Written by Reggie and Gemma's adoptive mom
Continued.... “These dogs deserve to have that life.” And I surprised myself when I thought, “...I think I'm the one that needs to give it to them.” It was then that I filled out an application to adopt our Reggie.
When we finally got Reggie in July, he was scared and sad. He needed a lot of therapy from us to get better. I don't think he knows that while we've helped him to get better, he's helped us to heal as well. Every moment where Reggie isn't afraid, where he feels “at home,” gives what happened to Joey some purpose. I think to myself about how scared and alone Reggie still might be had Joey not decided to squeeze under the fence that day and I can't even stand the thought. Reggie's given us someone to hug and to love again and in return, we've given him the life he deserves to have. The Col. Potter placement coordinators knew all about Joey and didn't judge me like I thought they would- they embraced me as someone who needed one of these dogs almost as much as the dogs needed me. Because of that, I feel like I owe Col. Potter the world. They could have easily disregarded me as an irresponsible pet owner but they didn't. They helped me to take my love for Joey and use it in a way to make things better for Reggie.
To answer Bonnie's question about why I got involved with the Col Potter network- after everything I've gotten from my Reggie and the network of loving people who brought him to me, I can't think of a better group of people and dogs to give back to. Thanks to you all for all that you did for Reggie and me- you truly help so many lives and for that, a blog to say “Thank You” is the least that I can do.
As a note, it goes without saying that Joey should never have had his tags off. If they’d been on, who knows if things would have ended differently but the chances of him returning to us would have been much higher. Our dogs now have 3 different tags, micro chips and if I could, I’d tattoo them too. I learned the hard way that losing a pet can happen to anyone. Keep your dog’s tags on always and never trust a Cairn when it comes to a fence. It can look like the most secure fence in the world but always keep a close watch. Taking some extra precautions will ensure that you and your Cairn live long, happy lives together.
When we finally got Reggie in July, he was scared and sad. He needed a lot of therapy from us to get better. I don't think he knows that while we've helped him to get better, he's helped us to heal as well. Every moment where Reggie isn't afraid, where he feels “at home,” gives what happened to Joey some purpose. I think to myself about how scared and alone Reggie still might be had Joey not decided to squeeze under the fence that day and I can't even stand the thought. Reggie's given us someone to hug and to love again and in return, we've given him the life he deserves to have. The Col. Potter placement coordinators knew all about Joey and didn't judge me like I thought they would- they embraced me as someone who needed one of these dogs almost as much as the dogs needed me. Because of that, I feel like I owe Col. Potter the world. They could have easily disregarded me as an irresponsible pet owner but they didn't. They helped me to take my love for Joey and use it in a way to make things better for Reggie.
To answer Bonnie's question about why I got involved with the Col Potter network- after everything I've gotten from my Reggie and the network of loving people who brought him to me, I can't think of a better group of people and dogs to give back to. Thanks to you all for all that you did for Reggie and me- you truly help so many lives and for that, a blog to say “Thank You” is the least that I can do.
As a note, it goes without saying that Joey should never have had his tags off. If they’d been on, who knows if things would have ended differently but the chances of him returning to us would have been much higher. Our dogs now have 3 different tags, micro chips and if I could, I’d tattoo them too. I learned the hard way that losing a pet can happen to anyone. Keep your dog’s tags on always and never trust a Cairn when it comes to a fence. It can look like the most secure fence in the world but always keep a close watch. Taking some extra precautions will ensure that you and your Cairn live long, happy lives together.
I must have needed a good cry because Joey, you sure provided me with one. You obviously brought a world of delight to your 2-legged folks and are continuing to inspire a whole legion of cairn lovers behind you! Thank you for sharing your lovely, lovely story. You really got to the heart of rescue and told the "other side of the equation"... and how it is we 2-legged critters that get rescued! I know. It's happened to me! Sandi...Mom to TinktheTerrier
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