Strider

Meet Strider. I am not sure of his exact age or his past. All I do know is that for the past year and 3 months, he has changed my life.

It was love at first sight. I was over at a friend's house for Thanksgiving Dinner and a mutual friend of ours was there with a dog of a breed I never heard of before. A Boxador, which is a mix between a Boxer and a Labrador. I wasn't looking for love, nor looking for a dog, but his eyes and his face just melted my heart.

"What's his name?" I inquired.

"His name is Strider, he loves to run and to hike." My friend replied.

"He's adorable." I said.

The conversation continued and I learned that my friend was what is called a dog foster owner, which basically means he takes care of rescue dogs until they find their forever home. After dinner was over that night, I went home with thoughts in my mind. I needed to learn more about adoption options for Strider. The next day, I would get the chance to learn more and get to know Strider better during a post Thanksgiving hike, “Burn The Bird” as they say.

It was a brisk morning when we met for our hike the next day. Bundled up in sweats, a hat, and glove, we set out in the cold. There were four of us to undertake the journey, Strider, my nephew, my friend, and I. Funny thing is I learned that Strider got his name from one of my favorite novels, ‘The Lord Of The Rings’. This journey of ours had only four to our party, but nevertheless was long and treacherous. Danger was all around us and about half-way through the hike we got lost in the woods, but that did not falter our fun.

Strider was able to be let off-leash, which means he was trusted to stick with us the whole way as we searched for the path out of the woods. He was amazingly well behaved, staying by our sides the whole way, never even hinting he wanted to be elsewhere. Before straying off the path, we met fellow travelers and a few other dogs. Strider was so excited and happy to make their acquaintance. He wagged his tail and with cries of joy to be able to meet new friends.

I was hooked, he stole my heart. I needed to know how I could adopt Strider. I met a dog who enjoys the things I enjoy and has such a big heart, that I could not imagine him living with anyone else. I will never understand his past and what happened to him, or why someone would not love him the way I did from the first time I met him. Strider, like so many other dogs in shelters get abandoned or worse, and they all deserve love and a forever home. It doesn’t matter how old or young they are, a dog is truly the kindest soul that walks this Earth.

After a brief conversation about officially adopting Strider, my foster dog friend agreed that I can take him home the next day while he gets the paperwork started. It was the best decision for all of us, because my friend lived three and a half hours away from where I live now. It would be less stressful for Strider, because he could settle into his new home. He was so happy at the decision. There was no way I was going to back out of the adoption, so it was risk-free. We found each other, that was it, Strider found his forever home.

I learned over the next month that Strider is not kind to everyone. He has a tendency to not be as kind as he was to me, to others. He must have felt something about me too, that made him want to be my best friend. The night we met on Thanksgiving, I kissed him on the top of his head when I was leaving my friend’s house, he just wagged his tail and smiled at me. I imagine that certain people, especially blonde haired people, have hurt him in the past, which makes him not like blondes. I protect him by keeping them at a distance. I could not imagine him being taken away or worse because he was defending himself or me because of his dark-past.

In December 2019, Strider officially became adopted and joined my family. I have a protector, someone who will never let me down, someone who spends time with me out of love, not because he wants something else from me. Well, maybe snacks and love, but that is all we need to give each other. He is such a good boy. My heart is his, and his heart is mine.