I Rescued a Human Today

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I Rescued a Human Today

October 7, 2012

His eyes met mine as he walked down the corridor peering apprehensively into our kennels. I felt his need instantly and knew I had to help him. I wagged my tail, not too exuberantly so he wouldn’t be afraid.

As he stopped at my kennel, I blocked his view from a little accident I had in the back of my cage. I didn’t want him to know that I hadn’t been walked today. Sometimes the shelter keepers get too busy and I didn’t want him to think poorly of them.

As he read my kennel card, I hoped that he wouldn’t feel sad about my past. I only have the future to look forward to and want to make a difference in someone’s life. He got down on his knees and made little kissy sounds at me. I shoved my shoulder and side of my head up against the bars to comfort him. Gentle fingertips caressed my neck; he was desperate for companionship. A tear fell down his cheek and I raised my paw to assure him that all would be well. Soon my kennel door opened and his smile was so bright that I instantly jumped into his arms. I would promise to keep him safe. I would promise to always be by his side. I would promise to do everything I could to see that radiant smile and sparkle in his eyes. He was so fortunate that he came down my corridor. So many more are out there who haven’t walked the corridors. So many more to be saved.

At least I could save one. I rescued a human today.

Author: Janine Allen CPDT

Written by Janine Allen CPDT, Rescue Me Dog’s professional dog trainer. Janine’s passion is working with people and their dogs. She provides demonstrations for those who have adopted shelter dogs, lends email support to adopted dog owners that need information beyond our Training Support Pages, and aids shelter staff and volunteers in understanding dog behavior to increase their adoptability. Copyright 2012 Rescue Me Dog; http://www.rescuemedog.org

TAGS:

dog, kennel, love, pet, pound, puppy, rescue

17 responses to “I Rescued a Human Today”

PiedType

October 7, 2012 at 10:03 am

I ran this beautiful piece a few years ago. Please credit the original source: http://rescuemedog.org/dog-blog/i-rescued-a-human-today-by-janine-allen/

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1. Michelle at Motley News
  
  October 7, 2012 at 2:12 pm
  
  Oh, awesome! Thanks! I actually found it on a graphic floating around Facebook and had to type it all in. Naturally no source was given. Thanks! Ugh, I must have been half-asleep this morning when I posted this as usually I would stat the source as “unknown” if I didn’t know. Anyway, I do now!!! Thanks!
  
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Chris Sheridan

October 7, 2012 at 2:00 pm

Hi Michelle. That was beautiful and moving, and I was deeply touched by reading it, and even more so, since I had never read it before. And if you hadn’t posted it today, I still wouldn’t have read it and been moved by it. So I could care less who posted it when, or even who the original source is… Because, I wouldn’t have read it today, if you hadn’t taken the time to share it with me. And to me, that’s what matters most of all.

I also know what’s in your heart, where you store your caring compassion for others, and then how you share it with those who desperately need it. The ones with two legs and also those others with four legs…And I have read your blog long enough to know that you don’t just blog, but you go out and actually DO things to help make the world around you a less painful place for those who are suffering, and you actually DO these things, instead of just blogging about it.

Maybe that’s why once in a blue moon, you may not have time to “credit sources”, like you almost always do every other time… So I’m giving you all the credit that know you truly deserve, and you most definitely deserve it, from me and many others.

A very wise and genuinely good man who sincerely cared enough to try and help the people in greatest need, while teaching others do do the same by following his example… was confronted by a bunch of fools, liars and hypocrites who verbally attacked him for the way in which he did things to help those who needed help the most. But they were just jealous of all the attention that he was getting, as they tried to publicly discredit him with technicalities that were really just trivial and irrelevant.

The man’s answer to his gang of accusers trying to persecute him for his good works, was “Ye strain out the gnat, and then swallow the camel…”

It’s sad to see how little has changed in over 2,000 years.

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1. Michelle at Motley News
  
  October 7, 2012 at 2:30 pm
  
  I didn’t know who wrote it until PT told me. In fact, I normally mention “Author: unknown” on this stuff like I do with my “Parting Shots.” Where I found it was a graphic of a cute little cartoon dog with this story on it being passed around Facebook, so I had to type it all in. And seriously, when I posted this early this morning, I was still half asleep and didn’t think about “author unknown.” Probably also because I’ve gotten used to no information available on FB stuff.
  
  PT is right, though. The author should be credited. Just like stuff I create. If someone else uses it, all I want is credit. When I put stuff on the internet, it is meant to be shared and passed around – just give me credit. If it is something I don’t want shared or passed around, then I don’t put it on the internet. Simple.
  
  Now that I know who the author is, hopefully the message is what is most important to her. But if she wants it removed, I will do so. I posted an image of a German Shepherd puppy with a different story on it, “I am not an ‘until’ dog.” And apparently the woman who owned that shepherd pup (it’s her kennel) didn’t want that image floating around so the person that made that image contacted me and asked me to remove it. She explained the story to me, that she had found that cute puppy photo on the internet but didn’t ask for permission – even though there was a watermark. Then put the story on it, which is another touching story, and shared it on Facebook. It eventually came across my wall and I posted it here. By that time, the original owner of the pup had seen that photo being passed around and didn’t care about the message with it. So the woman that “borrowed” the image has been following around all over the internet to ask people to remove it – like me. Of course I did. It’s not my photo. So I just used on of my dog and put that same “I’m not an ‘until’ dog” on it.
  
  Since I’m indirectly tied into the professional breeders community via Lyn, my housemate. I have met many people who are very uppity about their dogs. I was taking photos at a dog show once and someone told me not to take pictures of HER dog. What??? Isn’t that what this is about? To show your dog off? She wanted royalties. I kindly deleted that dog’s images. LOL… Lyn could care less. The way she sees it is free advertising. She owns the dogs in her images (obviously) and if someone likes what they see, then perhaps they’ll contact her for breeding or a pup. But you can’t take an image and suddenly own the pedigree and titles with that dog.
  
  Dog people can be really odd.
  
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  1. Chris Sheridan
    
    October 7, 2012 at 3:05 pm
    
    All that you’ve said here is what I already know about your standards of ethics, which I have consistently seen you demonstrate many times. Except for maybe once in a great while, and for an easily understood reason. I guess that’s why I wrote I did. Maybe it was an overreaction on my part, and if so, I’m sorry for overreacting.
    
    I guess I’ve always been one who tries to appreciate what I admire about the whole picture, instead of pointing out that little flaw down there in the corner… but that’s just me, and my perception I guess.
    
    I think that ALL people can be very odd much of the time, and in my own way, I’m a very big illustration of that fact personified. Lol 🙂 But I ain’t making my livelihood with it (at least not recently) so if somebody uses my “illustration” for weirdness without giving me credit and I find out, I might tease them about it, and maybe even embarrass them a little bit, but most of all… I’d be flattered! Lol 😀
    
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  2. PiedType
    
    October 7, 2012 at 6:52 pm
    
    Honest, Michelle, I’m deeply sorry if I sounded critical. I should have explained the background at the time instead of seeming so abrupt. I know you’re a rescuer (or a “rescuee”), as am I. And the piece was written by a rescuer (note the credit is not mine). Of course I want it shared and so does the author; it’s beautiful. I just thought the author of such a beautiful piece deserved credit.
    
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2. PiedType
  
  October 7, 2012 at 6:46 pm
  
  I didn’t mean to sound critical and apologize if I did. This piece just means so much to me. I first came across it when I was thinking maybe I needed a dog to rescue me. After reading it, I knew for sure that my “rescuer” was out there somewhere and we had to find each other. It took a little while, but with the help of some wonderful intermediaries, Annie came all the way from east Kansas to rescue me. And she’s been looking after me ever since.
  
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  1. Chris Sheridan
    
    October 7, 2012 at 8:17 pm
    
    Peace, PT. I’m the one who needs to apologize to you. I overreacted to a degree that was unnecessary and excessive, and you don’t deserve that from me, or from anyone else. So I am sincerely sorry for doing that to you. You, Michelle and I are all on the same team here, because all three of us love dogs and we need dogs to love us, to help us get through what can be a very hard life much of the time. And all three of us believe in getting our dogs from rescue shelters, so we can rescue them and they can help to rescue us. So there’s no need for conflict between people who have what we have in common.
    
    Again, I am very sorry PT. I thought I saw a problem, but my judgement was wrong because I was too quick to judge. Instead of doing something to lessen a potential conflict the way that Michelle did here, what I did could have caused a much worse conflict, and I was wrong.
    
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    1. PiedType
      
      October 7, 2012 at 9:00 pm
      
      🙂
      
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    2. Michelle at Motley News
      
      October 7, 2012 at 9:56 pm
      
      You guys are so awesome! I have better internet friends that I do local friends.
      
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  2. Michelle at Motley News
    
    October 7, 2012 at 9:49 pm
    
    NO, no, no, no, no!!!! You did NOT sound critical! I know you well enough by now. Even though it’s only through blogging, we’ve been hanging out virtually for close to a year now. Okay, 3 more months until a year. Regardless, You didn’t sound critical at all! And I’m glad you gave me the source/author. I’m glad for once I can supply that info because so many sayings and stories get passed around and the author’s name gets lost with time.
    
    I was just carrying on about that one lady because she’s a pedigree breeder, not a rescue person. So she was just very snobby about her pup’s photo. I live in a house with 13 dogs. Half are show dogs, some active some retired. And the rest are rescues. And I have always said, and firmly believe, that my two dogs saved me. I didn’t save them. They gave me a reason for being when I was in the deepest darkest worst time in my life. They helped me find my way out of the darkness and into the light. (Ohhhh… that’s rather god-like spiritual, but definitely not meant to be. You know me. Hard core atheist.)
    
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Robert

October 8, 2012 at 10:25 am

What a lovely essay.I just love dogs and is a proud owner of a Dachshund.

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SeanB

October 8, 2012 at 11:52 am

Here is one little stray I see every day at an industrial park. Lovely girl, quite friendly, at least to me, and a nice looking dog. Today when I saw her she was trotting over to have lunch, one roadkill pigeon, complete with feathers and all.

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1. Michelle at Motley News
  
  October 8, 2012 at 11:55 am
  
  Awwww… cute little shepherd cross/mix. Thanks! Hopefully someone will take her home.
  
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  1. SeanB
    
    October 9, 2012 at 12:03 pm
    
    She has a home at the business next door to the courier company, where somebody does look after her and feeds her. Built in rodent control as well.
    
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    1. Michelle at Motley News
      
      October 9, 2012 at 12:33 pm
      
      That’s so good to hear. LOL.. we have a Border Terrier that hunts and catches mice better than the two cats.
      
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    2. Michelle at Motley News
      
      October 9, 2012 at 12:34 pm
      
      That’s good to hear. We have a Border Terrier that hunts and catches mice better than the two cats.
      
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