We are no stranger to pets at our
house. We have a dog.3-legged cat, a bearded dragon, 2 gekkos and
an aquarium full of fish. And up until last night (September
12th), we had Oreo. This is his story.
We acquired him a little over a year
ago in August. My stepson had been dating someone for over a year
and it was her dog. She would bring him over to visit and keep him
in the basement (Where's Noah's room is) so we really did not see
him, and when we went down, he would bark or growl. After they broke
up, she left the dog with us.
It was about this time, we learned he
was not well cared for. There was some measure of abuse and
mistreatment. We did not want him to return to that environment, so
my wife found a form online and we had them sign him over to us. Our
intention was to keep him for a short time until we found an owner.
Little did we know that God had other plans.
We set up a dog cage we had and filled
with blankets and a pillow and added a blanket to our bed. At first,
Oreo wanted to sleep in the cage and always under a blanket, where he
felt safe. We proceeded to add a second food dish, walk him on a
regular basis with our other dog, Bella, and give him lots of love
and attention. We also got his shots up to date and got him
licensed.
Oreo is a Jack Russell Terrier mix and
was quite the shedder. I think we will find white hair for years to
come. He was also active when outside. He would seem to bark at
anything that moved-a bicyclist, someone walking, other dogs of
course, and people in general. We also would tug and pull on the
leash, whle our other dog, Bella, took her time. Oreo could be
really hyper and start barking for no reason when we took him out.
I had a routine when walking them that included seeing if the big dog
was out behind the neighbors fence in our backyard.
Inside the house, Oreo would lay around
and doze in his favorite spot, the living room chair with a blanket
and pillow. Over the past year, I was teaching him to play and he
would run around and play with Bella-and for a time, Bella had
another companion during the day.
We noticed quickly that Oreo did not
like men or children until he got to know them. We feel they may
have been the perpetrators where he was before. I think in the
hierarchy of our home, I became the Alpha and my wife next in line,
on down to Bella. Oreo took to us quickly, due to the attention we
gave him. When our grand kids would come over to visit, Oreo felt
safe in his cage and would often bark at them. That changed when my
step daughter and her family watched Oreo in late March, when we were
on the school band trip to Disney. After that weekend, Oreo no
longer barked at them.
As summer approached, our schedules
changed and we were coming up to some weekends where we would be
away. In the past, when we had only one dog, our neighbors would
walk Bella and check on our cat. With Oreo, who could be a handful,
that was not going to work out. On one of our weekends away, we
found a local kennel and took Oreo there. The experience seemed to
go OK, but we were hoping to avoid that if possible.
Then one time when my son was visiting,
we mentioned this to him and he told us that he should be able to
watch them. He spent this summer working for a woman who has a pet
stitting service. He has customers to watch, walk, feed, give shots
to, and more. What a relief to have him come over and pay him for
his time.
With all this, why is Oreo no longer
with us? Well, initially, we took him in so he would not go back to
an abusive environment. We thought that we would be able to find
someone quickly, and then life sometimes gets in the way. I also
went back and forth in my feelings for him. I had a Jack Russell
before when I was first married. After the divorce, I was asked by
my ex to take care of her. At that time, I was working long hours at
a bank, and wanted the best for our dog. I was fortunate to find an
assistant manager at work who had younger daughters and an older Jack
Russell dog, and so after an initial visit, they took her home to see
how it worked out, and never brought her back.
With our schedules, school starting, my
wife now working full time, and some upcoming weekend trips, we
focused more on finding him a home. I knew that he should have more
room to run and be with someone who would be home more. Our other
dog is older, more laid back, and used to a regular schedule. My
wife spearheaded the effort, and posted his information on a local
adopt a pet website.
Then last weekend, while my wife and I
were away for the weekend, she received an email that there was a
couple who was interested in meeting Oreo. They registered and
filled out information and we contacted them to meet on Wednesday
night.
Carol and Steve arrived at 6 pm. Oreo
barked as he always did when someone was at the door, and he was the
first one at the door when I opened it. Now normally, when there is
a man that Oreo does not know, he will bark and carry on. But not
this time. I believe that dogs can sense people who either have
dogs, or have a kind disposition. I picked up Oreo and welcomed
them in. My wife arrived home soon after and we went into the living
room to talk. They had a list of questions for us and wanted to know
everything about him. Even before we went into the living room, they
wanted to hold him. Oreo took right to Steve and seemed to sense
something was different.
I believe that God worked this all out.
You see, this couple is retired and live in York County. They
recently had to put their dog down due to Cancer. Steve told me that
he has always had a dog and needs one in his life. As we talked and
they spent time with Oreo, it was apparent that he was going to leave
with him. It was as if Oreo knew he was a temporary resident here
with us, and that a new home was waiting for him. I had never seen
him warm up to others as he did to them. While there, we finalized
the adoption process online, and I got his vet papers and forms. We
packed up his blankets, pillows, some food and treats, and the leash
we used to take him on walks. We walked them out and they took Oreo
on his leash. We said our goodbyes and they left.
Last night, there were some tears and I
was sad, but I was also happy that Oreo had found a home. Today my
wife received an email about how his evening and day went. He was
being a lap dog with Steve, was eating, and slept on the floor of
their bedroom on a blanket and pillow.
I am grateful that God chose us to
house Oreo for a time, give him love and care, and help him to find a
new home.
