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| (Photo credit Elena Gerli) |
Today marks the second year I've shared my life with my rescued Jindo dog, Dory. In previous posts I've detailed the saga that converged our lives to this point. Sharing life with a timid yet happy, quiet, gentle creature has been uplifting, joyful and challenging in ways that have made me a better human. Making life better for my canine companion has brightened life for me.
Every morning Dory greets me with a wagging tail and Jindo smile. He eagerly goes with me on trips to parts unknown to him yet he jumps into the back seat when ever the car door is open, trusting that when the door opens again he will be greeted with new and interesting scents to stimulate and excite his mind. He has sat in the passenger seat, nobly relinquishing his usual back seat, ignoring the rescued dog in the back seat who's being transported by me to another foster home.
He patiently waits when strangers, who see us on our twice daily walks, question me about Dory's breed and ask to pet him. Interactions I'd never have had if this sweet-looking dog wasn't walking with me. Interactions that allow me to meet new people, hone my people skills and share the story of the remarkable Jindo ("They rarely bark, are clean like cats and can hold their pee & poo for 8 hours or more -- the perfect apartment dog").
Dory makes me laugh when he springs, Tigger-like, into the front yard, eager to play "chase me" in the morning or when he looks over his shoulder at me, in case I'm ready to go for a walk.
While I've always loved and cared for a variety of animals, the sheer sparkling brilliance of Dory's existence has moved me to do more for the remarkable creatures with whom we share this breathtakingly beautiful planet. I volunteer with the Jindo rescue group, Two Dog Farms, who rescued Dory from certain death at a municipal animal control facility when his time expired. I volunteer at my local animal shelter, help transport rescued Jindos to fosters, help find fosters, assist adoption events, continue to learn about Jindos and dog behavior and other elements of animal rescue. One action flowed into another and then another until a whole new segment of life carved out a place in my life with Dory. With every dog rescued, starting with Dory, there is a sense that this activity makes a positive difference to the lives of others who, like me, take on the care and safety of a neglected, abandoned but ever-so amazing dog. The blossoming of dogs who go from the frightening, unsure existence in a kennel to life in a home is its own compensation. In fact, it's priceless.
