Honey is my live-in BFF and a 10 year-old lab/terrier mix. She’s strawberry blonde and has ears that could replace your TV antenna (seriously, she wouldn’t mind sitting on your roof transmitting your channels while she watches squirrels all day). In November, I saw her photo on the city shelter’s Facebook page and couldn’t stop thinking about her. I had lost my dear Tessa several months earlier and I wasn’t sure that I was ready for a new dog, but the ones in need always seem to find me. I read in her profile that she didn’t “look adoptable” and nothing could make a dog more adoptable to me. In fact, unadoptable is my #1 criteria.
Honey was picked up as a stray about a month earlier. I knew that meeting her would probably lead to me adopting her, but I went to meet her anyway. I called my mom on the way to shelter and I said, “I’m going to meet a dog today” and she replied, “So you’re adopting a dog today.” I guess it’s a well-known fact that I can’t help myself in the presence of a homeless senior dog. When I arrived, Honey was lying in a tiny bed for a tiny dog, but she definitely was not tiny. She was sleepy and reluctant to move, something I would experience every single morning when it’s time to get up. We met each other in an empty room. She wasn’t sure about me and she wasn’t even sure about cookies. Her body was not in good condition and I couldn’t help noticing her greasy and missing fur, the way her back hunched, and the flea dirt that was still on her. She was skinny and her joints were stiff. She was stiff to the point that she looked like a cowboy in an old western movie. She looked weak and tired. Her front teeth barely resembled teeth and were extremely tiny and worn down. She had obvious gum disease and plaque build up to go with it. She wasn’t very interested in me, but I could understand. I knew that I she needed someone who would help her heal properly and who would give her everything that she needed. I left the shelter and spent the weekend thinking it over and I returned first thing on Monday morning to hand in the adoption paperwork. It didn’t make sense for me to wait any longer. It would just prolong her time at the shelter and prevent her from recovering. I spoke to an employee about Honey and my experiences with all dogs, senior dogs, and dogs with special needs. She asked me to take Honey home that day, because she couldn’t stand the thought of Honey spending another night in the shelter (and even told me that she had planned to take Honey home every night). I stopped by a pet store and bought a leash and some food so that I could pick Honey up right after work.
Almost everything about Honey has changed since I adopted her. For the first few days, she didn’t want to interact with me and would only sleep in her tiny bed. I expected this for the first few weeks, but she took longer to adjust than any other dog I’ve had. For several months after, she still wasn’t my biggest fan and I kept my distance to keep her comfortable. I was extremely nervous to push her too far too fast and ruin our progress. We both took baby steps to get to know each other and at times it felt painfully slow, but it paid off. She used to flinch every time that I reached out to touch her and didn’t want me to touch her back at all. Now, she loves having her back scratched and is a sucker for a good belly scratch. She is generous with her kisses and will kiss your face until you ask her to stop. She wags her tail like crazy when she is excited and makes loud noises of excitement while she pretends to yawn. She almost never barks (unless someone is approaching the house), but she makes up for it in the symphony of random noises that she makes throughout the day. She is always moaning and groaning when she lays down or switches positions. She can’t hear well so she doesn’t come when called and usually doesn’t wake up when I arrive home. It always feels like quietly approaching a sleeping baby when I arrive home and have to go wake her up. She hated it when people came to the door and was very nervous, but now she loves having visitors and gets excited to have new friends around. I learned that she loves her walks and is quite vocal about demanding them. However, she does have her reservations and she refuses to even step on damp grass or go out the door when it’s raining. She is stubborn and will stand in the rain without going to the bathroom for as long as I’ll let her.
I was told a lot of things about Honey on the day that I adopted her. I was told that she wasn’t very active and that she probably couldn’t get on the couch herself. Honey quickly got the hang of couch climbing and now runs and jumps off of it (scaring me to death each time). I was told that she wasn’t playful, but I think it was because she didn’t know what to do with toys. She has recently found her love for toys and will even throw them across the room so she can fetch them (I’m serious, she is an independent woman). I waited patiently for her to break out of survival mode and become a dog again, or maybe become a dog for the first time. We are still making progress day by day and I believe that she is genuinely happy. Honey cuddled with me for the first time two days ago. That’s right, she had never slept close enough to touch me before. I’m amazed at how far she has come, but she still surprises me. We are lucky that Honey is healthy and we hope to show her how wonderful life can be for a long time.
Letter from Honey:
Dear Readers,
Hi, there. This is Honey. I don’t want to focus on where
I came from or the things that have happened to me in the past. I want to tell you about my new life with my mom. My mom came to meet me when I was living at the shelter. I was really nervous because I didn’t feel very good. It was scary to think of someone touching me because my skin was really painful. My mom gave me some treats and she seemed nice, but then she left. It felt like forever had passed until my mom came back to get me. I went home with her and I slept a lot at first. My new house was small, but I’m a simple dog and I prefer the simple life. She had to help me a lot, especially when I needed to get on the couch. She took me for walks every day, even though I couldn’t walk very far. But I got really strong after a few weeks and now she takes me outside to run! I love running (my mom hates it). My mom fed me yummy food and made sure I ate everything. I think she really loves me. She tucks me in every single night and make sure that my eyes are covered with the blanket. I really like that because then my eyes can rest and I can sleep better. I try really hard to make sure that my mom is happy with me. I still get nervous sometimes if I even think that she might be mad at me, but she is never mad at me. She always gives me treats and lets me give her kisses. Sometimes I bark at night and I don’t know why, but my mom always checks on me. During the day, she leaves the shades open so I can watch other animals and people outside while she goes to work. I get really happy when she comes home because she gives me a lot of scratches and always plays with me. I think my mom gives me a lot of extra treats sometimes, just because she loves me. My dad doesn’t live at the same house as me and my mom, but he comes to visit a lot and I go to his house sometimes. I really love him because he takes me on long walks and he always wants to pet me. One time, mom left us alone for two weeks and my dad gave me like a billion extra special chicken treats! I thought it was the best vacation ever, but my mom said it made me chunky. She was happy to see me happy and gaining weight, though! I really like my new life and that I get to sleep in a warm, snuggly place at night. I hope that all of the other homeless senior dogs find a place like this.
Love,
Honey
P.S. Please send more chicken treats
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