Gifts from a Rescue Dog

Sydney and Moosey.

Story and photo by Gordon Berg

Sydney had no right to be so sweet. We were told that when rescuers and officers raided the puppy-mill farm down south, they found her living in horribly squalid conditions. Her front teeth were worn down to nubs from years of trying to gnaw her way to freedom from the three-foot chain that held her captive. She was emaciated from having given every last bit of nourishment she had to her four pups. The owner of the mill was arrested and charged with animal cruelty.

But something even more miraculous happened during that early dawn raid. It was at that moment that Sydney first learned the kindness of adults. Selfless spirits whose hearts burned so strongly with passion that they would endanger their own lives to save Sydney and her offspring.

There were literally dozens of people who showered her with similar compassion. They bathed her and saw to her medical needs. They shaved her matted fur and helped rid her of fleas, parasites, and later, heartworm. They put the word out to a network of truckers who freely offered space in their cabs to transport her north to the Australian Shepherd Rescue in Michigan organization, (arim.org). A member of that group stepped up to foster all four dogs until a permanent home could be found. (One of Sydney’s pups died shortly after being rescued.)

Every step along the way, she was given love. There is no more powerful salve than pure love. And she returned that love in her own way. When any of those helping her leaned in close, she would spontaneously bump her nose to theirs. People called them nose bonks. Sydney gave them freely, and every one of ’em made people giggle.

When Sydney was put into our care, we were warned with a wink that she might bonk our noses. She did not disappoint. She did this to us the first time we met, to perfect strangers, and to children throughout the next nearly 10 years she lived with us.

Until she died. About four months ago. We are still heartbroken.

But it’s getting better. Slowly. Her loss is, of course, being replaced with memories. Those reflections make us smile. Sort of a series of brain bonks.

As time passes, I’m increasingly aware that these memories are her steadfast gifts to us. And they fill us up.

And there is more. At this time of year, as we pause to be thankful and express our  gratitude with gift-giving, I am increasingly aware of the many life lessons she so generously gave us. But of them all, the two we hold closest in our hearts are forgiveness and gratitude.

Forgiveness makes it possible for healing, hope and freedom to arise. Sydney lived in the here and now. The past was over. It was like she knew that hanging onto all that pain, fear, and anxiety only served to cloud an otherwise bright future.

And that bright future glowed with gratitude. Sydney smiled. No, really. With her whole being, she smiled. From her eyes and ears all the way to her wiggetty, stubby tail.

In August, Sydney’s health declined rapidly. As she lay on the floor, unable to move, she simply wanted us by her side. Neighbors dropped in to say goodbye. In the evening, a vet came to our home to euthanize her. In her final moments, we surrounded Syd with everything she had come to love. Her toys. My wife. Me.

We knelt on the floor with our faces close to hers. We told her how much she was loved and how grateful we were that she came to our home. A miracle. Even as life flowed out of her, her eyes expressed deep gratitude. Pure. Love.

One more thing. All the time Sydney lived with us, I thought it was my wife and I who were caring for her … when really it was Sydney who was caring for us.

Bumper stickers for those who have a rescue dog ask a poignant question: “Who Rescued Who?”

The answer is simple. And our hearts are overflowing with the gifts she left behind.

Gordon Berg is a descendant of Manistee’s Bergs, Swansons and Martinsons. His debut book, “Harry and the Hurricane”, is about his father’s life as a young boy and how he survived the Miami Hurricane of 1926. harryandthehurricane.com

Read more stories by Gordon Berg HERE.

See also:
A Rescue Dog Dreams
Rescue Me!!