A Beautiful Moment

It's a beautiful moment...when you realize what you want to do with the rest of your life. I am going to spend the rest of my life working with canids. This has only been staring me in the face for, well, forever. 

This morning was my second time participating in "doggie play groups" at the Humane Society of Tampa Bay. This has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my time at the shelter. Here are two examples of rewarding stories. 

1. Fair: A 2.5 year old hound mix. Fair was new to the shelter floor this week and was extremely nervous and scared. This is a dangerous place for dogs to be, mainly because it can escalate so easily into aggression. She participated in our play group this morning and was scared at first. After setting her boundaries with the dogs already in the yard, Fair took her place right next to the gate. She remained there, snapping at any of the dogs that got to close, for a solid 15 minutes. Eventually though, she moved away from the gate and into the middle of the play yard. She even started to play with the other dogs!!!!! This is something that a human alone could never accomplish with a dog in this short of a time span. Just another example of why dog interactions are a pack lifestyle are so important for the well being of not only domesticated dogs, but wild species as well. 
2. Rooster & Sadie: They come together. :) Rooster is a 3 year old shepherd mix. Sadie is a 2 year old akita mix. Both of these dogs are mouthy, energetic, and difficult to handle. Most people wouldn't even imagine putting these dogs into a run with other dogs.... but it has a happy ending. Rooster and Sadie attached to each other the moment we brought them in the run. They have the same personality and love to romp and chew on each other. The perfect match. After mere minutes of interacting with each other, we introduced a smaller dog into the mix, approximately a third the size of these two large dogs. The three of them did wonderfully together. Yet another thing a person could never achieve working with these dogs alone. They even played in the pool together and shared resources (the water dish) without any signs of aggression. Beautiful!

I'm not exaggerating when I say that HSTB is my home and I will love it forever. The people who work for/volunteer at/adopt from this organization are doing amazing things. HSTB saves thousands of lives every year, and they aren't just the lives of animals. We sell tags now that say "I rescued my human." This statement could not be more true. Animals have an affect on our hearts that is immeasurable. Open your heart to an animal and you'll never be the same. Dogs done more for me than any person has or will ever come close to doing. 

Whatever capacity it may be (hopefully rescue and rehabilitation), I will be working with multiple canine species for the rest of my life. :)

I may just move in to the shelter and stay forever!!

Today was a successful day. Adoptions. Play groups. Spreading smiles. Eating dog cookies. Doesn't get much better than this.

The first dog to ever show me what it means to fully dedicate your heart to the rescue/rehabilitation of a forgotten and neglected dog.