SENTIMENTAL SATURDAY! 11 years ago, back in November of 2003 and at the age of 13- I walked into the animal shelter with my parents to look at their dogs. We already had one dog, and my Dad wasnt too keen on taking another- but as we were leaving he said: If you were to get another dog, the white shepherd puppy is the one I would take. The shepherd he was referring to, was our white shepherd Paloma. When we went back to adopt him, the shelter workers seemed so happy to be seeing him off to his new home. The two ladies at the desk were very upfront with us and told us he had been adopted out and returned to the shelter twice already. I remember one woman behind the desk held his head and said, I hope you dont come back this time. Paloma was 10 months old when we adopted him (guesstimated by the shelter and agreed upon by our vet), and he was already pretty big. His first week at our house was a near disaster (he had major aggressive tendencies towards our older collie female). Our vet kept telling us to give him a month, give him a month. He will come around. So we agreed to give him a month. During this time, it was discovered Paloma was trained in Spanish. He could perform all sorts of tricks! This made completing his training so much easier. By the end of the month, there was no question he would remain in our life forever. He and our collie (also a rescue) became fast friends, and watching him mourn her when she passed away from cancer at the age of 15 was the most heartbreaking thing I have ever seen. Paloma now lives with me in my house at school. I am 23, and he is now 11. He has given me so much these last 11 years, and I only hope I am blessed enough to receive 11 more years with him. He is still my number one confidant, my protector and is always up for a random road trip when I just need to take a drive. His arthritis has slowed him down some, but he still enjoys trips out to the barn to see the horses. Now- instead of running around on trails- he is content to lay in the sun and nap until I get back. How anyone EVER returned or surrendered this dog in the first place is beyond me. He is the best dog I could have ever owned, and I know I will never own another like him. Thank you for giving dogs like him a chance and thank you for helping him find his way into my home. What a heartwarming story! Thank you for giving Paloma the chance he deserves! Want to see your MCAS pet on SENTIMENTAL SATURDAY? Email pics and story to mcasvolunteer@gmail.
Posted on: Sat, 12 Apr 2014 19:01:58 +0000
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