The Meaning Of Rescue

"The Meaning of Rescue"

Now that I'm home, bathed, settled and fed,
All nicely tucked in my warm new bed,
I'd like to open by baggage
Lest I forget,
There is so much to carry -
So much to regret.
Hmm...yes there it is, right on top
Let's unpack Loneliness, heartache and Loss,
And there by my leash hides Fear and Shame.
as I look on these things I tried so hard to leave -
I still have to unpack my baggage called Pain.
I loved them, the others, the ones who left me,
But I wasn't good enough - for they didn't want me.
Will you add to my baggage?
Will you help me unpack?
Or will you just look at my things -
And take me right back?
Do you have the time to help me unpack?
To put away my baggage,
To never repack?
I pray that you do - I'm so tired you see,
But I do come with baggage -
Will you still want me?

~Author Unknown~

I found this poem on the internet on a dog rescue page. It did pull a string for me. We did find Kia (Our German Shepard) at the pound. She was 9 months old and as big as she is now. She is 11 now and weighs 100pounds. It was an hour before the pound was closing that day and it was her "last" day. I had to do some fast talking to Paul because he was not at all happy about getting a 100 pound dog. She is a fully registered German Shepard and the previous owners had left her papers at the pound for the next owner. The reason they put for not keeping her was "Supose to be daughter's dog and she decided to go to college and she doesn't like cats"

We had 3 days to change our mind and in that 3 days she was the best dog ever!! Not that I would have taken her back if she would have been bad. Once I decide on a animal they stay with me till the end. We had our 2 cats at the time and she didn't mind them one bit in that 3 days! She instiantly bonded with Paul (which drove me crazy!!) and she was just the perfect little angel! I will say thou that during the first 2 or 3 weeks she did have a saddness about her. Even then I knew it was because she missed her previous owner/s. I also knew she didn't really understand why they had left her or why she was now with us.That is why that poem hit a chord with me today when I found it.

Well after the 3 days her true colors came out! She wasn't a bad dog but lets just say she was a very hyper dog with a mind of her own! She did like the cats....well she liked to chase them anyway! One of our cats finally figured out if you didn't run from her she would just go lay down and not bug them but it took our other cat awhile to figure that out. We had to segergate them for awhile.

We saw the movie Marely & Me the other day and that dog reminded me of Kia so much!! It was a really good movie if you get a chance to see it! Anyway we did get Kia in dog training and we learned to handle her. Paul even showed her in dog shows for the first year we had her. I will say our first couple of years with her were tough but like the movie, totally worth it with so many great memories! I will say I have always felt safe with Kia! I know she would give her life to save ours if she had to! That is in the German Shepard blood! She has always been good with the kids and even now is friends with the cats. I catch them all sharing her bed at times.

Kia has been a very special part of our family and I can't imagin life without her!

ps. If you click on Dog under label at the bottom of this post it will take you to a couple more posts about Kia with pictures.

Walking Around Our Neighborhood And We Got a Pic Of Kia!! And Jade's Mouth Has M&M's All Over It! LOL!

Kia

Kia, our dog will not let us get any pictures of her the last couple of years so a few weeks ago I was going to try and get her on video. She was asleep on her pillow and she looked soooooo cute! She is a huge dog but sometimes when she sleeps she looks so small. (Don't ask me how but that is just the way she looks to me) Anyway take a look at the video...I can't fool her! That is the way she looks in every picture we take now too!

My Dog and Cat - A Miracle

My cat...Zinger.... has never really liked my dog Kia! Over the last 10 years he has hissed at her probably a million times. The first 5 to 7 years would run from her if she just walked into a room and also the last 5 to 7 years when she was in the house he would be under a bed until she went outside. Now the last 3 years he has begun to accept Kia by not running when she walks in a room but does give very mean looks to her. He won't hide under the bed as much but does stay out of the same room from her and the hissing has also calmed down the last few years but it is always apparent that Zinger does NOT like Kia. Well yesterday I walked in my room and what do I find on Kia's bed?....both Kia and Zinger asleep together!!! I couldn't believe it!! I ran and got my camera but as I took the picture Kia jumped up from a sound sleep ( I did a post awhile back about Kia will not let me take a picture of her anymore, I think the flash hurts her ears) but I still got them on the bed together!! What a crazy world this can be! I guess if you hang around someone you don't like long enough you might just start to like them!!! Next thing you know they will be BFF's!!

Kia now when we take a pic

This is what Kia looks like now when we try to get a pic of her. She is trying to run away. I do have a different camera now but I also still have the same one that I use to use when she would let me take her pic but she won't let me take a pic of her now with that camera either. Any ideas from anyone out there would be great on why she is like this now!!! Thanks!!

Kia our dog

Here are pictures of the smartest dog in the world!! These pic were taken about 3 years ago. Kia is 10 years old now and she has the same Bday as Paul! We got her at the pound and she is a registered, full blooded German Shepard. She was 9 months old when we got her and pretty much the same size she is now. She is 105 pounds. She is a big dog!! In the last year and a half she will not let me get her picture. I just think about getting a pic and she runs like crazy. I think the sound the flash hurts her ears now that she is getting older? Not real sure because she use to always let us take her pic and now she doesn't. She loves the pool and still goes swimming! She has been a great dog and is very loving!! Her hips have given her some trouble the last year but she is on an anti-inflammatory which has really helped. She loves to go on walks (like all dogs) and she loves to play fetch. She can still play fetch all day like she did when she was a puppy!! I don't think she will ever outgrow that!