Love at First Sniff

by Amber John

 

The day we decided to go looking for a dog to begin our little family was a day we never thought would change our lives quite so drastically. I had been hinting about wanting a dog not-so-subtly (subtly is NOT my thing lol) about wanting to adopt a dog of my/our own for quite some time. I think I just finally wore Jason out, so he agreed to go "looking" at dogs...and he got more than he bargained for!

We decided to look at the local humane society first, and they had many dogs that needed a loving home, but we just didn't have that feeling, nor did we feel like we were the right fit for them. We had a smallish apartment downtown at the time, with a small yard. We didn't feel it right to adopt a dog we didn't have adequate space or time for. We had both agreed on this and stuck with our agreement.

As disappointed as I was, I knew "our" dog was out there somewhere. I am a radically deep feeler, and I just "know" when things are right or aren't right, for that matter. I can feel when things are off and when they are clicking without really knowing why until later, sometimes much later. But I have come to trust my gut more than not these days, so I knew I just needed to hang in there and see this through.

We drove down to Ft. Madison to see about the dogs at PAW. We walked into the building and were shown around the grounds—dog after dog, heartbreaking story after heartbreaking story. We petted them, and we played with them, and we held them. So. Many. Dogs. It seemed like we were there for half a day (as Jason might say). Of course, I fell in love with all of them and would have taken any of them home in a heartbeat, but my gut never felt quite right. The people working at PAW were so kind and patient with us. We didn't have a particular breed or size in mind; we just wanted what was best for our lives and family situation.

And then it happened. "THAT Moment" when I just knew. I just hoped I knew. I was knelt down on the ground, holding an adorable and cuddly dog, when a flash of red caught my attention. I handed over the dog I had been cuddling and turned to see where the ball of red fluff had come from or was going. The coat was so beautiful!! Such a vibrant red I had never seen before on a dog. I stammered, "What about that dog..." and pointed like a small toddler. I was at a loss for words. It was almost like time had stood still as I lifted my pointer finger and held it out toward that long, luscious red tail leaving the room.

Oh, that dog? We call him O.D. or Officer Davis. He was just rescued; he hadn't even been vetted yet. Come to find out, he was in a cage under the front desk (under surveillance) the ENTIRE time we had been there! No barking, no whining, no noise whatsoever to signify there was a cage, let alone a dog in the cage, under the front desk!!

I just had to know more. I felt drawn to this dog. I was still kneeling on the floor when they brought in the red dog from a potty break. As he walked past me, he stopped and looked into my soul. I know because I felt it. Then he slowly walked over to me, sniffed me, licked my nose, and laid his head on my chest. I was smitten!!

As we sat there, held in this embrace, it was almost like I felt he was "home." Like he was picking me to be his. If that could be a thing. I think everyone around me was shocked and amazed. I am not for sure, though, because I just closed my eyes and felt all the love this dog was exuding toward me. This was going to be MY dog, OUR dog. Our very own dog, I just knew it. 

But then I opened my eyes back to reality and to the slip lead around this scruffy dog's neck. And they led him back to the kennel under the front desk. I slowly stood up, and my questions eyes asked the question my brain was too scared to ask. "What about THIS one? What's his story?"

After we all came out of the daze of the moment, they told us that he had just come into the rescue a few days prior and hadn't been to the vet yet. He was a high-risk flight dog and had eluded police and the rescue for years, roaming around Ft. Madison and begging in the Hy-Vee parking lot. They were hesitant at first, but I was calm. I mean, he had "spoken" to me, and now I had to answer.

So I asked about his history and how his name came to be. Ft. Madison Police Officer Davis was able to corner him into an abandoned building and rescue him; that was how the red dog came to be at the shelter just days before we had made the biggest decision of our lives to date. Whether you believe in fate, providence, or chance, I could not have made up this story if I had tried. And I'm a fairly good writer, in my humble opinion!

They allowed us to take the dog on a short walk on the property but warned us sternly that he was a flight risk and a runner. I was nervous; I mean, what happened if this dog that eluded police and rescue for years suddenly got loose in my hands! That might not look so good on the adoption resume!

But my worries were unfounded because he never left our side. He rolled around in the grass, jumped up on us, and sniffed around like we had known each other for decades. Like he was OUR dog. It was so surreal. We talked it over and agreed that we needed to talk things over for 24 hours before making a decision.

We returned from our short outing, and my heart was stolen. But I knew we should be a little rational about things too. We told the shelter we would like to be first on the list for his adoption but wanted to take 24 hours to think things over since he was supposedly such a high-flight risk and would need lots of exercise. They understood and wanted us to think things through. He was not on the market for adoption yet, so there wasn't any reason to make a rash decision. They liked us, and they understood our heart. Now, if I said I was okay leaving that precious pup there at the shelter, I would have been lying, but I wasn't the only one involved in this decision-making process. 

But I will tell you that we didn't even make it to the on-ramp to Highway 34 before we had both come to the same conclusion that THAT red fluffy street dog was meant to be ours. And my heart soared! We talked all night about getting a dog, what things we would need to purchase, and how our lives would change.

 We returned to PAW Shelter the next day to let them know that we wanted to adopt that fluffy red dog named Officer Davis. We paid the adoption fee and then did the strangest thing. We left without our dog. This was because he still needed to be vetted. They scheduled him a vet appointment, and we had to wait three days before we could return to pick him up and take him to his forever home!

When I close my eyes, I can picture that moment when O.D. picked me to be his dog mom. And truly, there isn't any other way to describe what happened; he picked me. He knew we had the love and patience, and compassion to give him what he needed and deserved. The craziest thing? He never ran away from us, never tried to get away, never left our side. Except for one occasion where he ran down the street chasing a cat! But as soon as he realized he was out of the yard and too far from Mom, he stopped and frantically looked around for me. I was calling out his name, and he was looking all around for me, silly pup!

It is this story I cling to as we write another chapter in our book as dog parents. Never expecting to be parents of a diabetic dog, I never dreamed of needles and insulin in our daily routines. But when things get frantic or overwhelming, I stop, close my eyes, and picture that moment. That moment when time stood still and the stars aligned; that moment when my dog walked over to me and fell in love with me in a sniff. He chose me, and so I know he has faith in me to learn and understand his needs.