I Needed Her as Much as She Needed Me

I loved Rogue from the moment I met her. At the time, she lived with my best friend and her four children. She immediately jumped into my lap (yes, she totally thinks she is a lap dog) and rubbed her head against me.

If I wasn't used to big dogs, this might have scared me. I grew up with Great Danes though. At one time, we had three full-grown Great Danes, nine puppies, and a cocker spaniel. My dad loved dogs. I grew up understanding dogs more than I did people I think.

When I was an adult, I lived in an apartment with two kids and cats. Because cats were easier than dogs. So I thought. I wanted a dog but...space.

Let's get back to Rogue though. Rogue is an Alaskan Pitty. Half Alaskan Malamute, half Pit Bull. She's sweet and not at all aggressive. Children being children though, they would sometimes get a warning nip when they were too rough on her. My friend knew that Rogue would never intentionally hurt them, but she knew that children don't always do as they are told and when you have four of them running around you can't see what they are doing every second of the day. It only takes a few seconds for one of them to do something dumb like bite the dogs tail or stick a finger in her eye and you can't blame a dog for doing what dogs do when they are being threatened.

As much as she hated to admit it, she realized that as a new single mom, it wasn't fair to anyone to put them in a situation where the kids or the dog could get hurt. So, she decided it was time to find a home for Rogue that would be easier for her to live in.

I thought about taking her when she told me about it. But I wasn't sure. I understand that a dog is a big commitment. I understand that dogs take time and attention. They aren't like cats, who really only like attention when they darn well feel in the mood for it and are perfectly fine to ignore you for days on end as long as you feed them. Dogs need love and hugs and walks. I decided I wasn't ready for a dog yet.

Rogue went to live with a foster family. It was someone my friend knew. She'd be fine for the time being.

She wasn't fine though. The foster home had several other dogs. Five to be exact. Those dogs did not like Rogue. So, while the other dogs got to come inside at night and be warm, in freezing January and February temperature, Rogue was left outside on her own.

Finally, in March, the fosters told my friend that they could not keep Rogue anymore. When my friend told me, I reconsidered the idea of having a dog. I remembered Rogue and how sweet she was. I said I would go and see her and think about it.

When I got there, Rogue was in a dirty kennel and I immediately noticed how skinny she was. I guessed she was down to about 45 lbs. (55-60 lbs is her normal weight) and she was filthy. When she saw me and heard my voice, she immediately started crying and jumping up and down. I cried, too.

I asked if I could take her for a walk and the foster said that she would have to go look for her leash. I asked how she did on a leash and she said she didn't know. Three months they'd had her and never taken her for a walk once!

I phoned my friend and talked to her. I told her I was taking her home with me.

I put Rogue in the back of my car that very day. She came happily.

Now, she has a warm place to sleep in the winter. She goes for walks. She smiles. I swear, she does. She plays in my big yard (on a leash and dog run, but sometimes, when I am watching her, she gets to run freely within the fenced area. She could jump it if she wanted to, but she doesn't). She barks at the birds and the squirrel. We go to the lake in the summer and she swims.

My friend comes to visit once in a while and sometimes dog sits. Rogue is always happy to see her. But Rogue always comes home with me with a big smile and lots of kisses.

Oh, and the neat thing? My birthday and Rogues birthday are exactly one day apart. I think when I found that out, I knew we were meant to be together.

All images belong to the author.