The economy has hit home, and it hit hard. My husband was laid off from his job as an industrial electrician on Friday the thirteenth. We’ve known it was coming but that doesn’t make it any less dramatic when it happens. While most people fret and worry when they get a blow like this, we did the opposite and celebrated all the extra time we would have together as a family, and what better way to do that than to adopt a new love monkey into our family. I am a firm believer in the law of attraction, the law of the universe that whatever we think we become. If we think about all the bad things in life we attract more of them into our midst because that is where our thoughts lead us. It is difficult at first to make the jump to concentrating on the goodness in our lives rather than allowing the fear to overwhelm us, but it is certainly worth the effort because we now have a full bevy of bubs in our midst. We adopted Vinson from the Randolph County Humane Society, the half husky half shepherd with one blue eye and one brown eye that had been shot in the hind leg. This is not a willy-nilly selection because without being educated about the breeds and their requirements in addition to alpha and beta personalities you stand no chance of having a successful relationship. First and foremost I am familiar with both the husky and shepherd breeds, so it’s not a shock to me that we generate enough dog hair in one day to fill a large vacuum cleaner bag. He’s approximately one year old, and I am familiar with one year old shepherd terrorists so I know you need to get the meat off the kitchen counter as soon as you’re finished cutting it if you are intent on eating it. Otherwise you’ll turn around to find a very satisfied bub lying on the floor, licking his paws to get any remaining meat juice that may still be clinging to his fur while the rest of your family is in the other room hollering that they’re hungry. Budward, our twelve year old husky-shepherd mix can barely walk now with a disease attacking the nerves in his spine, so I knew we could not bring an alpha dog into the mix. Any bub that wanted to have a home with us would have to bow to Budward and Girlie Sue, and Action Jackson since he was third in the mix. So when I heard about unassuming Vinson, the shepherd-husky mix that had been shot, I knew he was the dog for us. I didn’t try to adopt him immediately in order to give all of you the opportunity to have a shepherd-husky mix in your lives, but when no one stepped forward I knew it was time or he would be transported to another no-kill shelter to see if there was a family there that would take him to his forever home. I’ve never known an easier home coming than we had with Vinson. Girlie Sue, Jack and Vinson played outside for three hours straight upon his arrival while Budward and I visited inside. Girlie Sue finally got tuckered out and came inside with us old folks while the youngsters continued to play, rolling around in the fenced dog’s yard for hours on end. Their yard is approximately 1 acre, and the two puppies ran and chased each other, enjoying the freedom they now have as only shelter dogs that lived in cages can understand. Ever since Jack first came to us last August he has walked with me to the back room to get chowder, always looking in the chowder bin to make sure there was enough food for everyone. When the bin would get low Jack would look at me while I assured him that he will never be hungry again, even if the bin gets low I will make sure he is taken care of. I expected there to be problems at dinner time because of his recent memories of starvation but there were no problems. They ate their meals while respecting the rights of their housemates and the food in their bowls. When night time came, the dogs all went with us to our bedroom, each one getting up on the bed for individual attention before lights out. Then Jack and Vinson fell asleep next to each other on the floor with their paws and legs entwined as if they’d been together their whole lives. I know I’m supposed to be the one that is doing a good deed by adopting the shelter dog but somehow I feel like I’m the one that is getting all the benefits. It just doesn’t get any better than to be adored and cherished by four cold noses, each one loving you more than you thought possible.
If you’re ready to make the transition from worry and fret to laughter and joy, take stock of your situation and make an informed choice as to what breed would be a good friend to have by your side, then adopt one. It’s your four legged friends that will bring you out of your funk and into the world of laughter and delight, allowing you to attract love and light into your life during this very dark time. It’s all there waiting for you, just a shelter visit away. And never forget, it is only through you that the Randolph County Humane Society continues to save lives, one by one.
