We ❤️ Julie (Week 51)
"Most people I've met who weren't kind to animals weren't kind to people either. Kindness is kindness. Simple as that."
It seems perfectly fitting that I close out 52 Weeks of Goodness with sage words from the often-irreverent-but-always-topical Ricky Gervais. A known dog lover and animal rights advocate, he's also currently co-starring with Brandy the rescued German Shepherd in the wonderful comedy drama AfterLife. The show came along at the same time Val and I adopted a rescue of our own, a tiny little scruffy mutt from Mexico who came to us as Julie. And Julie she shall remain.
When Gervais says stuff like "dogs will save humanity" I totally get it. They have the power to make us all better human beings, especially when we give them a second chance on life. For us, that meant a local rescue operation called Mex-Can, which takes in abandoned and mistreated pooches from the Guanajuato region of central Mexico. We were introduced to Marlene, who gave us the thumbs-up and set the gears in motion.
It had been two years since our family said a sad farewell to our 16-year-old beagle Piper, and for the longest time I had sworn off ever having a dog in my life again. Then one day our daughter Holly asked me "Dad, how can your heart be so cold?" Ya know, she was right. Missing an old dog is hard, but it shouldn't harden your heart, because we all have more to give.
And so Julie came into our lives. It was love at first sniff. After picking her up from her rescue handler in Sidney, we brought her back to our home and calmly comforted her trembling little 7-pound body. Julie knew something was up, and we could only hope to make this transition a little less frightening than it already was. In the first few days, she had numerous "accidents" as she sorted out in her head just what the heck was going on. But our friends at Mex-Can had assured us this was normal, and so we gave her lots of room to make mistakes as her week of discovery continued.
It was astounding how much progress Julie made in just 7 days. By the end of the week, she had gone from a reluctant and fearful little bundle to a brave little lady who pranced proudly beside Val and me as we walked down to the beach. She had also discovered every nook and cranny of our spacious yard, and was doing all of her business outdoors. She even began to display her zany personality, which would include racing up to me and launching herself into my arms, and some surprisingly robust wrestling on the couch. But mostly, she just liked to be right beside us, either warming our laps or nestled on a cozy warm blanket just inches away.
I hardly need to list all the great reasons for adopting a dog. Besides the obvious of reducing pet overpopulation, you are preventing the further abuse or neglect of an animal who deserves nothing more than just love. We already knew from experience that adopted animals also tend to be healthier than their purebred puppymill cousins. Ol' Piper only darkened the door of a vet a handful of times (other than checkups) over his long tenure with us, and rewarded us with a worry-free relationship.
Of course, you're also bringing a ton of happiness into your own life when you add a dog to the family. Studies have shown that pet owners live longer, and are more content. Even the act of petting an animal can significantly reduce stress in your life. And, as Ricky Gervais suggests, treating a pet with kindness teaches us how to be kind to each other.
Maybe the real life we're saving is our own.
Thank you so much for joining me on my journey. For everyone who has said they got something from my blog, were perhaps inspired, or even just enjoyed it, namaste.
NEXT WEEK: Reflecting on the 52 weeks and what it has meant
It seems perfectly fitting that I close out 52 Weeks of Goodness with sage words from the often-irreverent-but-always-topical Ricky Gervais. A known dog lover and animal rights advocate, he's also currently co-starring with Brandy the rescued German Shepherd in the wonderful comedy drama AfterLife. The show came along at the same time Val and I adopted a rescue of our own, a tiny little scruffy mutt from Mexico who came to us as Julie. And Julie she shall remain.
When Gervais says stuff like "dogs will save humanity" I totally get it. They have the power to make us all better human beings, especially when we give them a second chance on life. For us, that meant a local rescue operation called Mex-Can, which takes in abandoned and mistreated pooches from the Guanajuato region of central Mexico. We were introduced to Marlene, who gave us the thumbs-up and set the gears in motion.
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| Wee Julie going for a ride in Guanajuato |
And so Julie came into our lives. It was love at first sniff. After picking her up from her rescue handler in Sidney, we brought her back to our home and calmly comforted her trembling little 7-pound body. Julie knew something was up, and we could only hope to make this transition a little less frightening than it already was. In the first few days, she had numerous "accidents" as she sorted out in her head just what the heck was going on. But our friends at Mex-Can had assured us this was normal, and so we gave her lots of room to make mistakes as her week of discovery continued.
It was astounding how much progress Julie made in just 7 days. By the end of the week, she had gone from a reluctant and fearful little bundle to a brave little lady who pranced proudly beside Val and me as we walked down to the beach. She had also discovered every nook and cranny of our spacious yard, and was doing all of her business outdoors. She even began to display her zany personality, which would include racing up to me and launching herself into my arms, and some surprisingly robust wrestling on the couch. But mostly, she just liked to be right beside us, either warming our laps or nestled on a cozy warm blanket just inches away.
Of course, you're also bringing a ton of happiness into your own life when you add a dog to the family. Studies have shown that pet owners live longer, and are more content. Even the act of petting an animal can significantly reduce stress in your life. And, as Ricky Gervais suggests, treating a pet with kindness teaches us how to be kind to each other.
Maybe the real life we're saving is our own.
Thank you so much for joining me on my journey. For everyone who has said they got something from my blog, were perhaps inspired, or even just enjoyed it, namaste.
NEXT WEEK: Reflecting on the 52 weeks and what it has meant
We spent 6 weeks with little Julie as one of our room mates. She is a little doll. So happy that she has found such a great home! That is little Julie with my husband, Al in Guanajuato !
ReplyDeleteGreat story, Julie is lucky to have you and vice versa. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDelete