5 days went by, without any updates. I was exhausted, and also had to keep up with my business when coming back to my AirBnB in the evenings.
I finally found my little guy on October 3rd. After going through all sections without any trace of him, I simply started to ask anyone and everyone. That’s when someone told me that he is probably in Chi-Ville. Turns out, there was an additional section added while I was gone and it was so well tucked in and “sound proofed” with tarp around it and in front of the door that I had walked by many times, and completely missed it! So someone called for the lady heading up the tiny space with crates stacked 3 on top. As soon as I showed her my picture she nodded and confirmed that yes, he is there but he is very sad. He does not walk when outside, just wants to spend his time tucked into the back corner of this crate and not much of an appetite. She offered me to come and work there that day, so I could spend some time with him.
That first day he didn’t care much for me. Truth is, he didn’t on the 2nd, 3rd or 4th neither. But I could tell he was getting a little bit curious. Oh, and I named him Ollie. No particular reason, it just fit.
October 7 – Part 2 – Day 9
NRG Arena, Houston, TX
I am so torn. Today has brought a lot of mixed feelings. I have an interview tomorrow at 9am to foster my sweet little guy who is the #1 reason why I returned to Houston. I have not posted any pictures of him at this point. I’m just overly protective of him. Yes, I know, it’s selfish – so shoot me!!
If I am approved as a foster parent, I have to keep him within 1 hour of Houston for an unknown amount time before I can officially adopt him and go back to home to Florida. But I can’t leave this guy behind so I have arranged to stay here as long as it takes. It’s the right thing to do. It could be weeks or longer but it doesn’t matter.
My life has changed so much in the last month, thanks to all these little faces and I have gotten to see things from a very different perspective.
Even just 20 days ago, my days were planned around deadlines, meetings, and appointments. However, in the last weeks, the focus has changed to if a dog has pooped outside on a walk instead of inside the crate, how many times he or she peed and if all the vitamins are added to the individual, customized meals, how much they have eaten and how alert they are to their surroundings as well as response to physical touch. And I could not be happier inside or feel more satisfied.
The other game changer today was that I was asked if I was would be interested running The Library. I’m incredibly honored and humbled to be even considered for the task, but my heart is with Ollie, the little guy I’m hoping to foster and that’s what I need to focus on. If approved, I need to be with him 24/7 for the immediate future. The Library will progress and do wonderful work, with or without me but Ollie needs me here and now. (If all works out, be sure that I’ll post tons of pics tomorrow night!)
If I am approved, I will be leaving with Ollie as soon as the paperwork is finished. I will not be able to say my goodbyes since they want to get the healthy dogs out as soon as possible. So I spend a good hour saying goodbye to my babies in The Library. There are many in the red, yellow, as well as the green section but I can’t go in there so I just send them lots of energizing thoughts, prayers, hugs, and kisses.
I had a long farewell with Amazing Grace. It involved floods of tears, mostly on my part – she was more interested in the smell of the evening treat! I pray that she will find her forever home. She is the sweetest little lady anyone could ever wish for and deserve nothing but the absolute best. May the rest of her days be nothing but belly rubs, soft songs sung to her, kisses on her nose, whispers of love, and hugs as tight as thunder shirts!
As far as my little guy in quarantine – I have not given up on him and keeping a close eye on his progress through friends who are staying. We spent an hour outside this afternoon. He fell asleep in the grass while I was rubbing his belly and I didn’t have the heart to wake him up.
Why?
1 – Who knows when he had a good nap last time?
2 – What else did I have to do that was more important?
There is so much about this place that I will miss when I leave, small wins, and celebrations like the daily high 5’s between caretakers when a crate is still clean in the am.
I have met the most wonderful people here. Everyone is watching out for each other. The smiles, hugs, tears, and laughs amongst us are plentiful and very well needed.
I will miss the discussions over lunch over which dog we want to adopt and promises to keep each other up to date as some are continuing on for another week. We might be from every corner of the US, but we all share the same concerns and the time here has affected us all deeply. And our hearts has been touched in ways we didn’t think possible.
Some of the volunteers have had their special babies intake numbers tattooed as a promise that they will never be forgotten.
And for me? Well, I left Houston 2 weeks ago in the worst way possible. I came here so totally unprepared what to expect and had no idea the impact these little faces was going to have on me, emotionally. After getting home, I got more and more depressed about the whole situation. In the end, I just had to come back here and find a better end to this journey.
In doing so, I got to see how many of the dogs have changed in a very positive way – in just 2 weeks. Their broken souls are coming to life again. Eyes with nothing but sadness are now reflecting joy, playfulness, and hope. I needed to come here to get a different kind of closure in order to move on. And I am! I am so excited about what the future holds for these dogs – many who’m came from a very unhappy past. We will never know their full stories, but we can make a difference in what the future will bring from this point and on. And I don’t know why I was so blessed to be part of it all – just honored that I was!
Talk to you tomorrow…maybe
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