Young at Heart Pet Rescue

by Filbert

ACT 1

Once upon a time I had a home where the people taught me things.

They taught me to do my business outside, and not to jump up on people, and definitely NOT to get up on the furniture. I learned that the refrigerator is something you want to be near when it opens, because there are good things in there and great smells.

I learned to love people and other dogs and to cuddle and snuggle and enjoy my humans. I learned not to bark much, usually not even at the mail carrier. I learned to like car rides and to walk gently on a leash. I learned that sometimes you need to bark at a random squirrel or passing dog, and that small, yappy dogs may need to be checked out closely, although no one told them this because they don’t seem to enjoy it that much.

I learned to turn in one circle when you see the full food bowl headed your way, and then to sit calmly before eating. I learned that people cannot resist petting you if you put your head in their lap or lay your body across theirs (with your back feet still on the floor – since furniture is a no-no!).

I must have been well cared for too, because I am healthy and in all this time I didn’t get bad teeth or yucky ears or flaky skin or mottle fur or anything like that. I was not neutered but I also wasn’t a humper or otherwise dominant type.

A mostly-Doberman mix, I don’t have what you may think is the classic Dobe look since my ears and tail were left natural – or uncropped. This means I don’t have that intense, intimidating look you think of when you think Doberman, and that I have a lovely, long fluffy tail and medium, floppy ears. Also I am what in Dobe-speak is known as “red,” which really means I’m a gorgeous chocolate brown tinged with caramel accents. That’s a little too dainty-sounding for a boy like me but it’s an accurate description!

Things went along pretty well for a while, maybe five or six years or so.

And then things changed.

I learned that people aren’t perfect.

ACT 2

Something went terribly wrong and I don’t understand it. All I know is that I was not being fed so I got really, really, REALLY skinny. Even for a breed that is generally thin and kind of bony, I was just a skeleton, a shell of my former self. I have seen pictures of myself at that time and they are sad.

I was taken to a place where there are rows and rows of cages full of other dogs that don’t have any place else to go. It was loud and chaotic. I heard my person say that I was sick and needed to be put down, whatever that means. But somehow I knew it wasn’t a good thing to hear.

Then a nice person who works at this place with all these homeless dogs said maybe I just needed some food! And sure enough when she offered I gobbled it up because I was super hungry! So Nice Person told not-so-nice-person(s) to leave me there and go away. So they left, I stayed, and then I got to eat every single day again!

One day, a group of people from Young At Heart Senior Pet Rescue came to the place with all the dogs and cages and gathered some of us up and took us away with them on an adventure! I didn’t know exactly what was up but I was very nice and friendly because somehow I just knew these were Very Nice People.

I rode in a crate in the car for a while then went to another place with cages and other dogs, but this was smaller and not as crazy. I stayed there for a couple of days so the Very Nice doctor could double check to make sure I was healthy, and I was.

Well, other than being nearly starved to death, that is.

I learned that hope springs eternal.

ACT 3

A week later I went to live with my foster family which includes a man, a woman and three beagles. I took to everyone immediately and we all get along great.

I am so good in the house. I prefer to be near my people and often curl up in a tight ball right by their feet or close by. One of my favorite places is right at the bottom of the stairs so I can see what’s happening all around me.

At night I curl up into a dog bed on the floor of the bedroom and I don’t get up until you do. If you happen to get up in the middle of the night, I’ll come with you to make sure you’re okay. Then I’ll go right back to sleep.

If you let me outside, I can just hang out there and enjoy myself. Sometimes I’ll just sit right on the back step and observe the world. When you leave I am content to just snooze somewhere loose in the house. But prepared to be greeted with great enthusiasm when you come home! I will squeal and bark just a little bit until you get in the door, then I really want to stand up and cling to you for a while.

I love everyone I meet! I love your rubs and scratches and pets. Every so often I will come up and ask for some attention by nudging your arm or leaning into you or just putting my head right smack into your lap. I like to be brushed but need no grooming other than an occasional nail trim. If you need to clean my ears or wipe my paws, I just sit quietly and let you take care of things. Not even a hint of annoyance from me.

Wow, these people are really treating me to the high life! I’ve been getting extra food and plenty of treats, which I can easily catch if you toss them my way. I am especially fond of canned pumpkin which is nutritious and filling. YUM-O. I gained 14 pounds in about one month!

The good news is that I gained the weight. The weird news is that meant I had to have a little procedure called neutering. But the best news of all is that it went great, I was myself again within a few hours and now I can be adopted to a new home!

I have such a gentle, loving soul. I would be such a good addition to your family.

I learned to never give up.

THE FINAL ACT

This is the audience-participation portion, because YOU get to play a part in this story now. The Final Act is yours to play.

You can to donate to Young At Heart Pet Rescue (www.yahpetrescue.com) on my behalf, or just in general to help other older pets who need your help.

Maybe you want to meet me to see how sweet I really am. We have adoption events all the time.

Or, if we’re both really lucky, maybe you’re Filbert’s Forever Family!

And together we can learn about unconditional love.

July 29