From Fear to Love

I get a lot of great questions from kids when I am in school. If the questions are author-related, I make sure that we aren't taking time from their teacher's lesson plans. One question I hear over and over is how I decided to write different stories. The fact is, one of my inspirations sits on the couch with me every night.

We adopted our youngest dog, Brownie, a couple of months after our lab mix crossed the Rainbow Bridge. He went from being a stray up in Reno to getting neutered, to being housed in a shelter and getting adopted by us in a very short time. He was terrified of the world, and it showed. And of course, the first thing he did when we brought him home was to get loose and run away. It took several days and a lot of help from our local shelter workers but we finally got him into the house and that was that. Those first days and reactions of his are some of what inspired Thoughts of a Rescue Dog. They also brought back memories of other dogs we've had over the years.

There have been jogging buddies for my husband. These were two bigger, high energy dogs who could handle running on a trail alongside their human. The second of these is the one who passed away just before we adopted Brownie. Then there was Shirley the Wonder Dog. She was the biggest, goofiest couch potato I've ever known. We called her the wonder dog because she wondered why we didn't treat her like people. We also called her that because so many people (including us) wondered what mix of breeds she was. When her fur was grown out, she was thick and bushy like a sheepdog mixed with a rottweiler. That was her winter fur. But every spring she'd get shaved and look like a totally different breed of dog. She never met a stranger because everyone was her friend until proven otherwise. She was an arthritis dog - meaning she would know when I had a flare coming and make me rest. And Shirley was a therapist to both of my kids when they needed extra hugs, love, and confidence.

Brownie is the first shy dog we've ever had. We have watched him go from being paralyzed with fear when taken outside to relieve himself to acting like a family pet and part of a two-dog pack. He plays with our cat in the house but chases any other cats from the yard. He welcomes us home with great enthusiasm like he is celebrating the return of whoever was out. It has taken a lot of patience, love, and dog treats, but we see more of his true personality every day. We still see episodes of what my son refers to as doggie-PTSD, and probably will for a while. But more often than not, we see a goofy puppy who is learning what it means to be a pet. And the one training him as much as his humans is Cookie. She is a spunky little firecracker who, like Shirley, knows no strangers. There has never been any question about the alpha dog in our little pack. Cookie might be physically smaller, but she is definitely in charge. There is nothing sweeter though than watching the two dogs play in the yard or cuddle on the couch.

Adopting any dog is a journey. Adopting friendly, confident dogs is definitely easier, but adopting a shy dog has done more than inspire a book. We humans don't always know what made a dog the way that they are, but it is always worth the effort to bring them out of their shell. Because when a shy dog learns to trust, it's a reminder that any obstacle can be overcome, given the chance.