The Rewards of Rescue - Elaine Schlebusch
 |
It started with a photo and love
at first sight! When the mail came through of this
lovely black Shepherd looking for a home I did not
even respond. He would probably be adopted the
moment the email hit the network and I had to
consider that I already had three white Shepherds
(females). A few days later the mail came through
again, this time with an urgent message attached
that Blackjack was still looking for a home. This
time I responded. I did not even contact my husband,
I simply phoned and said I wanted to adopt Blackjack
who was at Wolfshaven at that stage. Maxi said I
could come and look at Blackjack and I made
arrangements to see him in the same week.
|
In person, or should that be “in dog” he
turned out to be everything I hoped for and I had been approved
as an adoptive mom. So off I went with Blackjack to meet his new
family which also included an average of 7 to 8 cats, depending
on who comes in at night, and an ancient cockatiel.
When he arrived at the plot there was a lot of barking,
sniffing, growling and chasing. I had my doubts whether they
would ever settle down. Being fairly neurotic pet owners, we
watched Blackjack’s every move and had two very tense days while
the lot were eyeing each other out and trying to establish who
is who and who was the boss. At this stage I lost all control
and status as leader of the pack.
Blackjack has been with us for a week. We are slowly introducing
him to the cats. He hates cats and considers them a tasty snack.
Fortunately he has done no harm yet, but then my cats have not
come off the roof for the last week.
What would I give to know Blackjack’s history? He is between 2
and 3 years old. He has obviously had training. He knows to wake
you up with his nose if he hears something. He does not bark
immediately but first wakes you up and alerts you to strange
movements on the plot. He is generally soft natured and scared
of bad weather. He follows me where ever I go. He lies in front
of a door’s entrance no matter what room he is in. He knows
baddies generally come in through the door. He carries his bowl
to the lounge, no messing, and eats his food under the fan. He
loves his food. He struts around on the plot as though it is his
personal private property. He is obedient and loveable, yet
climbs on top of the bed and sticks his head under the pillow at
the first sign of bad weather.
If I had a wish it would be to let Blackjack’s previous owners
know that he is fine and loved. At some stage somebody loved him
very much. I would never have considered taking in an older dog.
Somewhere along the line we are programmed to believe you buy
puppies. We also bought puppies but have since homed two adult
dogs with great success. These dogs have so much to offer. They
seem to know you did something special by taking them home and
give you all their love and devotion in return. It takes a
little time and effort to introduce them to the other pets but
in the end it is simply just worth it (and a lot less effort
that puppy training).
I know there is still a lot of work to be done in getting
Blackjack settled with the cats but in the end everyday spent
training him will be worth it. I was hesitant, but now I
encourage anybody who has the opportunity to open your hearts to
a dog or cat who needs a home, even if they are not puppies or
kittens anymore. The rewards are simply amazing.
Find out about the rewards of homing a rescued homeless dog
below:
