This week I came across a picture of our dog, Madison. She was our second Golden Retriever and we adopted her in 2010 when her owner suddenly died. It had been over six years since we’d lost our first Golden, Molly who’d been with us since she was a puppy. I’d missed having a dog.
We’d kept Madison a couple of weekends when her owner was away. I’d bonded with that sweet dog even over those short weekends. When I heard she needed a new home, I couldn’t say no. I expected her to come to us like she’d been on those weekends. But she was different; she didn’t follow me around with her dog smile or bring me her play toys. Instead, she’d lay on the opposite end of the couch from me with her head resting on one of her owner’s sweatshirts. The Vet had advised keeping a piece of his clothing to help Madison grieve. I’d rub her and talk with her while she was stock-still. After about a month, she finally came to me with one of her toys and from that point forward, she was by my side.
A couple of years after that, I went through a sad time when we had to place Mama in a nursing facility. The night I returned home after leaving Mama at Parkview, I was overwhelmed with sadness. I sat on my couch and the tears started flowing. Madison sat beside me and I hugged her neck, pressing my tears into her soft fur. It was as if she felt it was her turn to help me in my grief.
It felt like I’d rescued Madison, then she rescued me.
Two weeks ago I wrote a post Finding Grace in Self-Care: Lessons from a Hard Week. I wasn’t explicit about how my week had been hard because I was grappling with the weight of grief. My 42-year-old nephew died suddenly. It was shocking, especially because I’d just visited with him and his parents–my sister and brother-in-law, two days before. We’d had a good visit and spent time playing fetch with Ernie, his year-old Chocolate Lab. He’s a strong, active dog who loved it when my nephew took him for runs and swims in the nearby river. After my sister called with the tragic news, every time we talked on the phone I could hear Ernie barking. They couldn’t handle a young dog who was strong and needed lots of physical activity. There were people who said they might want to adopt Ernie, but none of them followed through. Our broken hearts went out to Ernie, too; he didn’t understand what was happening.
With no one stepping up to take the dog, I reached out to my cousin, Kim. She’s a volunteer with Neuse River Golden Retriever Rescue and she would know resources for Labradors. She put me in touch with Peak Lab Rescue in Apex. After gathering Ernie’s information and a photo, I sent everything to their director. Thankfully they quickly responded and by the weekend a foster home placement was found. When I called my sister and brother-in-law, they were so relieved. They were attached to Ernie but knew they weren’t able to keep an active pup who needed a young handler. Now they wouldn’t have to hear Ernie’s constant barking, and sometimes cries, that were a painful reminder of their son’s death.
I’d never been on the side of finding urgent foster placement for a dog. I hadn’t realized what a huge impact that made until I heard the relief in my sister and brother-in-law’s voices. I’m so grateful for PeakLab Rescue–and all others that provide this needed service.
Around the time I learned of my nephew’s death, I was reading a verse in my Bible that was from Colossians 3:12 (NLT): “Clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy . . .” I’d read portions of scripture that used the word mercy, but in that reading of “tenderhearted mercy” it seemed like a double portion. Somehow that’s what I felt our family was given when we learned that Peak Lab had taken care of Ernie’s need.
When my sister and brother-in-law took Ernie to meet the Peak Lab transporter, she told them they’d found a foster home for him in Sanford. My sister was excited and said, “That’s great because that’s my hometown.” The transporter responded, “I think that’s a Godwink.”
Whatever it was, it was surely grace and was such a relief for our family.
Thank you, Peak Lab Rescue staff and all you other volunteers working with animal rescue.
Connie
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