There are all kinds of reasons for rescuing a dog. It’s a great feeling bringing home a dog that has been given away, neglected, or just never found a true home in life. One of my favorite quotes:
“The difference between friends and pets is that friends we allow into our company, pets we allow into our solitude.”
found in The Difference Between Dogs and Friends does a good job of describing one of our underlying reasons for bringing home a rescue dog. But what happens when we end up with a dog that we never expected to appear?
This very thing just happened to a good friend of mine, who happens to be really great with dogs and already has her own pack going. She’s one of those people that gives and gives and gives and one of her near and dear heart things are Pugs.
I believe that all dogs show up in our lives for a reason. Here’s a story that will tug at your heart and you can see the lesson in why this dog showed up in Michelle’s life. Read Petunia’s Surgery Story and then read what Michelle wrote about her lesson from this dog below:
“I’ve always believed that the animals you share your life with are there for a reason. When I agreed to foster a senior pug, I never thought I’d meet a dog who would teach me so much. She was a mess when I got her, coughing, wheezing, barely able to walk, tumors in her mouth, months worth of fur sticking out in tufts, and we would later realize – deaf. And let’s face it, she was not all that cute.
Petunia stayed, and has become a member of our family. She is the most calm, gentle soul I’ve ever met. She handles her many disabilities with a very zen attitude, it just is. She falls down a lot, and she doesn’t complain, whine or whimper, she just gets up and keeps on going. Petunia gets to things in her own time, in her own way. She bends the world to her needs. She enjoys her moments in the sun, and all she asks is that she be allowed to keep me company. If I can pet her every now and again, well, that’s fine too. She is one of the bravest dogs I’ve ever met. Petunia has reminded me why people have dogs. She has brought that unconditional love back into my life.
Sometimes, you don’t get to pick you who love, and you find the greatest gifts in the most unlikely places. Meet Petunia, one of my many teachers.”
If you like this story and it tugged at your heart check out Pug Rescue of San Diego and consider donating to Petunia’s successful surgery.
Please make a comment on your own “why I ended up with this dog” story or on this one! And by all means please subscribe to keep dog training tips, fitness dog training, and the latest dog news coming to your from what’s been described as the “Real True San Diego Dog Whisperer”.
Petunia’s mom here, just wanted to let everyone know that Petunia is home and on her way to recovery. The doctors were able to save her eye, and scraped the cornea to help it heal. They then sutured her third eyelid up over her eye so that it would stay protected. While they had her under, they also looked down her trachea with a scope and discovered that she had everted laryngeal saccules, a fairly rare condition. They removed the saccules, and are hopeful that it will help her breathing improve.
Petunia is on lots of pain meds, wearing a cone, and spending lots of time on my lap. She is quite confused and paces unless I hold her, hard to do all day with a human toddler around! But, she’s doing ok, and we’ll know more when the sutures come out. For now, we’re happy that she survived surgery, and is home with her family. Silly old girl.