The Timid Dog in the Window

I first saw my soulmate in a tiny ad in the corner of the local paper. "This Week's Pets" it read. There she was; my tiny, scared little Zoey. Her profile said that she was found in the streets, approximately three years old, was extremely shy and took a while to warm up to people. Seeing her timid face in the black and white blurry photo, I knew I was meant to be her mom.

I talked to my husband through impassioned tears and we agreed to go visit her at the shelter the next day. I ran to the closest pet store and bought the basics. A dog bed, stairs so she could reach our bed, tons of treats, a collar, leash, a variety of toys, and more. I wanted her to know the second she walked through the doorway that she was our family. I spent that night staring at her photo, imagining taking her on walks, cuddling up to her the minute I got her home. I barely slept my heart was so full.

The morning came and we took off to the shelter. As soon as we entered the building we were greeted by the loving barks of about 40 dogs, small and large. As we walked to the small section, a wall of happy yipping faces looked at us full of hope. All except one. One small brown dog was curled up in a tight ball, ignoring the noise. My heart sunk. My beautiful girl looked as if she had given up hope a long, long time ago. "We're here for you!" I said, my voice cracking from fighting back tears. She lifted her small head and locked eyes with me for a moment, then lowered it like she were being punished.

The caretaker entered the other side of her clear plastic kennel and picked her up. She carried her into a small room where my husband and I were able to be alone with her for a bit to see if we would be a good fit. But I didn't need a testing room, I knew I was going home with this perfect little dog. She sat in the corner of the room, afraid to look at us. I slowly inched my way toward her and lowered myself to the ground. She allowed me to pet her, and I felt a jolt of love shoot through me. I've heard about love at first sight, and that is exactly how I would describe my instant connection to Zoey. My soulmate took the form of a fragile young dog.

We sat in the room a while, letting her get used to us. After a few more minutes my husband went up front to tell them we were ready to pay for her. I sat there with her, loving every moment of it. But as my husband reentered the room, my smile left. He looked upset and quietly told me, "she's infested with heart worms. It cuts her life in half. The shelter can't afford to give her the treatment. They said they understand if we don't want her since she's sick."

My head was spinning. I looked at Zoey again and this time I couldn't stop my tears. They flooded my eyes and fell with no sign of stopping. How could anyone dream of leaving her behind? She was sick and left in the street, my poor girl needed to be with a loving family who showed her what being a spoiled pet was like. I wiped my face and told him sternly that we would be leaving this shelter with her, heart worms and all. He looked a little apprehensive, but knew I wouldn't be changing my mind.

I carried her to the front desk where my husband filled out the proper documents and paid her adoption fee. I slipped a slip lead over her neck and she again lowered her head as if she were about to be physically harmed. I tried not to pull on the leash too much so she knew I was a gentle mother and the most I would ever do would be to raise my voice. I couldn't believe how sad she was. I wanted to shout from the rooftop that she was going to a warm home where she will grow plump from treats and cuddles. I wanted to stare into her eyes so she could feel the love I already felt for her.

My head was still spinning as we walked outside. Spinning, spinning, I nearly fell over as my vision blurred. My hearing went out and next thing I knew my husband was helping me to sit on the ground. The caretaker had seen me stumble and came outside, already on the phone with first responders. I felt ridiculous that I was causing such a scene. I looked around for Zoey, seeing the caretaker holding her lease, her brown face looking confused and concerned. After the EMTs checked my vitals and I was able to walk again, we took off for home, Zoey sitting uncomfortably in my lap.

I led my sweet pup up the stairs to our apartment. "Welcome to your new home Zoey." She carefully walked inside, sniffing the air. I let her off her leash and she walked around the small apartment, looking at each corner and sniffing every wall. She went into the bedroom where I showed her the dog bed bought just for her. I told her she was more than welcome to sleep in our bed if she wanted to, but that I understood if she needed some time to work up to that. I gave her a couple treats and let her wonder.

It took two weeks before she would come cuddle with us. Two weeks of her sleeping in her dog bed, looking like she didn't know if we were tricking her in some way. It was as if she were on guard in case we decided to return her to the shelter, or worse, hurt her. But we were patient. I let her keep her distance for as long as she needed, even though I was dying to hold her in my arms and tell her how special she was. Finally, she came up on the bed and curled up on my pillow next to my head. This beautiful girl was finally able to trust me, and she was finally understanding that she wasn't ever going anywhere without me.