Not All Rescues Come With Four Legs

The licking quickly got out of control.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “she’s never met a stranger.”

My dog continues to lather the woman’s face with kisses as if covered in peanut butter.

Hotel lobbies are interesting places to meet people. And a dog at your side is like wearing a magnetized suit of armor to both adults and children.

“No problem, she must have a lot of love to give,” she said.

I mention our dog is a rescue, a tad beyond her second birthday, and highly affectionate.

“Ah, rescues,” she said. “I’ve always felt they always have more love to give. Like they know they’ve been saved and want to pay you back.”

Our dog, a mixed breed of an Australian Kelpie and Border Collie, is never short on energy or making a new friend. Her paws carefully wrap the woman’s arms as her head extends upward, unleashing another flurry of pink kisses.

The woman stands back up.

“We’ve always had rescues,” she said. “Three dogs and a half-dozen or so cats over the years. We love to welcome them into our family.”

She mentions she recently had to put down a pair of her cats.

“Broke my heart, but they were both with us for so many years. At least now they are out of pain and in a better place.”

“We are going to give it a bit of time,” she said. “But I know we’ll be back at the shelter again soon. I’m sure someone is waiting for me to give them a loving home.”

Her words move me. We’ve always had a dog in the house as the kids grew up. But our newest addition is our first rescue; the others picked from a litter.

My wife and I are in a stage of life with more bedrooms than occupants. The kids, raised with since passed dogs, are now adults and live in different time zones from us.

I’m not sure where the conversation began last year, but my wife and I talked about bringing another dog into the home. And if you’ve been down this road, you know the home never feels the same without one.

One day I called her while I was out of town.

“You won’t believe what I have in the car,” she said. Her voice was like a kid with their first fish on the line. “A puppy!”

And following her two-hour sunrise drive to a distant shelter, she was heading home with a life-changer for us.

As much as our new family member’s life changed, ours changed more. Her love melted my sharp edges, and her infectious attitude to life altered my personality. If there was ever a canine soulmate, she quickly became mine.

So as much as the woman in the lobby may be right about rescues being more thankful, in an odd twist, I feel as if it is me who was rescued. And for that, I am forever grateful.

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