My life is dedicated to helping dogs while remaining compassionate to the wide variety of dog owners.
My mutt Ace is not a rescue dog.
That is not his story.
Ace has a great life. I am his world. He is mine.
I love him. I train him.
He teaches me about patience, acceptance, peacefulness.
I do not need to see him as a “rescued” animal in order to love him.
I don’t have to “rescue” a dog in order to be a good dog owner or the right kind of dog owner.
Ace does not think about his past life, and his past life was not a bad place. I am grateful for his previous owner. She provided my future dog with a safe place, consistency, security. He came to me with, literally, zero issues.
I have opened Ace’s world, yes. Given him my very best. He does the same for me.
We laugh together. We sing. We dance and run. We joke around a lot, Ace and I.
Our story is a good one. Always has been.
Some people, it seems, need to believe they “rescued” a dog in order to love that dog.
That is not how I choose to view my pets.
They do not want my pity. If anything, they feel sorry for me.
There is no “rescue” story in Ace’s story. There’s no room for that. I am no hero.
My dog is a mixed-breed dog.
A big, black dog.
A “hand me down” dog.
Not a rescue dog.
He is a dog.
I love him because he is mine.
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Nice post. It’s almost poetic. I’m glad you and Ace “found” each other.
Thanks!
Very nicely put! We have two GSDs, and both girls are from a breeder (now a good friend). One we got as a 13-week puppy (she was his first pick but apparently her croup was too short at the time. I say “at the time” as this corrected itself when she matured. However, M. did not want to include her in his breeding program at the time, and now it’s too late
.
Our second girl also came from him when she was 18-months old. She was an import he brought in from Italy when she was tiny puppy, to be bred to my first girl’s sire when she was old enough, but x-rays showed that her hips aren’t perfect. Not displasia, but she will have arthritis when she is a senior. Again, M. chose not to breed her and, knowing we were ready to add a second dog, he asked if we would take her.
At first I was always including the above information when I was asked where we got her from, as if I had to justify that I did not get a rescue dog, but now I just say that “we wanted her and she was available”.
Yes, that is a good way to put it. Ace was also available and I wanted him. Seemed to work out!
Well, rescue or not, glad you and Ace found each other. He is lucky to have you!
Thank you!
My dog is from a shelter, but I’ve been most surprised by the people who ask if he’s a wolf hybrid! No no no no no, nothing exotic or scary or illegal here, folks!