Shelter Animals...The gift to yourself that keeps on giving

Since this is "National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week," I thought I'd take a minute to tell you about a very special shelter dog, a Great Dane named Casper.

(click any photos to enlarge)

Casper was a harlequin (although by Great Dane standards, her markings weren't really up to par). Rather than a large, patchy black and white coat, Casper's fur was completely white with only the tiniest black dot on her upper back.


I'd always dreamed of owning a Great Dane (I think it was a continuation of my unfulfilled girlhood dream to own a horse!). Whenever I saw photos of beautiful fawn Great Danes with their tan coats and black masks, my heart would melt. So when hubby and I got our first home back in the late 70's, I found a Great Dane rescue group who pointed me in the direction of a particular pound/shelter that housed the Danes they had up for adoption.


When we arrived at the shelter, several Great Danes came bounding to the front of their pens to greet us, jumping excitedly, licking our hands... I was ecstatic - these were the gorgeous dogs of my dreams, and we now had the chance to actually take one home with us!


But suddenly, behind all these majestic creatures, I caught a glimpse of something way in the back of the pen, huddled against the farthest corner. This poor pitiful creature was thin and dirty, her eyes void of any expression as she watched all the other Great Danes jumping and barking so excitedly. She definitely was not the dog of my dreams, yet I knew in that instant that I had found the dog I'd been searching for...


She was several years old. She'd been beaten, abused, and chained in a backyard without food or water. Along with her many sores, every rib and bone jutted out of her frame. But even sadder than the physical toll on her body was the fact that her spirit had been broken. This once noble, and truly Great Dane, was nothing more than the shell of a dog. She cowered from people; she didn't look you in the eye; she didn't kiss; she didn't bark; she didn't wag her tail...

But just as people respond to kindness and a gentle word, so do animals. And so the healing began. Physically, her sores disappeared...


... and she put on weight. (She loved nothing more than to finish off my coffee if it was left sitting on the table!)...


But the biggest thrill was when she barked and wagged her tail for the first time, which was a few months after we adopted her. And once she did that, there was no looking back!!! She had reclaimed her spirit, personality, and playfulness...every ounce of her greatness!


The dog who once cowered and shied away from human contact was now the biggest kissing machine ever! (My mom was the lucky recipient in this photo)... She was a one-in-a-million dog and we were so lucky to have found her! She brightened our lives for seven wonderful years, until she succumbed to cancer in 1986.

So, in honor of National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week, if any of you are in the market for a companion who will love you unconditionally, you needn't look any further than your local shelter!! I also have several national shelter links on my sidebar where you can find any type of animal you are looking for. Please feel free to add them to your own blogs if you'd like.

I know I'm very partial to rescues, but I truly believe a shelter or pound animal will gift you with unconditional love their whole life through. I know our Casper certainly did. And all these many years later, she is still gifting us with such wonderful memories of our days together.

Donna

P.S. The statue in the first two photos is a brass statue of a Great Dane that I painted white with one black spot in memory of our Casper...