I start every day with a list of all the things I'm thankful for, and it always begins with three things:
- Buster
- Teddy
- Stacy for saving our lives!
Before Stacy's help with Buster, my first dog, we were a hot mess together. He was a 2-year-old rescue from the CACC shelter who had suffered severe abuse and had absolutely no training (including "potty"). In our early days together, he pulled me on the leash so hard I had chronic bruises on my hands, he bit me practically daily, he had debilitating panic attacks that could last for hours, and he had severe separation anxiety that manifested in diarrhea within seconds of me stepping out of the house. Although I had grown up with dogs on a farm in Wisconsin, I had NO clue about caring for a challenging rescue amidst the often overwhelming stimuli of NYC. I received tons of bad, backfiring advice: from my brother (a dog breeder), the Internet, and well-meaning but clueless strangers on the street who saw we were struggling. When Stacy entered the picture a few months in, she immediately brought a sense of calm and hope. And here we are, roughly three years later, a really happy family! Buster now has a brother, Teddy, a very sweet (and comparably easy) dog that Stacy rescued from an abusive home, and we all get along great. Of course, given Buster's history, there will always be moments, but thanks to Stacy, both boys are now healthy, well-trained and stable.
The most significant improvements I've seen for Buster are in his self-confidence and his ability to trust people; he has a much better understanding of how to navigate peacefully and successfully in the world; he is healthy and well-exercised; and he expresses joy and calm, two things that were foreign to the dog I adopted. The most significant improvements for Teddy are most certainly his health (he was severely malnourished when Stacy rescued him), his confidence (now bordering on Diva!), and his training overall. The most significant improvements I see in myself include my general knowledge base about dogs, my confidence in handling virtually any situation, and my ability to love them with equal amounts of sugar and authority.
Without Stacy, NONE of this would be possible! I would have never given Buster up, but if no major "incident" resulted in him being taken away, we would be miserable together. Teddy would never have been possible. My house would stink. The scars would never heal, and neither would the boys. I am so deeply grateful for all she has given us specifically, but even more so, for her fearless, tireless advocacy for ALL dogs.
Susan Lietz
susanlietz@aol.com
917.499.5053
|
