I
remember hearing the story long ago of the little boy walking on the shoreline.
It was low tide and thus for miles in each direction thousands of starfish lay
on the sand, scattered between rocks, seaweed, and whatever else kept them from
returning to the water. As he walked, the young boy carefully picked up a
starfish and tossed it back into the water, watching it float to safety before
moving onto the next one. When another older gentleman approached and asked what
he was doing the boy answered that he was throwing the starfish into the water.
With the sun growing stronger in the sky, he explained, if nothing was done the
starfish would die before the tide would be enough to bring them into the
water. The older man was a skeptic, reminding the boy as if he didn’t already
know that there were miles upon miles of beach, each section full of starfish.
There was no way he could possibly make a difference. Upon hearing this the
young boy reached down, picked up the closest starfish, and threw it into the
water turning to this man he replied “I made a difference for that one.”
Although
I must admit that while visiting Oregon this past summer I did search for and
find a few starfish to throw back into the water, that is not the first thing
that comes to mind thinking of this story now. The first thing I think about is
Oreo.
Meeting Oreo
We
didn’t really have the time (or the space) for another dog. Harley was enough
dog for anybody. But after joining a group for Rescue Rovers, it became clear that we
could make room for one more. I wasn’t looking for a dog, but when Rescue
Rovers posted pictures of nine or so dogs that were in shelters with a
euthanization date set for the next day along with a plea for anybody who could
take them in and foster, there was no way I could just sit idly by. After
showing it to Kyle, he was a bit skeptical, not necessarily in the prospect of
having two dogs, but because our schedules were so hectic. At the time we were
both going to school full time while working full time, my time being stretched
between two jobs. We wrote out the email to Jodi and let it sit for a couple of
hours, talking through the pros and cons, not just for us, but for a dog we
would foster. Sometimes you just have to stop overanalyzing things and go with
your gut. We clicked send.
I
can still distinctly remember Oreo’s face in her picture. There she was
cowering against the side of the shelter kennel. Out of all the dogs in the
pictures, she looked the saddest of all. Her head was bent low, avoiding the
gaze of those looking in. Even though in the email we described our situation,
stating we would foster for any dog that needed it, I remember feeling for Oreo
more than any of the other dogs on the list. After nine years of living with
her owners who she had grown to trust and love, they left her at the shelter,
not giving a second thought to her fate.
The
next day Jodi called and asked us if we could take Oreo. She told us that
because she was a senior dog there was a good chance it could take some time
for her to be adopted. We met her after work to pick up a scared and shivering
pup. Every time you would look back at her while driving home, her tail would
thump, nothing compared to the dangerous whacks Harley’s can give when she is
excited, but enough to show just how appreciative she really was.
As
soon as we introduced Harley to Oreo, she began licking her face. To this day
Oreo just tolerates it when this happens. For the first couple of days Oreo was
scared, always hiding under the bed, shaking when standing on the hardwood
floor, and not reacting much to human interaction. It took a lot to get Oreo’s
trust, but once we did, she completely transformed. She no longer hid under the
bed, but made sure to be right in the middle of the action, always close to her
people. Rather than standing in the next room watching us she would find her
place at the foot of the couch, lying on our feet on the carpet during a movie.
The biggest change of all is finding out just how strong of a personality Oreo
has. Some of her favorite things to do include:
·
Sleeping on her Costco
dog bed. If Harley is on it Oreo will go stare at her until Harley
moves (which she will, she would do anything for Oreo)
This picture pretty much sums up Harley's life.
·
Belly rubs, if you walk near her while she is lying down,
she will roll over, exposing her belly to you. It’s almost like she does it
subconsciously sometimes.
·
Play with other dogs. Her number one buddy is Harley, who
she will stick with no matter what, but her other buddies include Daisy, Max
the puppy, Bella (who she gets to hang out with every time we go out of town), Atticus, and Scout.
Here's when Erica's kids and Atticus stayed over for a couple of days. Don't worry, dogs were kicked out of the kitchen before breakfast started!
·
Treats! There are a few words Oreo knows, and “treat” is one
of them. Her favorite tricks to do are speak and sit pretty, which she will do
even before you ask her to if there are treats involved.
·
Walks, you can’t get out the leash without her going insane.
·
Hikes, by far Oreo’s favorite thing to do is go on a hike
where she can be off the leash, meet new dogs, and explore.
It
became clear after just a couple of weeks that it would be too sad to only
foster Oreo, plus I didn’t want to break the trust she had just gained in us.
We became what is known as “foster failures” and decided to keep her. Although
she is now 10, you would never guess her age.
Become a Foster!
Now
if you’re still reading, here’s the whole reason I began writing all this about
Oreo Dog. Currently there are many dogs in the foster program who are
considered “seniors”, the one I have in mind is Maverick, who is thirteen. Most
of these dogs are put into shelters by their owners after many years of love
because of a lifestyle change, or the inability to keep them any longer. We all
go through changes in life. Nothing is definite, but here is something to keep
in mind when you do this: many older dogs do not get a second chance. The
demand for cute puppies is much higher than an older dog who already has a name
and a history. Although I’m all for puppies, here are a few reasons why
adopting or fostering an older dog has its advantages too:
· Both
of our dogs came potty trained. We didn’t have to worry about cleaning up
messes at any time.
· Oreo
is so calm inside, yet take her on a walk and she goes nuts! I take her and
Harley running with me all the time, especially when I was training for a half
marathon. Oreo was able to keep up even better than Harley.
After a very long run.
· Oreo
knew many tricks when she came to us, all of which she eagerly does.
· Maybe
I’m just imagining it, but I feel as though she is grateful to be out of the
shelter, and appreciates what she has.
· You’d
be surprised how fast an older dog will become loyal to you.
I
can’t promise every dog will be as awesome as Oreo (because she really is the
best) but I can say that you won’t regret fostering through this program. Fill
out the Rescue
Rovers adoption or foster form to make a difference. It’s a small effort for a large
reward.
