Gus Finds His Way Home

Gus Finds His Way Home

Book 1

Hi! My name is Gus. It’s Monday, a new day and a new week! I have been waiting three years, nine months, two weeks and thirty-five minutes for my forever family. I am a good dog. I promise! I just need a second chance with a new family.

Can you believe my previous owner said, “I am out of control”? I just like to run. All dogs like to run. I like to run after balls. I like to run when I see a squirrel. I even like to run just to see how fast I can go. I have dreams, big dreams. One of these days I am going to run with a lot of other dogs. I will be the fastest runner of them all.

You see, in my previous home, my family never let me come inside the house. What’s a dog to do? I had to entertain myself. Well, actually, I really wanted to come inside the house. It’s cold outside when it snows in Utah. I had to live outside in a dog run with a small crate to sleep in. I got really scared at night. It is dark and cold. I kept waiting for someone in the house to say, “Come in the house, Gus, and sleep by the fireplace.” But they never did. When it got dark, I curled up in a ball as small as I could and went to sleep in my cold crate, every night all through the winter. I got very sick because my family stopped feeding me.

Two weeks ago a truck drove up into my old family’s driveway. A nice lady named Debby picked me up because I was so weak. She was very gentle with me as she climbed into a truck. A nice man and Debbie drove me to Companion Golden Retriever Rescue. It was warm in the truck. Debby wrapped me in a soft blue blanket and held me close as the truck went down the road. “You’re a good dog, Gus.” I had never heard those words before, but I liked the way she said them. She told me I was going to a place where I would be welcomed by lots of retrievers like me. It took three hours and thirty minutes to get to the Rescue. I am smart. One squirrel called me the “Watch dog” because I like to pay attention to what time it is. What the squirrel didn’t know was that I was always watching for him to come out so I could run after him and play.

The truck pulled into the Rescue as the sun was going down. I began to get nervous because I am afraid of the dark. My body started shaking and I began to cry. “It’s all right, Gus. You are coming inside the house where it is warm. You can lie down on the couch while I fix you something to eat!” Oh boy, food! I love food as much as I love to run. Debby came back with a bowl full of kibbles. Gulp, gulp, gulp! The food tasted so good it was gone in less than a minute. Then, a funny feeling came over me. I began to feel warm and my tummy felt full. Debby picked me up and let me sit next to her. She began petting me. My old family never petted me. It felt nice and I began to relax. I was really tired after our all-day drive. I stretched my body out and fell asleep on the couch. Debby stayed with me all night so I would not get scared.

The next morning Debby fixed me a new bowl of food for breakfast. Gulp, gulp, and gulp. All gone. “Gus, you need to eat more slowly or your tummy will hurt.” I didn’t understand what she meant. Today you are going to meet some other retrievers who are staying with us. They are all waiting for a new forever home just like you. I see big dogs, small dogs, red dogs, yellow dogs, old dogs and a white dog all barking hello to me. The dogs each have a special doghouse of their own where they sleep at night. The old and sick dogs sleep in the house until they get better. Debbie let me sleep in the house because she was worried about how small and thin I was.

I stayed at Companion Golden Retriever Rescue for four months and three days. I saw many of the retrievers go to a forever home. What’s a forever home? I didn’t really know what it meant. It was an ordinary Saturday when Debby came to visit. She watched me running with the other dogs outside. I had put on some weight, but I was still very thin. “Oh boy, it must be snack time. Debby is here!” I ran as fast as I could to see Debby.

“Hi Gus! I have exciting news for you. I just got off the phone with a lady who saw your picture and story on our computer. She wants to adopt you, isn’t it exciting?” I did not understand what she was talking about. I thought maybe I had been a bad dog and she was going to take me away. I liked it there at Rescue. I got to eat wonderful food, play with other dogs like me, and sleep in a warm house and best of all I got to run! Debby knelt down and said, “You are a wonderful dog, Gus. I love you very much and always will. But all good dogs like you deserve to go to a new forever home.”

She petted me and then she continued, “The family adopting you loves dogs too, and has another dog that is lonely. The lady of the house also volunteers with lots of dogs. She will train you to help find small children who are lost. Now, Gus, when you get to your new home, you might feel scared. So on your way to your new home I want you to remember 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 while you are riding in the car. Look for 5 things you can see out the window, 4 things you can hear when the car stops for breaks, 3 things you can smell when you are walking around, 2 things you can feel when you get out to stretch and 1 thing you discover when you get to your new home.”

Debbie scratched the fur on the back of my neck and then said, “Now off you go, Gus, and hop into the car. Your new family lives in Washington. It will be a long drive, but you are a good watchdog. Here is your soft blue blanket to keep you warm as you travel to Washington.” SMACK! I gave Debbie a big, wet, dog kiss before the door closed.

“Woof, Woof, I love you Debbie!” Debbie wiped a tear from her eye as the car drove off down the road. After looking out the window for about four hours, I noticed that the beautiful blue sky and mountains began to fade away.

I remembered what Debbie said to me before I left. I saw mountains, highways, big trucks, snow, and lots of signs. I heard the radio saying it was snowing over the Blue Mountains. “Oh boy, I have never seen a blue mountain!” I got so excited I started to bark.

The man in the car said, “Gus, you need to be still. There is a snowstorm on the mountain. I need to concentrate.” I understood what the man said. His voice sounded nervous. The closer we got to the Blue Mountains it was snowing so hard that he could not see the car in front of him. I got scared and put my head under my soft blue blanket. It took us two hours to get over the mountains. I could tell the man needed a break. He took me out of the car. I felt rocks under my feet and the water was very deep and moving fast. Big drops of rain were falling on my head. I heard the man say into his phone, “Really, no one told me it is flooding and the road we are taking is closed.” He knelt down and patted me on the head. “Don’t worry, Gus. We will get to your forever home, but it is going to take a little bit longer. We need to take a detour.

What’s a detour? I thought to myself.

Looking out the window, I heard the man saying to me, “It’s raining cats and dogs, Gus.” I looked out the window as I wagged my tail. I looked to the left. I looked to the right. I didn’t see any cats or dogs. Oh boy! The sound of the rain hitting the car made me scared. “It’s all right, Gus. The rain will stop soon and you can stretch your legs,” the man said. I looked at the road up ahead and saw a big Stop sign and water covering the road. Then I saw a funny orange sign that said Detour. “Sorry, Gus, it’s going to take us two more hours to get to your new forever home because of the flooding.”

It took thirteen hours and twelve minutes before I got to my new forever home. I was so tired after being in a car so long that I fell asleep on top of my soft blue blanket.

“Gus, wake up we are at your new forever home!” The car pulled up to a big brown house. A man, a woman, and their daughter came to the car door and said, “Hi Gus”! We are so happy you are here.”

It’s a new family, oh no. Are they going to put me in a dog run again? I thought to myself. Will I need to sleep in a crate outside? Rachel ran up to the car and was smiling like Debbie did. Maybe this family will like me. Rachel put a leash on my collar and walked me into the house. “Woo, woo, woo” whined Maddie, a white standard poodle wagging her pink tail. She doesn’t look like me, but she seems friendly. The family walked me around their house showing me where things were. I did not get a chance to say good-bye to the man who had driven me there. “Let’s go outside, Gus, so you can see the backyard.” Oh no, I’m afraid I won’t come back into the house. I flopped down on the carpet and would not move. “It’s okay, Gus, you will like our backyard. I promise,” Rachel said. Maddie ran outside and began to run around on the grass. What’s grass? Is it going to hurt my paws like the rocks at my other house? Where’s Debbie? I need Debbie. Rachel could tell I was scared. She lifted me up and walked out onto the grass and sat down with me. It was soft and green. There were trees, flowers and bird feeders outside. Rachel petted my head as Maddie was running around in the yard. “Okay, Rachel, let’s go back in the house,” said her mother. I began to get scared because it was getting dark. I could not find a crate outside. Then I heard Rachel say, “Come on Gus, come in the house for dinner and then you can stretch out near the fireplace with us.” Was I dreaming? Did the family actually say those special words? I ran into the house with my tail wagging. I could smell wonderful things inside the house. Then Rachel’s mother said, “Dinnertime!” as she looked at me. Can it get any better than this? I saw two bowls filled with food. Maddie was sitting next to me and went, “woo, woo, and woo.” Rachel’s father put a bowl in front of me with delicious kibbles. Gulp, gulp, and gulp. All gone. Debbie was right. This forever home loved dogs. I learned how to walk on a leash, play with Maddie in the backyard, and sleep on the big, soft bed with Maddie. Maddie put her paw across me to let me know I was going to be okay. It took me three years, nine months, two weeks and thirty-five minutes to find my forever family, but it was worth the wait. “How do I know”? I remembered what Debbie said—5,4,3,2,1. In my new home I see birds flying, squirrels running, colorful flowers, a soft bed to sleep on, and treats my new mom gives me. I can hear my new family laughing, music playing, Maddie going woo, woo, woo, and kibbles falling into my dish. I can smell dinner cooking, chocolate chip cookies out of the oven, and the wonderful shampoo Kim the groomer uses on me. I feel my new soft collar and leash when I get to go out for walks. I like to feel the dirt under my paws when I run with other dogs at the dog park. Guess what? I may be the smallest retriever but I can run faster than all the other dogs to get a ball. Finally, I discovered a forever family, who lets me sleep by the fireplace, gives me tummy rubs and loves me, every single minute of every single day. My new family tells me every day that I am a good dog. I just needed a second chance. Thank you Debbie and Golden Retriever Rescue for finding my new forever family.