Hot.
Humid.
And we had only been standing outside for 15 minutes.
It was a beautiful sunny Sunday morning and my sister Gaby and I had just arrived at PetSmart. We were going to be spending the next few hours volunteering at the Lucky Dog Animal Rescue Adoption Event that was being held in the parking lot. I knew it was going to be a difficult undertaking. I remembered volunteering with my friend Laurin in Boston about 5 years ago. She helped out at an animal shelter by taking the dogs on walks. I joined her one afternoon. I had never been at a pound or rescue shelter before and didn't think twice about what I was walking into that day. I grew up with dogs and loved being around them. Any shape or size, it didn't matter. I never had a decision in the selection process of the pets we had as a child. My father either knew someone or knew of a place that was breeding and he would go out and bring home a puppy. They were always a surprise, even to my mother, and they were always a spoiled a member of the family.
So when I walked in with Laurin to the shelter I had no idea the emotional tornado that was about to hit me. To this day I cannot watch an ASPCA commercial with a Sarah McLachlan song playing in the background because it makes me think of this experience. It wasn't the smell of the shelter, it wasn't the sounds of the shelter, it was what I saw. Cages and cages of dogs flanking a single aisle that seemed to go on for infinity. I looked at each of them. Their little faces spoke to me and they all shared the same message:
"Please take me home. I promise I won't make you mad like my last owner and I only want to make you happy. I will greet you everyday at the door with a wagging tail. I'll be your biggest cheerleader when you're in need of support and the best pillow you could ask for when you need a good cry. Just please don't make me spend another night in this place. If you take me home I will love you unconditionally, forever."
I may not be "the dog whisperer" but I definitely felt something that day. My eyes filled up with tears and I had to go outside. I was able to walk the dogs and help out because Laurin agreed to bring the dogs out to me so I didn't have to go back inside. One of the things I gained that day was a sense of awareness about the animal population problem. Its magnitude was something I had never really observed first hand.
Fast forward to this past Sunday. I tried telling myself to not look too closely at the dogs. I was there to volunteer and to help these dogs get a home, I can do this. We checked in and had a quick orientation on how to handle the dogs. Our job was to hold on to the dog's leash and answer any questions a perspective owner may have about the dog's breed, age, background, etc. I noticed lots and lots of volunteers arriving. The woman from Lucky Dog informed us that there would be close to 60 dogs at the event that day. That was a lot more than I had anticipated.
We lined up and were assigned to a dog. While I waited I observed the vehicles pulling up to the curb and unloading the dogs. Each vehicle was as unique as its occupants. Sedans, mini-vans, SUV's, each one filled with three or four dogs. I saw mixes of what appeared to be Chihuahuas, Beagles, Labs, Collies, Pit Bulls, Mutts, they just kept coming and coming and that's when it happened. My eyes landed on a very senior Golden Retriever, he was really old. There was so much white hair around his sweet face and he kind of walked with a gimp.
And then I lost it.
Tears filled my eyes and I felt all the muscles in my face tense up as I tried to prevent what was bound to happen. The advantage to being out in the hot sun was that no one knew if I was crying or sweating behind my sunglasses. After a few pinches to the back of my arm to get it together I stopped crying. It was hard and I couldn't look at that golden again. My sister Donna has a Golden Retriever named Sarge. I think about how sweet of a dog he is and how much he loves his family and everyone he meets. I tell him how handsome he is every time I visit him and his tail sways back and forth as if to say, "Oh, thank you, thank you very much. Please keep petting me!" I can't imagine seeing Sarge at an adoption event. This old Golden Retriever shouldn't have been at PetSmart that afternoon. He should have been sitting on a front porch somewhere enjoying a belly rub at the foot of his owner. Watching him pulverized my heart into a million pieces.
Before long it was my turn and I was matched up with my partner for the afternoon, Arnold.
Arnold was between 6 - 8 years old but I imagine he was much older judging by his difficulty getting around that day. He was a beagle and the other most noteworthy characteristic was that he was super duper lazy. I made a vow to myself that I was going to try my hardest to get this dog out of "the system". He was a cute dog, big clear eyes, small to medium build and he had a warm personality. The repeat volunteers all greeted him by name when they saw me walk over with him. This wasn't his first "rodeo" apparently.
We stood out front of PetSmart with the other volunteers and their dogs under a small tent since it was hot. I knew that Arnold was warm and preferred the shade but we needed to be out front on the sidewalk if we were going to have any hope of someone seeing us and taking Arnold home. We alternated between the shade of the tent, the sidewalk and going in to the store. Arnold found a water bowl under the tent and laid down right next to it. Trying to get him to leave it was not an easy chore. I had to tug and tug on his leashes quickly realizing why he was handed to me with two instead of one. I felt bad making him sit on the sidewalk but it was my job to market this little guy and I wanted to do it right. I watched as families with small children and single adults came up to the area and looked around. The Lab was a big hit and so were the two sets of puppies. Children love puppies. Arnold wasn't a puppy though. The white fur on his face gave that away. Sadly, most people weren't interested in an older dog.
I can understand why the lure of a puppy is more appealing than an adult dog. You get to watch them grow up, train them and you have more time with them. But an adult dog has perks, too. They're housebroken, they've already gone through the destructive puppy stage and they're a lot more mellow. No one was looking at the older dogs though. I thought about my sister Marilyn and all of the Shelties she had adopted over the years. She had rescued dogs and wasn't an "ageist" about the selection process. The dogs she has adopted are some of the luckiest dogs in the world as she provides them with the best care possible and a very loving home. I know she would agree with me when I say that they have added a lot of love to her life.
In the midst of our "marketing campaign" Arnold started making this strange noise. Just as someone came up to look at the Lab. I thought positioning ourselves next to the lab would help so I hung out by her for a while. But when Arnold started making this "reverse sneeze" as I would later learn about, everyone looked the other way. "What is he doing? Is he OK? Does he do that a lot?" I thought to myself, Arnold, not the time to be reverse sneezing. We decided to go into the store.
As we turned the corner by the puppy training area of PetSmart I suddenly felt a tug on the leash. Arnold had decided to head a different direction and something had caught his attention. Along the wall of the store was the kitten and cat aquarium. They were stacked on floor, i.e. eye level with Arnold. He became instantly fixated on the first container holding two kittens. The kittens were confused and intrigued at the same time. They fearlessly approached the glass and batted at Arnold. Arnold didn't bark or growl, instead for the first time I heard a "swish swish swish" sound coming from his tail as it merrily conducted a symphony of bliss. He was happy and content; it made me smile to watch him. So content that he laid down on the floor and continued to stare at the felines for a good 20 minutes.
Not wanting to miss out on a potential adoption I decided it was best to go back outside. Only Arnold had another idea. He knew what was out there. It was hot, it was crowded and I think deep down he knew no one had been looking at him. Maybe that's why he stared his reverse sneezing in the first place? I finally coaxed him, (or rather pulled incessantly), away from the cats and we headed for the door. Almost on cue, like he knew where we were heading, Arnold stopped, lifted his leg and relieved himself on the corner of a display. A girl who was also volunteering walked by, "Wow, he really had to go!" Arnold gave me a look as if to say, "don't know why you need to take me outside now, we can stay in here if you want, how about we head back over to those kittens?"
I was worried. Things were not looking good. An older dog? Reverse sneezes? And now throw in bladder control issues?
I wish I could say this story ends with an older couple who were recent empty nesters looking to fill a void in their life, lay eyes on Arnold and it was a match made in heaven. But that didn't happen. Instead the adoption event ended and I brought Arnold back up for check out. The woman at the table had to look up who was taking Arnold and told me that he was going with Kathleen. While waiting for Kathleen I overheard the woman speaking to the handler behind me. Her dog required medication. "Hold on a second, Victoria! Doug needs his medicine!" I thought about what a meticulous process this must be for the shelter to keep track of every dog's medication and needs. That's a lot of work and lot of detail to remember. Thankfully, Arnold didn't require medication.
Kathleen approached and I walked Arnold to her car. As she packed up the other two dogs she was transporting Arnold took a spot under the car in the shade. The poor guy was so hot. You could tell he just wanted to sit down and stick his head out the window. I hope he was able to do that. I said good bye to him quickly and with minimal eye contact. Not because I mean, but because there was no other way.
My hope is that Arnold finds a home soon. That he inherits a wonderful family who will take care of him the rest of his days. I hope he can get into a routine that doesn't involve a weekly stop at a PetSmart in hopes to find a home, but rather a trip to PetSmart for a new toy or a chance to watch the kittens again. My wish is that he finds his soul mate who will be the perfect owner, who will take care of him, let him sit on the sofa and watch animal planet and take him on short walks, very short walks. Every dog has its day, I hope Arnold's comes soon.
To learn more about Lucky Dog Animal Rescue please go to:
http://www.luckydoganimalrescue.org/
You can also "Like" them on Facebook.
Not able to adopt? You can volunteer in many ways by fostering, providing transportation or being a dog handler at an adoption event. Organizations like this depend on volunteers who are willing to give up a few hours of their week to help out. You will not regret one minute of the time you volunteer, promise.
And last but not least, please spay or neuter your pets and urge others to do the same. The world has too many good animals already and not enough good homes.
Please share my blog with anyone who is a dog lover.
"People are motivated by many things....money, love, time, fame, success. A dog is only motivated by love."
