What became of the rescued dogs from Mile 26? pt 2 says. While waiting for Rocky to become healthy enough for her to adopt, Dickey sent a care package to All Heart that contained toys, teddy bears and an ostensibly odd inclusion: one of her old sweatshirts. Marilyn hoped for a mystical/primal connection based on scent. “Maybe he’ll sense the love that’s waiting for him,” she thought. Whether due in part to Marilyn’s package, the care and love he received at All Heart, or his own indomitable will, the turning point came in February of 2011. Staff members at the rescue were astonished at the sight of Rocky walking in the office of his own volition. Marilyn was overcome by the news. “The pictures I got – I sat here and bawled my eyes out,” she says. “It’s the first time we saw his eyes! He actually lifted his head and looked up.” This was certainly tremendous progress for a dog that, as Kathy Jeanneault described it to Marilyn, “if he could’ve, he would’ve crawled inside his own skin.” Indeed, when Rocky first arrived at All Heart, Marilyn says, “You couldn’t touch him. He would jump and shiver and just try to crawl into the wall.” When Marilyn was finally able to bring Kahuna/Rocky to his new home, she quickly found that emotionally, at any rate, he was not completely healed. “I had to feed him in a dark room – by hand – for the first month we had him,” she says. “He was afraid to eat in public. He had nightmares for months.” Happily, by virtue of the love and affection he received in his new home, Rocky has become a new dog. The horrors of the past have receded with time. “To see this fellow now, “ says Marilyn with palpable pride, “he comes running with his tail up.” Rocky has discovered the simple joys of being a dog in a loving home. “He’s a happy boy,” she continues. “He bumps the bed with his shoulders when he wants us to get up in the morning!” Since coming home to Apsley, Rocky has undergone all necessary surgeries, including neutering and root canal. He is taken to the vet on a regular, preventative basis because of his past experiences. He now weighs a healthy 80 pounds. When he was first rescued at Mile 26, he weighed only 50 pounds. Marilyn’s family includes cats and two more dogs, and Rocky has learned about the ins and outs of domestication from each of them. The most heartwarming development is the fact that when guests come to the house, Rocky greets them with enthusiasm, instead of running in fear. Marilyn’s book, With Hope They Waited | The Mile 26 Rescue had many purposes, not the least of which was to let people know what happened to the Mile 26 dogs. But it also celebrates the efforts of the myriad rescuers and adoptive families who made it such a movingtale. Indeed,Marilynrejectsanypersonalcredit,andpoints to many of the individuals named in her book as the real heroes of Mile 26. She simply wanted her book to act as the proverbial happy ending to what had been, in many ways, a sad story. “This book can put a happy ending to everything,” she says. “All the puppies were adopted. Every dog that was brought in was adopted – all into good homes. My goodness, what more could you ask?” To order Marilyns book, contact withhopetheywaited@hotmail. Cost is $20.00, payable by cheque, money order or Interac e-Transfer. 100% profits from the sales are donated to animal rescues. Rocky on the road to recovery.
Posted on: Thu, 06 Mar 2014 15:07:12 +0000
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