I've been really stressed about something on the Internet.
Well, I've been really stressed about a lot of things on the Internet because I'm not a sociopath and I have Internet access. But there's one specific thing that I'm going to tell you about today.
For some time I've been obsessively checking all of the animal rescue websites in Utah to see who is looking for a home. I don't know why I do this to myself. For about a thousand reasons I can't take in another dog right now.
So all I do is look at all of these doggies with their sad doggy eyes and their sad doggy mouths and their ratty shelter doggy hair and I can hear them crying and saying "why can't you love us? You could save me but you are choosing not to. Why?" and I start getting choked up and part of me is like "TAKE THEM ALL, ELI" but then another part of me is like "YOU USED TO HATE ANIMALS WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU" and then the first part of me is like
and then the second part of me is like "oh yeah." And then I go give Duncan so much kisses.
A little while ago (weeks? months? I have no idea) I saw Arnie online. And I have been rooting for Arnie every day of my life since then.
I don't know why this one has captured my attention so much. Maybe it's because he looks like he might be missing an eye. Maybe it's because he's 7 years old so I know he's already going to have a harder time finding a family. Maybe it's because the only picture they have of him is blurry and it makes me so sad that they didn't even give him the respect of a sensible photo shoot.
But you guys. Look at poor Arnie!
I don't know what landed him in the homeless shelter at age 7 but I just feel like he's probably seen some stuff, especially because the website says that he prefers a home without other dogs or children, which I think is code for "poor traumatized little thing."
And I keep thinking about little Arnie sitting in his sad cage, wondering if he'll go his whole life without ever experiencing a single moment of happiness and IS SOMEONE CUTTING ONIONS IN HERE STOP IT THE SUZZZZZZ.
It keeps making me think about when I picked up my Dunkin Punkin and he was so ratty looking and he weighed 7 pounds and looked malnourished and when the lady handed him over to me he was shaking and he dug his little claws into my forearm. He stunk like he had come from the sewer and he was just ready to clasp onto anything that wouldn't hurt him. My eyes literally welled up with tears and even though I wasn't sure if I was ready to get a dog I yelled at the lady "HE'S COMING HOME WITH ME."
I got Duncan home and bathed him (it took three intense baths to get the smell out) and fed him and gave him a comfy place to sleep and that dog transformed. We should have filmed it and released it as an episode of Queer Eye.
I don't know much about Duncan's history but I know there was trauma in it. He was abnormally skittish for the first year of his life (and still is, a bit). He has a major phobia of confined spaces. It was impossible to crate train him because if I ever put him in his cage he would have a severe panic attack and slam his body against the cage, screaming until I let him out. When he rides in the car with me, as soon as I put the car in park he starts frantically scratching to get out because he's terrified I'm going to leave him in there. The phobia is so bad that when they put the cone of shame on him when he got neutered (may his balls rest in peace), it wasn't safe to leave it on because it gave him major panics.
Fortunately Duncan has been a super good dog in all of the other ways and so I'm able to give him free rein of the house when I'm away at work without worrying that he'll become destructive. He's sweet to people and other animals (with the exception of cats) and he's an amazing little companion.
I think about what a loss it would have been if Duncan hadn't been rescued from whatever his situation was because he has turned into an incredibly happy dog who has made my life a thousand times better.
Maybe Arnie is the spawn of Satan. But I doubt it. I mean, look at those little eyes. I mean eye. Dammit.
But I've just been really sad about Arnie for a while now and I keep checking the website every day to see if someone has rescued him yet. If I knew how to use the social medias, I would totally find a way to make #prayforArnie trend. And basically, I'm sick of carrying this emotional burden alone, so I want you guys to carry it with me.
We're all pulling for Arnie now.
#prayforArnie
~It Just Gets Stranger
I adopted a scared, under-nourished, ill-kept, abused five year old pup years ago. It took a while for the fear to leave him and he still is wary of strangers, but he is now a different dog. He is loving and never leaves my side. He is 17 now so our days together are numbered but I know I have given him a good life. He knows it too; rescued dogs know what you have done for them. So, hopefully, someone will adopt Arnie and give him a good life. We all deserve at least that. BTW, it’s rein not reign. Reign is what kings and queens do.
ReplyDeleteDuncan does seem to rule the house like a prince of the realm so maybe reign is correct.
DeleteMy thought when I wrote it: “that doesn’t look right. I should google it. . . Nah. Someone on Stranger will fix it. JUST LIKE THEY’LL FIX THE SITUATION WITH ARNIE.”
DeleteRain, rein, reign, threw, through, thru, buy, bye, bi, by, cell, sale, sell, dew, do, due, fore, for, four, they're, their, there, to, two, too...English is the worst.
DeleteNo, no, no no no no no! Cell and sell do not rhyme with sale!
DeleteThis is one of the Utah dialect things that makes me twitch. Also, my local grocery store used to announce over their loudspeaker that we should all check out their "Wall of Dills" and it took me So Long to realize that they were not referring to a wall of pickles but to a wall of "Deals".
Okay, so maybe I'm a pronunciation snob, but can we ~please~ All just change this? And say pillow instead of pellow, too. Yes. That would be nice.
Sail
Delete#PrayforArnie
DeleteWere that I were in Utah to visit and adopt Arnie! The more I read your posts about Duncan and the more time I spend with my friends' dogs, the closer I get to that stage of adopting a rescue dog, especially an older one. Puppies are cute and all, but my heart has always been more inclined to older puppies (I call all dogs puppies). Thanks for sharing your story. It really is helping me to know that I don't have to be perfect to own a dog.
ReplyDeleteThere are non-profits that will transport dogs (and cats) to you for little to no charge. I’ve done a few leg-to-leg transports for cats.
DeleteIf you need more info on that let me know. :)
What is the world coming to when a girl can't even cut onions in the comment section of a blog without being yelled at. I guess this isn't even the great state of GODBLESSAMERICA any more. But seriously, someone take Arnie home. Rescue dogs are the best dogs.
ReplyDeleteI adopted Molly The Wonder Dog 11 years ago. She was fully grown, at least 2 or 3 years old, and terrified of everything and everyone...except me and my exhusband. After she'd been rescued she had been stuck in a foster home with about 10 other dogs and she was definitely at the bottom of the pecking order. I worked with a trainer for several months and she got a LOT better. She has her quirks, she can't be around other animals, she won't play with toys, she is a counter surfer...but she LOVE people and is the sweetest most loyal dog I've ever had. She has been my rock and I can't imagine what my life would have been like without her.
Now excuse me, I have to do some cleaning because it's REALLY DUSTY IN HERE, OK?!?!
I am taking to the internet with this. Come on Strangers! We can make this happen! #prayforArnie!
ReplyDeleteYessss!
DeleteAre any strangers familiar with Dog Rates (https://twitter.com/dog_rates)? It's one of my favorite websites to decompress when I'm stressed. Also, it often has opportunities to help out pups in need. Maybe Arnie can get a post there (I'm not great with internets, but I'll bet someone here can figure out how to get Arnie some attention with Dog Rates).
ReplyDeleteYes! I'll help send it their way. The more people who do, the better.
DeleteI already have 2 more rescue pets than my landlord ideally wants (that ideal number being 0) and I cannot adopt this dog i cannot adopt this dog I cannot adopt this dog.....but I'm glad you are sharing his story and I hope he finds the perfect home.
ReplyDeleteMy pup is terrified of humans (especially kids, and God Forbid a stranger make eye contact) and anything rod like (brooms, gift wrap, telephone poles along the road) and I don't know much about her history either, but her face when we hike with her or I grab her leash to go for a run makes all her quirks worth it.
My 16 year-old daughter works at an animal shelter here in California that is smack dab in the middle of the ghetto. They have the saddest cases there you have ever seen. She recently nursed a dog back to health who someone had thrown in the dumpster sealed in a garbage bag. It is awful what people do to these innocent, sweet animals. The good news is that my daughter said the ugliest, most scraggly dogs almost always get adopted quickly. They have a way of touching people’s hearts! She has watched so many dogs and cats find great homes.
ReplyDeleteI just rescued a dog from my local shelter today. He's three and his whole life has been a stray or lived at the pound. His name is Bernie Sanders and he's going to have a happy life. Does that help a little?
ReplyDeleteThat helps a lot. Send me a picture of him?
DeleteAlso, #prayforArnie
I rescued a cat about a year and a half ago - He was feral for a couple of years and then ended up at a wonderful sanctuary where I volunteer (Tabby's Place in NJ) after he was attacked by several cats and didn't fight back. He was always shy and hiding at the sanctuary so he wasn't likely to be adopted. Also, the whites of his eyes were always pink, which I thought was a bit odd. Once I got him home, it took him months, but he made his way gradually onto the bed at night and now he's the snuggliest, sweetest lovebug. The whites of his eyes are white now and only go pink when he's terrified - Which broke my heart to realize he was perpetually scared at the sanctuary despite being smothered in love and good care. I'm so happy I'm able to give him a home where he feels safe and loved and his personality can shine :)
ReplyDeleteBless you.
DeleteI adopted my Stella from the shelter almost 12 years ago. I would say I rescued her but really, she rescued me. During the darkest times of my life, she was all I felt I had to live for, and so I kept on living because she needed me. These days she gets less walks and more things thrown at her (toddlers don't understand throwing to versus at) but she takes it all with the patient of the saint she is! I wish my home was a better fit for Arnie - surely someone out there has a grandma in need of some companionship!
ReplyDeleteWe adopted Hunter in 2009. He was just 6 months old and had been in several shelters. Sadly, he died this spring after a sudden illness, and we are still brokenhearted. But I swear that dog was trained by the angels and came to us in a miraculous way. Our youngest daughter had died In 2008, and her funeral was followed a few months later by heart surgery for another daughter. It was a really, really tough year. Our kids had been begging for a dog, but I was so nervous about handling a dog with everything else I was dealing with. Our daughter who’d had heart surgery had some tricky medical issues and needed to avoid bumps and bruises. I kept insisting we had to find a dog that wouldn’t jump on her or be rough with her. The day we met our dog, we took him outside the foster home to play. Just like any playful puppy, he ran around with the children excitedly and jumped on my older two children. But whenever he approached my fragile daughter, Hunter would drop down on his belly and crawl towards her. Every time. And we knew we’d found our dog. It was like he learned exactly what each member of our family needed in a dog, and he became THAT DOG for each person. Any time a family dogsat Hunter for us, they would go out and get a dog if their own. He was that good. I’m desperately seeking another good dog, but this time around I’m nervous that I won’t like the next dog because it won’t be just like Hunter. I’m not sure if we’re deserving of divine dog training this time around. I hope Arnie will be as much of a miracle for the person who adopts him.
ReplyDelete