The Joy A Dog Brings

My dad is such a suck when it comes to animals. This six foot two, burly man – a fireman and a welder – has the bloodiest of bleeding hearts. For example, he used to carry my parents’ first “child,” German Shepard puppy named Jack, in the pockets of his Barbour coat and go for walks. I’ve seen him nuzzled up to a stray kitten he named Purry Murray. It’s because of this otherwise traditional specimen of masculinity that we have adopted and/or rescued almost all of our beloved family dogs. Each one has been special and taught me their own unique lessons about life and more specifically, love.

I would be remiss if I didn’t start with Bear in this great recounting of family dogs. Bear will forever be known in our family as “the best dog.” He was a rescue from the SPCA. We got him when I was quite young, I think around 6 years old, and he was only a year or two old himself. Bear was the most gentle and loving soul. He didn’t like men at first because he had been hit when he was a puppy. But he loved my mom, and he came around to trust to my dad as well. We had Bear for a long time; for most of my child and into high school. Bear was the first animal that I ever loved, and I was heartbroken when he was put down due to old age. That was the first time I’d experienced that kind of love – making the choice to end his suffering (he could hardly walk anymore and started having severe seizures). It’s hard to let someone go even though it’s the right thing to do, which is a lesson I think we all must learn several times in life.

Bear had a best friend at our house. A little Shitzu Terrier mix named Benny. My father got him from some people he worked with who had small children that were terrorizing the poor dog. He was not friendly because of this. I remember once soon after he arrived, Benny snapped at my younger brother as he walked by the food bowl. This was a new experience for us as we only had known Bear, who as I have mentioned was gentle from the start. It was initially Bear who Benny trusted most. We maintain that Bear showed him the ropes and taught him that neither my brother nor I would hurt him as the other children had. Our parents had always taught us to respect animals and treat them kindly. With time, Benny warmed up to us all and became part of the family. It was especially funny to see Bear and Benny together because Bear was a big, fluffy black dog and Benny was small and beige. From Benny, I learned patience. Patience to let him see that we were a good family to be part of. Patience to build trust between us. And by consequesnce, I started to learn that trust is an important part of love.

As I was quite young when we had Bear and Benny, it’s only upon reflecting now that I realize how much they actually taught me. They enriched my life and taught me that you can be friends with animals and love them like family. It seemed natural that dogs were always part of our family. But it wasn’t until we got Meescha that I really started understanding that each animal is different with their own unique personality, and rescues especially will need individualized care.

Meescha was a pure bread Siberian Husky. I probably have the most to say about Meescha as I was a teenager when we got her. She was a rescue from a puppy mill. The puppy mill had been discovered and raided by the police, resulting in 150 dogs needing homes. Both of my parents this time, upon hearing this news, felt they had the capacity and thus the duty to help.

According to the vet, Meescha had already had a litter even though she was just 2 years old. The first few years we had with Meescha were challenging to say the least. She wasn’t mean, though. She was wild. Apparently, the humans that ran the mill lived on the top floor of their house while the dogs had full run of the gutted first floor. They raised rabbits for the dogs to eat. This meant that Meescha knew neither what a door nor window was, and she had never eaten dog food. Instead, she had a taste for meat. This was both a shock and huge learning curve for everyone in my family.

Having never really been “contained,” she’d try to break out and in through the screens of our house, and was more often than not, successful. She busted up her snout when we tried to kennel train her. She actually bent the metal bars trying to escape the crate. Once, she jumped out of my second story window and went for a run. My god, that dog loved to run. That was the main reason for her escape artistry, and sometimes… she’d come back with blood on her pristine white fur. Before anyone panics, we live in the woods so there are endless small animals available for the hunting. But when she did come back eventually, you could tell she had had the best time and was very pleased with herself.

Meescha was hands and away the most intelligent animal I’ve ever met. Super smart. I would look at her face and just know she had her own thoughts whirring around in her head. And not just “dog” thoughts, either. It always seemed to me that she was cooking up some kind of scheme or plan to get something she wanted. She hated cuddling and rarely listened to commands, even though you knew she understood them. She just didn’t want to obey, unless it was her choice.

Meesch did, however, choose my dad as her playmate. Despite my brother and I trying so hard to get her to play with us, my dad was her favourite – maybe because he’s also stubborn? Who knows. Either way, those two got along like gangbusters. She loved for him to chase her round and round the dining room table. He would also get down on the floor and roll around with her. It was quite endearing to see these two tough characters act soft with each other.

Meescha, more than any of our pets, taught me respect. From her I now understand that all animals have their own cognitive thoughts, emotions and personalities. We all had to respect her past and what that meant in terms of her adapting to life in our home as a “pet” rather than living as a wild dog. We had to give her time and space to become part of our family in her own way. This brings me to my second Meescha lesson; you can’t force love and you can’t force someone to be something they’re not. To describe Meesch, my mom always says, “It took a long time for Meescha to become a ‘dog.’” By this she means, it took a long time for Meescha to learn to trust us and respect the rules of the house. Meescha would never act like Bear or Ben though, because she was always her own self. We must respect each new being we meet, animal or human, as individuals not compare one to another.

The newest member of our family is a one year old Black Lab rescue named Ozzie. It comes as no shock now that it was because of my father that Ozzie came to live in our home. We don’t know much about his old life except that he was abandoned by his owners. Ozzie sought refuge with some neighbours who were not able to keep him, but know my dad. One thing led to another and now Ozzie lives with us.

Not since Bear have I met a more sweet tempered dog. If Meescha was smart and independent, Ozzie is agreeable and affectionate. The very first night he stayed with us, he got right into bed with my parents as if he was always meant to be there. He has been completely unfazed by the change in homes.

That’s not to say he isn’t smart as well. He’s smart in a different way than Meescha. He learned his new name within the first week, and learns (and listens to) commands quickly. You can walk him without a leash and he won’t run off; in fact he often comes back to check that you’re still following the same trails. He also knows when he’s done something naughty. You can tell by his slicked back ears and cowering walk – he knows.

But mostly having Ozzie around is like having a great pal. I’m especially grateful that he’s here because we’ve been constant companions since I was laid off a few months ago due to the pandemic. He gives me a reason to exercise and go outside, and to safely socialize on walks with friends and their dogs. And when Ozzie is excited and frolicking, it makes me happy too. During quiet times, it’s nice to have his head on your back, or to put your legs on him like a foot stool. We’ve never had a cuddly dog like Ozzie before, and it’s special.

Ozzie has only been in our lives since last August, so he still has a lot to teach us. I think, though, he’s an example that you don’t have to carry your past with you. If Meescha had been human, you could describe her as jaded or as having a chip on her shoulder. This is not the case with Ozzie. You can be happy where you are now despite where you come from or what you’ve been through. It’s good on both sides to give new people a chance.

All of our dogs have been special and bettered our lives in distinct and unique ways. You need patience and respect whenever you’re bringing any rescue dog with a storied history into your family. Eventually it will lead to trust and love. These are the ways each Bear, Ben, Meescha and Ozzie have taught me. It’s been so rewarding to get to know each of these dogs. It may take a lot of work to rescue an animal, but it has always been so, so worth it. Or, you may get lucky and it’s mutual love at first sight! You really can’t judge anyone – animal or person – before you get to know them. And everyone has the capacity for change. The dogs change and grow, and with them, so do I. And all thanks to my dad, I know that if you have the ability to help an animal in need and the opportunity arises, you won’t regret it.