The beautiful face of a dog who's waited and waited.....
Meadow is a shelter dog, who's current home is a kennel in Wicomico County, Maryland. She's a little bit hyper when you walk by; often leaping enthusiastically at the gate, so very eager to get outside into the real world. But once outdoors, she pauses to sniff the fresh air, look at the open space around her; sniff and take as many steps as she wants to without running into the end of her kennel. That's how I got this picture, as we sat together on the curb of the street where we walk shelter pups, as she looked around and just relaxed into....being a dog.
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Meadow is loved by the staff, fed well, and taken on walks as many times as volunteers are able to squeeze in one more stroll, but it's not a life most animals would want. There is little interaction with people - good people, who are doing the best they can, but who are limited by time and demands of 50+ other dogs just like her. She doesn't get many people coming to see her, because like her friends, she isn't a tiny or "designer breed"; these are large dogs with a lot of energy and even bigger hearts.
They are pending companions and best friends who are waiting, eager to share a life with a human or family who will take the time to value the creatures our society discards. They are the throwaway animals who grew into big dogs after arriving as a cute puppy, the ones who failed to learn good manners because training wasn't given on a consistent basis, the creatures blamed for being overly enthusiastic or high energy because they are still young and playful. They are the BFF's waiting for their other half to complete their story.....and they are not an "instant pet in a crate" type of situation.
We can't sugarcoat what these creatures have been through, because that's neither fair or realistic to do so, but I can explain what you might find: dogs who have spent time in a shelter or rescue are different than when they arrived, were picked up running loose, or surrendered for some reason; they are not the same house pet you have had for eight years, who knows your every move and realizes you return each time you leave the house. Shelter dogs may have been that, in a previous world, but by now their lives have likely turned upside down and sideways, several times, perhaps, and they need understanding, space, love and time. It is a process of building between human and animal; a gradual progress of trust, and a journey which may very well bring you some of the greatest joy you'll find in this life.
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Please, if you go to a shelter to look at a dog or cat, do not react to the first impression you see. Before labeling an animal as "too much" or "out of control", understand where they have been for weeks or months; soak up the fact that what one human failed to do.....left scars or lack of structure or a well trained pet....but that doesn't mean they can't become that. For all the love in these beautiful, discarded animals, I invite you to go and visit them, to learn for yourself what second chances can be all about.
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