, and we won't be here."

"Don't worry about her,"I said.  "She will be taken care of.  This is God's timing. He knew you needed help, and we just happened to show up while you were here."

"Thank you! Thank you! "He said as he hugged me. I hugged him back with a prayer on my lips for him. As he and Harry continued to talk, I walked up to the desk.

"This is Penny Muller,"  the girl at the desk told the woman. She has Friends For Life Animal Rescue. She is the lady I was telling you about."

The poor woman looked exhausted. The poor pathetic dog just laid on the floor and never moved, and I couldn't help to wonder why they did all of this to a 15 year old dog.  How would she ever recover from such injuries?

"We were gone when it happened. I  hadn't seen her until now," she said.  My neighbor brought her in. It's really bad. We have to go back to the hospital. I don't know what to do with Lucky.  I have no more money to keep her here."

She was writing two post dated checks to cover the $500.00 balance of a $2,000.00 bill on her 15 year old dog.  It made me sick to see the stress on her face. I was upset that the remainder of the bill was even being discussed with this poor woman at this time. How much more could this couple take?

I knew that I was there for a reason...  actually for two reasons.  One, to help care for Lucky, and two, to be a blessing to them with that bill.  Sometimes we just have to pay it forward.  God puts us to the test to see if we really are what we proclaim to be.  They don't need all this financial stress over vet bills on top of the cancer treatment!  There is still part of a bill that needs to be taken care of, but I pray that we can get that taken care of somehow.

This couple hugged us again and thanked us over and over. We knew that this was a "God thing." I told them I would be back in town to pick up Lucky before they had to go back to the hospital.  How are Harry and I going to add a poor old dog full of staples to all the rest of the chaos?   I don't know, but God never gives you more than you can handle.  Maybe someone will step forward to help with her.  If not, we will see to it that Lucky is safe and loved.

I'm drained just writing this, and you have probably heard all you want to hear about my Saturday!  Pray for Lucky, Hope, and Nikie.  Pray for this lovely couple going through the trials of cancer.  Be a light in someone's darkness!

Thanks for coming today!