Ollie's story

Well what can I say about Ollie? He really is quite a character!
Let's start at the beginning....

After losing Moss, our first Border Collie, we were devastated.

We had decided that we didn't want another dog. Having Jake, our other dog (a Utonagan) was enough. Besides we could never replace Moss.

But Jake grieved as much as we did...he lost his usual smiling face and would just sit around looking sad, so after some debate, we decided to get another brother for him...and yes, it HAD to be a Border Collie!

After phoning round several animal rescue centres only to be told that there were no Border Collies available for re-homing, we started to trawl the internet. Once we had made our mind up it was like..."WE need a Border Collie and we need one NOW!"

We saw a photograph of a gorgeous, tiny, fluffy, tri-coloured, most adorable looking Border Collie puppy up for sale! Like a little ball of fur with eyes and ears!

And we immediately thought...

 "He's the one! We must have him!"

On arriving at the house we were greeted by a mother Border Collie followed by 2 puppies...a pretty female called Dorca, who the owner had decided to keep, and an odd looking scrawny thing, with a very long face, long gangly legs, short fur and an extremely long thin black tail, which was that far under his legs that it almost touched his chin!

THIS WAS NOT THE CUTE LITTLE FUR BALL WE HAD SEEN IN THE PICTURE!!

We were told by his owner that he had never been socialised, had lived outside and that he had never even stroked him, in fear of bonding with him! (Stupid man!) So at almost 5 months old this poor little pup hadn't had any human contact....huge, huge, HUGE mistake! (Which we were to find out to our cost in the coming months) Fido, as he was then called, was the last of a litter of 5 that were up for re-homing.

The guy told us he had always known that he would keep one of the female pups, so of course Dorca was friendly as she had been stroked and loved.

He said a couple of people had already been to see this funny looking male pup, but had decided that he wasn't the dog for them.....I'm guessing that this was because, not only was he NOT the puppy advertised online, but he also ticked every box on the list of "Reasons why NOT to choose this puppy"

Whilst chatting with the guy, who was rather odd to say the least, this scrawny looking creature hid from us trembling. He peed every time we looked at him...

What a pitiful animal he was....

So yes! We brought him home with us and changed his name to Ollie.

(There was no possible way we could leave him there!)

And even though, unlike all our other dogs, he wasn't a typical 'Rescue' dog....we really did feel like we were rescuing him!

Ollie's first day with us.

And so began a life of chaos!!

Looking back I have no idea how we managed!

I lost count of the number of times we held our head in our hands saying.....

 "What on earth have we gotten ourselves into?"

He completely destroyed our home! He chewed great big holes in the walls, right through to the brick! He chewed the banister rail from top to bottom, went through countless cushions, a very expensive rug, 7 pairs of shoes, a remote control, several battery chargers for both my laptop and my phone and smashed and totally destroyed my brand new lap top!

He would steal food from the kitchen worktops, eat the contents of the cat's litter tray like it was the tastiest treat ever and...well! You get the picture! (You will find out later why it was impossible to keep him shut in a room out of harms way or to keep things out of his reach!)

House training him was a nightmare!...The first 'break through' with this little problem was when he poo-ed in a large plant pot I had in the house! Now you might not see this as a break through, but it was! because following this I put the plant pot in the garden and he would then go out and use it as an outside loo! lol. 
You have to give him some credit! His aim was amazing! 
Eventually we moved the pot and he would then do his business in the place it had been in the garden :)

And so the list of problems with him goes on...and on....

He was petrified of visitors...in fact he was petrified of everything!

He suffered Separation anxiety and had phobias of just about everything!

He would completely go to pieces every time I left the house and go into 'destruction mode'

We started off not leaving him for any longer than half an hour and then slowly built it up to 4 hours, even now we won't leave either of our dogs home alone for longer than 4 hours. We used to leave the radio on for him when we weren't there, until he chewed through the electric cable and then peed on it! We then decided it was wise to make sure all electrical appliances were left un-plugged when we weren't around! 
I would dread coming home and seeing what he had destroyed next!!

OLLIE THE ESCAPE ARTIST
We did try crate training him, for our home's safety, as well as his! But he broke free time after time! He was perfectly happy in there whilst we were home with him and would go in there himself to play and sleep...But it seemed he just didn't like being left alone in an empty house in there. We even tried padlocks but he still broke free and cut his poor little nose quite badly in the process, so we gave up on that.

To this day he is still a bit of an escape artist. You can't shut him in or out of a room because he jumps up, pulls the handle down and opens the door.(He even does this in the caravan when he wants to go out for a wee!) We have to make sure that we always lock our front door, because he went through a phase of letting himself and our other dog, Jake, out whenever he pleased! Plus if anybody rang our doorbell they would get the fright of their life when the door came flying open and they were greeted by 2 over enthusiastic dogs!

So basically we had no other choice but to leave him with full access to every room in the house. It was impossible to keep him in or out of a room. I very much doubt that even locks on our interior doors would have stopped him....He had proved to us that he could quite easily chew through wood!
(I was told that I could have got a stronger crate to keep him in and prevent him from escaping, but to be honest, as he clearly wasn't happy in there, I'm pretty sure he would have injured himself trying to get out no matter how strong the crate was....So I have no regrets in my final decision not to crate him) 

I'm a great believer in positive reinforcement training...ie ignore the bad behaviour and praise the good....Trust me! This wasn't always easy! Many of his antics were very difficult to ignore!! But I'm pretty sure he picked up on our disappointment through our body language alone....It was very difficult not to sigh and mutter "Oh Ollie!" underneath our breath, after walking in the house and finding bits of furniture or pieces of plaster and wallpaper chewed up and spread all around the house lol.

It wasn't just the bad behaviour we ignored, if we returned home or got up in the morning to find he had chewed something then we ignored HIM too, we ignored those big brown eyes, little wet nose and waggy tail. And oh! how he hated being ignored!!

Good behaviour, obviously, resulted in lots of praise, cuddles and treats!! Which, of course, he loved! Even through the most difficult times, the one thing that Ollie always wanted to do was to please us and make us happy.
Eventually it seemed to 'click' with him that when he was ignored it was always following behaviour that we found unacceptable and when he was good, we were happy and he got treats and extra attention.

Initially, whilst he bonded with us immediately, he would cower in the corner hiding, shaking and peeing every time we had a visitor. Slowly his behaviour started to change, but not for the better! he would growl at anyone that went anywhere near him and hide behind me or my husband for protection.

By the age of 10 months old we had managed to build his confidence up, but unfortunately we hadn't eliminated the fear....He would charge, growling and snapping, at any strangers that we came across, either in our home or out on walks. It was only a matter of time before he bit someone.

'Fear aggression' was now added to his list of emotional problems!

And so 4 months of Intensive Confidence building, Socialising and muzzle training began....

We told strangers to just ignore him, this included visitors to the house or people we met out on walks....Everybody's instinct when they see a dog or walk into a home where a dog lives seems to be to want to stroke and fuss the dog, this just made Ollie worse. 

When somebody came to the house I would tell Ollie to sit down and reward him once he did and then get the visitor to sit down too (although they didn't get a treat!) I would make sure they continued to ignore him, until he felt ready to approach them.  

It was during this time that we decided to get a caravan. 

Whilst our girls were at home, we never had any problem getting someone to mind our dogs when we went away, but once they grew up and flew the nest, with houses and pets of their own to look after, it was impossible for us to find someone suitable to mind our dogs. We couldn't possibly kennel them! All our dogs have been rescue dogs and we didn't want to put them through feeling as though they had been abandoned. So we had no other option but to take them with us!!

It was one of the best decisions we ever made!! I love our little caravan! And so does Ollie!

It proved to be a valuable part of his training.

On our first few visits he was very jumpy and his muzzle was essential. All these strangers!! Kids running round, appearing from nowhere! It was his worst nightmare!

He would charge at them growling and snapping! (of course his muzzle meant that he couldn't actually bite them) 

Because we knew that his muzzle made it impossible for him to bite anyone, we were calmer and that calmness was past on to Ollie.

I was aware that many people thought I was crazy, because if he started to show any signs of aggression I would first tell him to 'Sit', then stroke him, make a fuss of him and even give him a treat. People thought that I was rewarding him for his bad behaviour. In fact, rather than treating aggression with aggression by shouting at him and confirming to him that aggressive behaviour was acceptable, I was teaching him that seeing strangers was a positive thing, before long whenever he saw a stranger approaching, his initial reaction would be to sit down and look up at me for a treat....

Eventually he become more relaxed when out and about. He learned that strangers weren't a threat to him, in fact he got a treat when he saw them, so how could they be a bad thing? 

Of course the added bonus of camping was lots of fields to run around and beaches to visit!! 

Strangers were no longer an issue.

And this is where we discovered his love of water! 

He is an amazing swimmer!

From the very first moment that I held this skinny trembling creature in my arms, during the car journey from his previous home to ours, I loved him. That love just grew and grew every day and still does.

There was no possible way that I was ever going to give up on him.

When he was good, he was amazing and even at his worst, I only had to look into his eyes and my heart melted.

And now, several nervous breakdowns later (on our part!), HEAPS of love and even more patience!  He has grown into a marvelous family member. His fur has grown, he now has a splendid tail! And is now quite handsome.

He is intelligent, incredibly well behaved (well! Most of the time!!) extremely loving and loyal and every day he does something that makes me smile. He is my baby.

We are getting there!! And are very proud (and grateful!) for what we have achieved with him so far. He still gets a few things wrong....like peeing on the cat for instance, because she hisses at him every time he looks at her!

He still has a few anxiety issues, is still a nervous dog, but is much happier around strangers now and no longer needs to be muzzled....he will go up to them wagging his tail and sniff them, but won't allow them to stroke him.....No growling or cowering though, he just moves his head out of the way.

And he now LOVES kids!! They are the BEST fetch players ever!!

Amongst his most endearing characteristics is his politeness...Like most dogs he has a habit of lying in the most ridiculous places, like blocking a doorway, in the middle of the room or on the stairs, but unlike any other dog I have known, as soon as he sees that you want to get past him, he sits up immediately ensuring that there is enough room for you to pass easily. If he is lying on the furniture and sees that you want to sit down too, he will move right up so that there is room for you to sit. This isn't something we have trained him to do...he just does it automatically, without us having to utter a word.
Another one is the way he smiles at me when I have been out or have just got up...and I mean a proper smile, showing all his teeth lol.

Update

Just back from the Vets, took Ollie for his booster jab. I was really proud of him...he greeted everyone that came in and wagged his tail, no growling or snapping at everyone! He saw a Vet, that was also an animal behaviourist, that he had never seen before and the first thing she said to him was "What a lovely sociable dog you are" Which really made me smile. When she read his records she said that we should be really proud of what we have achieved, because most people would have just given up on him and had him put to sleep or sent to a rescue centre. It saddened me to learn that many healthy Border Collies are put to sleep because of their destructive behaviour alone.

The previous animal behaviourist I had spoken to several months earlier had said that he needed either 6 months of regular intensive training at £90 a session (which we just couldn't afford!) or should be put to sleep, she said there was no way we would be able to get the aggression out of him on our own and that his behaviour would only get worse.
Don't you just love proving people wrong!

UPDATE 
This dog has great potential! 
I keep watching all these Border Collie videos of them doing amazing tricks! Sometimes I wish I had time to train Ollie up like that...I know he is clever enough....He already does a few self taught 'tricks'...Like nudging things along the coffee table with his nose until they fall on the floor, rearranging ornaments on the fireplace, taking the lid off the bin in the bathroom and then tipping it up, just for the hell of it, opening doors, nudging the door stop away from the door and then watching in amazement as the door closes (This one never gets old!) he's an expert herder and he herds me down stairs every morning (I swear one day I will trip up over him and break my neck!) and he herds Kaya, his new sister, (Sadly we lost Jake a couple of years ago) on a regular basis, biting her feet in the process! He once lept over a wall with a 30 foot drop and survived!......(Click here to read the story behind that)
Oh yeah! And how many dogs can pee on a cat and poo inside a shoe?!
I might add that we are working on him channelling these 'talents' elsewhere! He loves puzzles, so as soon as the furniture re-arranging starts we get out puzzle games for him to do! (And he has now learned that tipping bins up isn't acceptable behaviour! lol)

OLLIE NOW HAS HIS VERY OWN FACEBOOK PAGE - CLICK HERE TO JOIN!

Meant to be! Kaya's story.

It was shortly after we lost our beautiful Jake. I was thinking of him and Googling images of his breed. Jake was a Utonagon, a relatively new breed of dog, bred to look like the Canadian Timber wolf. We had got him from a rescue centre as a companion for our Border Collie, Moss.

Sadly we lost Jake at only 8 years old. (Read his story HERE)

This time we were positive! We were NOT getting another dog! Losing one is heart-breaking, the thought that one day we were going to go through all that again with our lovely Border Collie Ollie reduced me to tears as it was. I certainly didn’t want another dog to put us through all that heartache again.

Whilst Googling and reading up about Jake’s breed, reminiscing and remembering how wonderful he was, I saw this photograph of a beautiful Northern Inuit dog. (After reading up on Jake’s breed history I had learned that Northern Inuits and Utonagans were in fact the same breed of dog….Lots of controversy surrounding the breed(s) (Click here to read the full breed history). The dog in the image was absolutely beautiful, she stood out amongst all the other images. She looked very much like Jake, but instead of being brown and black like he was, this dog was white and grey, almost like a negative image of Jake. I clicked on her picture to read up more about this stunning dog. I was taken straight to an animal rescue website. This dog was up for re-homing in my area! I got so excited when I read up on her history, she was perfect! It was like she was meant to be ours! Like I was meant to see her picture! But then I remembered the conversation my husband Paul and I had the night before about NEVER getting another dog! I decided to email Paul all her details and her picture anyway.

Our beautiful Jake

When Paul returned home from work I told him I had emailed him some details about a dog that was up for re-homing, he said “No! Julia! We are NOT getting another dog”
I just said “Paul, open the email! It’s meant to be!”
His immediate reaction, after reluctantly reading the email, was…”Phone them first thing in the morning! She is beautiful!”

Needless to say the first thing I did in the morning was phone the animal rescue centre and left a message on their answering machine, leaving them my email address and other contact details, saying I was very interested in homing this dog. I waited eagerly for a reply.

Two very long hours past and then I got an email saying that the dog in question had already been reserved, all that was left was the home check, subject to that she would be re-homed the following week. I was gutted, but thought, “Ah well, it clearly wasn’t meant to be after all”

But I didn’t give up at that, I emailed the rescue centre the following week and asked how the home check had gone and was told everything had gone great, they had found the perfect home for her and she was going to be picked up the following day.

Well that was it. Paul and I talked about looking online for other suitable rescue dogs, but decided against it, believing that we just weren’t meant to have another dog and would go back to our original plan of sticking to having just one dog.

The following day I got a phone call…The guy that was supposed to be taking Kaya home that day had changed his mind an hour before he was due to pick her up….She was once again up for re-homing!! This WAS meant to be!!

We were told several people had been to see her in the hope of re-homing her, but had been turned away because they just weren’t suitable.

We went to see her the following day taking Ollie with us, obviously us re-homing her was all subject to her and Ollie getting along. (Read Ollie's story HERE)

The rescue centre was at the top of a very long winding country road. We parked our car at the bottom of the hill and started to walk up. At the top of the road we saw four or five people, all with dogs. We spotted Kaya straight away, sitting down next to the lady that was holding her lead. What happened next is an image I will never forget…As Kaya spotted us in the distance she stood up, wagging her tail excitedly. She was almost pulling the poor lady that was holding her lead over in order to get to us! The other dogs remained uninterested in us, but the closer we got to Kaya the more excited she got! As we got close to her she greeted us wagging her tail with so much force that she almost fell over!! It was as though she had been waiting for us, as though she recognised us instantly as her new family. She and Ollie took to each other instantly, it was as though they had known each other all their life! They bounced around playing happily together.

All the staff at the rescue centre couldn’t believe her reaction to us. They said she hadn’t reacted like this to anyone else, she had been friendly towards them, but calm, even the guy that was due to pick her up the previous day hadn’t had this reaction from her. She jumped around excitedly and followed us around happily, licking us and giving us her paw.

The staff at the home repeated what I had been saying since the very first time I saw her picture…”This was meant to be”

The next step was a home-check. The lady that had been taking care of Kaya said that because of the amazing reaction that Kaya had towards us she would do the home check the following day. Unfortunately because of where the home was situated and because of my husband’s work commitments it meant that we wouldn’t be able to pick her up for another week after the home check was completed. However, another member of staff said that because of how this was clearly “meant to be” He would actually deliver Kaya to us straight after the home-check!! They seemed confident that we would pass it, but had to follow procedure…..And so it was, we had the home-check the following day and an hour later this lovely man dropped her off at our house. This was the first time they had ever delivered a dog for anyone, but they said they had never seen a dog react in such a way towards strangers that Kaya had with us and they felt that she clearly needed to be with us as soon as possible…..”It was meant to be”

For the first 2 months with us Kaya was a very quiet dog, in fact she didn’t even bark. She was very stubborn and suffered from selective deafness. Her recall was practically zero! Whilst she has always been an incredibly friendly and confident dog who fears nothing! There were certain things that she wouldn’t tolerate. She hated being towel dried, in particular around her legs and belly area, and would curl her lip up if we touched her in a way that she wasn’t happy with. We realise now, these issues were all part of her settling in process. She had come from a happy home and had been taken to the RSPCA because her previous owner was terminally ill. She had been in the same loving home since being a small puppy and suddenly at 5 years old, she ended up in a shelter. It must have seemed like her whole world had been turned upside down. Looking back I now realise that it took her quite a while to fully settle in and feel secure and confident that she wasn’t about to be moved on and placed in another home.

A couple of weeks after Kaya joined us I shared a picture of her on my Facebook profile. A friend of mine shared her picture and a friend of hers recognised her as the dog that her mum had sent to the RSPCA for re-homing. This lady was good enough to send me all Kaya’s paperwork, including her family tree, from which I have managed to trace a couple of her relatives, including a beautiful dog called Layka, who turns out to be Kaya’s Aunty. I also learned that she is in fact a Utonagon, not A Northern Unuit.

She is now very vocal! She doesn’t just bark now at strangers passing the house or knocking on our door, but she also ‘talks’ to us in a very comical way that is difficult to describe really….Like a series of different whining, barking and howling noises! Which she does when she wants to get our attention, either to tell us it’s time for a walk, that she’s hungry and also to wake me up every morning after my husband has left for work!

She is very food orientated….Greedy in other words! So treat training has worked wonders with her…She will do virtually anything for food! But will also steal it given the opportunity! We can’t put a sandwich down, turn our back and expect it to still be there seconds later.

Her re-call now is about 80%. Which has made a huge difference and it obviously means that she gets a lot more exercise because we feel more confident letting her run freely. Every now and again though, that selective deafness sneaks back…She is a very inquisitive dog and is easily distracted. If she sees something of interest in the distance she is heads off in that direction like a rocket!! It can sometimes take us calling her 3 or 4 times before she takes any notice, but at least she does come back…eventually! 

She now allows us to dry her with a towel and loves to be groomed daily.

We get lots of attention wherever we go with her. She is a very friendly girl and loves meeting people. People often come over to stroke her. Occasionally people will cross the road to avoid her, because they think she is a big bad wolf!

She is a very happy girl and she has made our life complete again. She loves Ollie to bits, but doesn’t seem to be able to read him very well! Sometimes when he has had enough playing he will growl at her to warn her to leave him alone….Her reaction is to whine and ‘talk’ to him, poking his head with her paw, until he eventually gives in and plays with her again.

She never leaves my side, is always lay at my feet and if I am feeling unwell, she is right there with me, lying beside me and giving me a little nudge in the face now and again to check that I am ok.

CLICK HERE TO READ ABOUT THE BREED HISTORY

"Tank" A heart warming story that will probably make you cry

They told Tom the big black Lab’s name was Reggie as he looked at him lying in his pen. Tom had only been in the area for six months, but everywhere he went in the small college town, people were welcoming and open.

But something was still missing as he attempted to settle in to his new life, and he thought a dog couldn’t hurt.

At first, he thought the shelter had misjudged him in giving up Reggie and his things, which consisted of a dog pad, bag of toys almost all of which were brand new tennis balls, his dishes, and a sealed letter from his previous owner. See, Reggie and Tom didn’t really hit it off when they got home. They struggled for two weeks (which is how long the shelter said to give him to adjust to his new home). Maybe it was the fact that Tom was trying to adjust, too.

For some reason, his stuff (except for the tennis balls … he wouldn’t go anywhere without two stuffed in his mouth) got tossed in with all of Tom’s other unpacked boxes.

Tom tried the normal commands the shelter told him he knew, ones like stay and come and heel, and Reggie would follow them … when he felt like it. He never really seemed to listen when his name was called. When he was asked again, you could almost see him sigh and then grudgingly obey.

The relationship just wasn’t working. Reggie chewed a couple shoes and some unpacked boxes. Tom was a little too stern with him and he resented it. The friction got so bad that Tom couldn’t wait for the two weeks to be up, and when it was, he was in full-on search mode for his cell phone amid all of his unpacked stuff.

Finally he found it, but before he could punch up the shelter’s number, he also found Reggie’s pad and other toys from the shelter. Tom tossed the pad in Reggie’s direction and he snuffed it and wagged, some of the most enthusiasm that he’d shown since arriving at his new home.

But then Tom called, Hey, Reggie, you like that? Come here and I’ll give you a treat. Instead, he sort of glanced in his direction … maybe ‘glared’ is more accurate … and then gave a discontented sigh and flopped down, with little to no interest.

Well, that’s not going to do it either, Tom thought. And he punched the shelter phone number.

But he hung up when he saw the sealed envelope. It had been completely forgotten and ignored until now. ‘Okay, Reggie,’
Tom said out loud, lets see if your previous owner has any advice.

The note was addressed:
To Whoever Gets My Dog:

Well, I can’t say that I’m happy you’re reading this, a letter I told the shelter could only be opened by Reggie’s new owner.
I’m not even happy writing it.

My last visit with my dog was when I dropped him at the shelter. He knew something was different… I had packed up his pad and toys before and set them by the back door before a trip, but this time … it’s like he knew something was wrong. And something was wrong … which is why I had to try to make it right.

So let me tell you about my Lab in the hopes that it will help you bond with him and he with you.

First, he loves tennis balls, the more the merrier. Sometimes I think he’s part squirrel, the way he hordes them. He usually always has two in his mouth, and he tries to get a third in there.

Hasn’t done it yet. Doesn’t matter where you throw them, he’ll bound after it, so be careful … really don’t do it by any roads. I made that mistake once, and it almost cost him dearly.

Next, commands. Maybe the shelter staff already told you, but I’ll go over them again: Reggie knows the obvious ones …sit, stay, come, heel. He knows hand signals: back … to turn around and go back when you put your hand straight up; and over … if you put your hand out right or left. Shake … for shaking water off, andpaw … for a high-five. He does down … when he feels like lying down … I bet you could work on that with him some more.

He knows ball, and food and bone and treat like nobody’s business. I trained Reggie with small food treats. Nothing opens his ears like little pieces of hot dog. Feeding schedule: twice a day, once about seven in the morning, and again at six in the evening. Regular store-bought stuff; the shelter has the brand.

He’s up on his shots. Call the clinic on 9th Street and update his info with yours; they’ll make sure to send you reminders for when he’s due. Be forewarned: Reggie hates the vet. Good luck getting him in the car … I don’t know how he knows when it’s time to go to the vet, but he knows.

Finally, give him some time. I’ve never been married, so it’s only been Reggie and me for his whole life. He’s gone everywhere with me, so please include him on your daily car rides if you can. He sits well in the backseat, and he doesn’t bark or complain. He just loves to be around people and me most especially. This means that this transition is going to be hard, with him going to live with someone new.

And that’s why I need to share one more bit of info with you …

His name’s not Reggie.

I don’t know what made me do it, but when I dropped him off at the shelter, I told them his name was Reggie. He’s a smart dog, he’ll get used to it and will respond to it, of that I have no doubt but I just couldn’t bear to give them his real name. For me to do that, it seemed so final, that handing him over to the shelter was as good as me admitting that I’d never see him again. And if I end up coming back, getting him, and tearing up this letter, it means everything’s fine.

But if someone else is reading it, well … well it means that his new owner should know his real name. It’ll help you bond with him. Who knows, maybe you’ll even notice a change in his demeanor if he’s been giving you problems.

His real name is Tank … because that is what I drive.

Again, if you’re reading this and you’re from the area, maybe my name has been on the news. I told the shelter that they couldn’t make Reggie available for adoption until they received word from my company commander.

See, my parents are gone, I have no siblings, no one I could’ve left Tank with … and it was my only real request of the Army upon my deployment to Iraq, that they make one phone call the shelter in the event to tell them that Tank could be put up for adoption. Luckily, my colonel is a dog guy, too, and he knew where my platoon was headed. He said he’d do it personally. And if you’re reading this, then he made good on his word.

Well, this letter is getting too downright depressing, even though, frankly, I’m just writing it for my dog. I couldn’t imagine if I was writing it for a wife and kids and family. But still, Tank has been my family for the last six years, almost as long as the Army has been my family.

And now I hope and pray that you make him part of your family and that he will adjust and come to love you the same way he loved me.

That unconditional love from a dog is what I took with me to Iraq as an inspiration to do something selfless, to protect innocent people from those who would do terrible thing … and to keep those terrible people from coming over here.

If I had to give up Tank in order to do it, I am glad to have done so. He was my example of service and of love. I hope I honoured him by my service to my country and comrades…

All right, that’s enough. I deploy this evening and have to drop this letter off at the shelter. I don’t think I’ll say another good-bye to Tank, though. I cried too much the first time. Maybe I’ll peek in on him and see if he finally got that third tennis ball in his mouth.

Good luck with Tank. Give him a good home, and give him an extra kiss goodnight every night from me.

Thank you, Paul Mallory



Tom folded the letter and slipped it back in the envelope. Sure he had heard of Paul Mallory, everyone in town knew him, even new people. Local kid, killed in Iraq a few months ago and posthumously being awarded the Silver Star because he gave his life to save three buddies. Flags had been at half-mast all summer.

He leaned forward in his chair, rested his elbows on his knees, and said quietly: ‘Hey, Tank’. The dog’s head whipped up, his ears cocked and his eyes bright.

C’ mere boy.

He was instantly on his feet, his nails clicking on the hardwood floor. He sat in front of me, his head tilted; searching for the name he hadn’t heard in months.

Tank, Tom whispered. His tail swished.

He kept whispering his name, over and over, and each time, his ears lowered, his eyes softened, and his posture relaxed as a wave of contentment just seemed to flood him. Tom stroked his ears, rubbed his shoulders, buried his face into his scruff and hugged him.

It’s me now, Tank, just you and me. Your old pal gave you to me.

Tank reached up and licked his cheek. So whatdaya say we play some ball? His ears perked again. Yeah? Ball? You like that? Ball? Tank tore from Tom’s hands and disappeared in the next room.

And when he came back, he had three tennis balls in his mouth.

One dog's life

Today My Life Began. Although I am nothing more than a tiny being invisible to the eye, my entire body and soul are already determined. I am a girl. I am gentle and love children. I will have stand-up ears and dark brown eyes that show all the love I have to give. I am a rascal. My inborn urge to dig will bring me trouble. My teeth are sharp and my body strong and athletic but I will never use them against people, for I am born to love people. I can hardly wait.

Today I am born. I have four brothers and five sisters. They are all warm, soft and cuddly like myself. We don't do anything except nurse and sleep to prepare for our future lives.

I have opened my eyes for the first time. My mother is large and has a beautiful stand-off coat like I will have. My litter mates and I still spend most of our time eating and sleeping.

Today I tried my legs. They are shaky, but I persevere and will succeed. I begin to play with the others and frighten myself with my woo-woos. Our people pick us up each day and hold us closely, talking quietly. When they stroke me, my body can hardly contain my happiness. It quivers with joy, and I use my tongue to show them.

We are growing quickly and have learned to eat from a pan. We move around and climb out of our box. Our people say we are little pests and put us into a larger pen, hugging us to soothe their words.

I have a name now. It is "Midnight Lace." I am called Lacy by my people. My family is full of bounces, kisses and mischief. We have many toys and the children in the family romp with us, making the house come alive with laughter and fun. I am beginning to learn what "No, Lacy" means.

New people have come into our world, and some of my brothers and sisters have left. Everyone shows me love, and I return it.

Today I came to a new house. The people are not my people but they seem nice. I am happy as long as my tummy is full and I am loved. I eat my supper and the children take me out. I do what I am supposed to do, and they say, "Good Lacy." We have a good time playing.

Today the children forgot to take me out and I did something bad. I heard a big "NO!", and I am in disgrace. I know I did wrong and will try not to misbehave anymore.

Things are different here, and people don't have much time for me. I spend as much time lying around and sleeping as I did when I was a little puppy. I am bored, and I find things for myself to do. My people are not happy. They raise their voices, and I do not feel the loving touch from their hands as often.

I am much bigger and I need care and training. Too much, the people say. They say they did not know I would be so big. They say they did not know they would have to brush my coat so often or that I would shed so much. They say I dug a hole in their flower bed. I say I am sorry with my eyes, but they do not see.

Today I was taken for a long ride. Usually I love to ride, but this time was different. I was taken away at night, and the man was very quiet. The lady was crying, and the children were sleeping, I felt upset. Then the car door opened, and I hopped out, ready for romp. But the door slammed, and the car drove away. I am frightened. I am hungry. I wait.

I have waited a very long time. My tummy hurts. I am not happy. I have seen people at their houses, but they have no love for me. My eyes shine with the love I have to give, but nobody wants it.

I try to find food. I am hungry. I dig through some garbage, but there is so little food, and people come out to yell. I run across the road. It is dark, and a car hits me, throwing me into the gutter.

For some time, I lie still. Finally I get up because the ache in my stomach is worse than the pain in my leg. I walk through the night searching for what I have lost. But I cannot find it. I lie down to wait . . .I Know not what for.

Today a man came. He called me. He did not say, "Here Lacy," like my people did, but he said, "Here, doggy." He seemed kind. I am so afraid, but my leg hurts and his touch is gentle. He puts me in his car. We got to a large place with many other dogs. I have my first full meal in a long time.

Another looks at me. My leg is very painful, and my heart is full of grief. My beautiful coat is no longer shiny, and my bones show through it. My eyes still glow and I lick his hand. He says, "What a shame. This was a beautiful dog, but nobody will want her now."

Today My Life Ended.

~~unknown

Old blanket

I went out last night, just after midnight, to make sure all the heat lamps were working in the goat, chicken and turkey houses. The temperature was supposed to go to zero or below. All the dogs had long gone to bed and the night was silent. Stepping on the porch I was greeted with the sight of a crystal clear sky and multitudes of stars. Turning on the flashlight(we refuse to have one of those blasted dusk to dawn monstrosities that keep the stars from shining) I made my way to the barn. Earlier in the evening I had taken some straw to freshen the farm animal's bedding, and had dropped a flake outside the gate that I failed to retrieve.

Walking down the drive, I saw a set of bloody paw prints pressed into the snow, that came out of the woods and ended at the pile of straw by the gate. Curled on the pile of straw was a dog. Medium sized. Could have been any kind of dog. It was hard to tell in the darkness. The only thing for sure was that it was a dark color. I put my hand on the back and felt cold ribs. I took my gloves off and felt behind the front leg. A heart beat. Then I heard a faint thump. The end of the tail was going up and down making a slight impression in the snow, but the head didn't move. I saw the deep brown eyes that seemed to say, "please don't run me off. I can't take another step." The feet were cracked and bleeding. I checked to make sure the heat lamps were working and gently scooped up the frozen dog. No resistance, just the thump of the tail. Not much weight for the size of the bundle. I made my way to the front door.

Coming inside I laid the dog down inside the door. It never moved. Checking to make sure everyone was still asleep, I began the search for a blanket. I was pretty sure we had used the last dog blanket for our latest rescue. Nothing in the closet, nothing in the dryer, nothing on the couch. I went to the bedroom and gently retrieved the one off the bed.

Even it was old and beginning to fray around the edges, but it was the last one available. I folded it and set it by the heat register closest to the furnace. Then I picked up the dog and laid it down on top.

After midnight, on New Year's Eve, in a very rural area of Southwest Missouri? No way I could get a Vet to see this one tonight. We would have to try tomorrow. I went to the kitchen and took a container of chicken broth out of the fridge and popped in the microwave. I went back to the living room and set the bowl down next to the blanket, within easy reach of the cold nose. Another thump of the tail, was the only movement. I reached down and put my hand under the chin, gently lifting the head. Now inside I could see that the dog was black, at least on the parts that had not turned grey. Almost the entire face showed the white signs of time past, and the pupils surrounded by those dark brown eyes were blue. The ears were that of a Lab and so was the tail which thumped every time I came near. The body was skin and bone. There were no front teeth. The canines were worn or broken down to nubs, and I was able to see three teeth in the back. I didn't want to pry to see if the old dog was a male or female. It really didn't matter anyway. I told the old dog I was going to go to bed and patted it's head which was met by another thump of the tail.

On my way to the bedroom, I wondered how in the world the dog had gotten to our farm. It came through the woods which were large and uninhabited. I also wondered why here. The answer was simple. The hand of God had brought the old dog to the right place.

It's morning now and I've been up for a few hours. The bowl of broth was empty and the blanket was much as I had left it. No bloody paw prints on the carpet, only on the old blanket. Sometime after I went to bed, the old dog lapped up the chicken broth and licked the bowl clean. The blanket had been fluffed a little and the old dog had curled into a tight ball with the nose tucked inside the tail. When I bent down to say good morning, there was no thump of the tail. I knew then that the old dog had crossed the Rainbow Bridge in the night. Kneeling there in front of the old dog, I thanked God for the one old blanket I had left and for the hand that gently guided the old dog to Rainbow Farms. It was then that I thought of the poem that Walt had written for us:

"Listen to the kindness, spoken softly,

Often lost behind the tears.

Place your hand upon my shoulder,

Let it take away my fears."

--Walt Zientek

May the New Year bring you closer to the hand of God, and all the old blankets you may need.

-Becky

Becky Loyd, Rescue Coordinator

The Rainbow Farms Project, Inc.: "A Special Place for Special Animals"

www.rainbowfarms.org