[ SHOWGSD-L ] Re: Who Are You? Where do You Come From?
- From: "Donna M. Calabrese" <onaluzlead@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <wmj1944@xxxxxxxxx>, <showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 25 Oct 2006 08:55:56 -0400
Thank you for sharing that story it has touched my heart and pulled a tear.
With all that goes on in a day and we all think everything is so terrible,
that story reminds us that we have choices, and can make a decision that
will either help ourselves or not. An animal doesn't have a choice and never
asked to get what they get...Thank God she found you. Let's hope more do
find others that can have the patience and love to take in a lost soul.
Thank you to all of you who do rescue, adoption and help the strays!
Donna
-----Original Message-----
From: showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of
Stephen Reierstad
Sent: Tuesday, October 24, 2006 9:05 PM
To: Showgsd-l
Subject: [ SHOWGSD-L ] Who Are You? Where do You Come From?
Who Are You? Where do You Come From?
by Steve Reierstad
You are curled up in your Dog bed next to my Desk, sleeping without a care
in the World. Somehow, you know that now you're finally in your Forever
Home, with people who will always love you and take care of you. You sense
that THIS Home is permanent, with no more being uprooted to start over yet
again with strangers in an unfamiliar place.
Every so often you open your eyes and look up at me. In those deep brown
eyes I see complete Trust, unfailing Loyalty, and the Unconditional Love
that only a dog can give. Sometimes you give your Cat (who thinks he's a
German Shepherd and shares your Bed with you) a quick sniff, then settle
back to sleep, secure in knowing that all around you is well.
So often I ask, Who Are You? Where do You Come From?
The people I got you from knew your name is Reba. That's what the people
at the Boarding Kennel in Texas, where you were abandoned by your first (?)
Owner, told them. Beyond that, they didn't know much about you. You were
to be boarded for a few days while your Owner was "on a Business Trip." He
never came back to claim you. You aren't Microchipped, and if you have
Papers, we don't know about them. The Boarding Kennel people said you are
"about 3," but they didn't know your Birth Date. I gave you one, April 4 -
the date I brought you home with me.
Your Bloodlines are pretty obviously German. More than that, we just
don't know. You're healthy, but still I keep an Eagle Eye out for any sign
of a Genetic Health Issue. Your former people said you were healthy. I
hope they're right.
But Who Are You? Where do You Come From?
When I got the call from our Vet about a German Shepherd that a couple
needed to place, something inside me told me you'd be coming home, even
before I called your People. They told me about bringing you to Maine from
Texas. They said their House (2-room Mobile Home) was too small for you.
They told me how their 3-year old Son would be starting School in the Fall.
They told me about their 2-year-old Daughter's Grand Mal Epilepsy and how
her medical needs prevented them spending "quality Time" with you. Somehow,
I think there was a lot more to it. You were close to the kids; when you
see small children now, you are very attentive and wistful, and I know you
still miss "your" children. I hope your People didn't tell you, as they
told me, that if they couldn't get someone to take you soon, they'd have to
send you to "The Shelter." The one for this County is a Kill Shelter. No
way were you going there.
You did your job of protecting your Home and Family when I came to meet
you. You barked a while, then stood squarely between me and the Children
while their Mother told me how they found out (by accident) that you only
understood German, and that you'd obviously been abused, most likely by a
"Man." They were right about that. When I first brought you home, you
would cringe and cower down if I moved my hand suddenly, but not when my
wife did it. Now when I move my hand, you try to search it for a hidden
Treat or playfully mouth it by way of asking for a pat. I wonder if someone
who didn't know what he was doing tried to train you for Schutzhund and
thought he needed to make you "mean" to be competitive. You have a
first-rate nose for Tracking, and now that I've learned some German
Commands, I think you could win an Obedience Title. I won't test your
Bitework after the reception you gave the Creep who showed up in the
Driveway at 7 A. M. trying to grub a drink from
me....
And still I wonder, Who Are You? Where Do You Come From?
It didn't take you long to fit into the Routine in the Pack. You learned
to trust me very quickly, even though the first thing I did when I got you
home was to eradicate the evidence of your encounter with a Skunk the night
before. You took a while to get used to the fenced-in yard; at your old
place you ran loose sometimes, when you slipped your Chain, and several
times nearly got hit on the road. It wasn't long before you stopped
cowering away from me when I'd curse at the Computer because the (expensive)
High-Speed Cable Connection was crawling barely above dial-up speed. Now
when it happens you put your head in my Lap, looking up at me with those
soulful eyes, trying to get me to relax.
The first two weeks or so after you came home with me, when I'd walk into
the room, you would roll over on your Back, Ears flattened, Eyes averted,
the picture of abject submissiveness. Now, even if I've only been out of
the room a few minutes, when I come in you grab my Hand, flop down on your
back with all four Paws waving, "talking" to me and smiling in anticipation
of your Chest-and-Tummy Rub. You've gotten to look forward to your Grooming
Session now, where before, you used to shy away from the Brush. And your
Nail-Trim? Well, we won't go there.
But always the Question: Who Are You? Where Do You Come From?
I'll never know the things that were done to you in the Past, what you
went through. It's probably better that I don't know. But I can guess,
though, and it must have been pretty ugly. Some remnants of it are still
there. You guard your food very carefully, although you let me move your
Dish while you're eating if I have to. (Starved? Maybe.) You're not really
Dog-Aggressive, but you don't want other dogs too near you. (Bullied by
other dogs? Possibly.) You don't like anyone in Uniform; the regular UPS
guy refuses to deliver here after the episode with the Screen in the Office
this Summer. (K-9 or Military training that was done wrong? Perhaps.)
But I'd rather concentrate on Now, and what I see now is that you've
positively Blossomed. You've taken a permanent place in the Pack. You try
to herd the Cats, just like the other dogs do. Every time there's a Howl,
your Voice is right there with the rest of them. You're always one of the
first to alert to a stranger, and you're as eager as the rest of the Pack
for your Walk or your Ride in the Car.
You have become the Dog you were meant to be, and now I think I know the
Answer to the first part of my recurrent Question: Who Are You? You are why
I rescue. Along with Baby, Magenta, Elyse (the Great Pyr you don't
particularly like), and Joseph and Brandi (re-homed), you are why I try to
let other GSD people know about GSD's needing Rescue, Fostering, or a
Permanent Home. You are here to remind me that other dogs are in Dire
Straits and need a Person to take their Part and step in for them.
As for Where Do You Come From?, I'll probably never know the Answer to
that. You were adopted in Texas and eventually found your way to your
permanent Home in Maine. That's the Short Answer, but somehow, I believe
there's more, much more to it than that. Maybe someday I'll figure it out.
What counts now, though, is that you're here, where you belong.
A Post Script:
I mentioned that the little girl in the family I got Reba from suffers
from Grand Mal Epilepsy. Reba has a Special Talent: She alerts 30-45
minutes before a Grand Mal Seizure. Her previous people told me this, and
despite my telling them that Reba could one day save their Daughter's Life,
they were going to send her to a Kill Shelter. I feel sorry for the little
girl.
Steve
Visit Two Feathers German Shepherds online at http://www.wmj1944.com
Website updated 9/3/2006.
"If you invite the Wolf to Dinner, then don't get mad when he eats
something." - Unknown
============================================================================
POST is Copyrighted 2006. All material remains the property of the original
author and of GSD Communication, Inc. NO REPRODUCTIONS or FORWARDS of any
kind are permitted without prior permission of the original author AND of
the Showgsd-l Management. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
ALL PERSONS ARE ON NOTICE THAT THE FORWARDING, REPRODUCTION OR USE IN ANY
MANNER OF ANY MATERIAL WHICH APPEARS ON SHOWGSD-L WITHOUT THE EXPRESS
PERMISSION OF ALL PARTIES TO THE POST AND THE LIST MANAGEMENT IS EXPRESSLY
FORBIDDEN, AND IS A VIOLATION OF LAW. VIOLATORS OF THIS PROHIBITION WILL BE
PROSECUTED.
For assistance, please contact the List Management at admin@xxxxxxxxxxxx
VISIT OUR WEBSITE - URL temporarily deleted due to AOL issues
============================================================================
============================================================================
POST is Copyrighted 2006. All material remains the property of the original
author and of GSD Communication, Inc. NO REPRODUCTIONS or FORWARDS of any kind
are permitted without prior permission of the original author AND of the
Showgsd-l Management. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
ALL PERSONS ARE ON NOTICE THAT THE FORWARDING, REPRODUCTION OR USE IN ANY
MANNER OF ANY MATERIAL WHICH APPEARS ON SHOWGSD-L WITHOUT THE EXPRESS
PERMISSION OF ALL PARTIES TO THE POST AND THE LIST MANAGEMENT IS EXPRESSLY
FORBIDDEN, AND IS A VIOLATION OF LAW. VIOLATORS OF THIS PROHIBITION WILL BE
PROSECUTED.
For assistance, please contact the List Management at admin@xxxxxxxxxxxx
VISIT OUR WEBSITE - URL temporarily deleted due to AOL issues
============================================================================
Other related posts:
