So on Saturday a volunteer from Florida Boxer Rescue came by to give us the once over so we could start fostering for them. Everyone said to let Max do all the talking and I tried, but he was so busy being a lady's man with Sasha that I had to fill in.
The volunteer emailed me the story of Sugar Ray, one of her fosters, along with a couple of photos.
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I started to tell you about a young male we named "Stevie Ray", one of my sweetest foster 'kids' was abandoned in a backyard cage with his boxer sister. The girl got adopted immediately from the shelter where they were taken. Stevie Ray became more and more despondent - wouldn't move, wouldn't eat, wouldn't look at anyone.
We were asked to foster this little boy because my male was good with younger dogs. To move him from the shelter, he had to be carried out in a wheel-barrow because he would not move. By then, his muscles had greatly deteriorated and his legs were as thin as matchsticks. He had all but given up.
He was transported down to us and we met him at a truckstop off I-75. The car door opened and inside was a beautiful, light brindle, too thin, one year old boy with the saddest eyes I've EVER seen. He glanced at us and started to look away, but then caught sight of Bo and Sasha and I saw a 'light' come back to his eyes.
On shaky legs, he stood up to get out of the car so he could follow his foster siblings back to our car and start his healing. It was beautiful watching him come out of his shell while we had him - all the while he was GLUED to Bo's side.
One night, Bo must have been dreaming- howling in his sleep. Stevie woke me up and had me follow him to the other bedroom where the dogs were sleeping (yes, they have their own bedroom! Ha!)...he sat by Bo's side watching him with concern and looking at me as if to say "please make sure he's okay!". Oh. My. Gosh. Even thinking about that now, brings tears to my eyes.
He's now a very happy 3.5 year old living in Fort Myers with a loving family and boxer sister, Sugar Rae (serendipity!). They travel, go to dog parks and have a wonderful life. As a bonus, they come to visit us on their birthday and bring cupcakes!
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| Bo and Stevie Ray |
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| Stevie the velcro dog |
Ok I'm crying again...what a beautiful story and God Bless fosters for taking these pups in and being able to let go...Love y'all!!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful heartwarming story! As someone who has watched 2 dogs come out of their shells it truly is a very rewarding experience.
ReplyDeleteSuxh a lucky boy!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great story and so wish many more would happen just like this one. We just help a boxer boy out of shelter and through surgery. He was just too much for our other male dog to trust and now with another foster/to adopt family. Love him so but to be fair has to allow him to move on and now it's going to be a success story, I feel sure. :) God bless the fosters that help make it work.
ReplyDeleteSniff...Sniff....love the happy ending! I had one similar except I adopted this one. While I hate that they had such horrible pasts I'm so glad they had wonderful endings!
ReplyDeleteYou will be a great foster mom Carrie. It's not all roses and wiggles, there will be some terribly troublesome fosters, but I know you'll manage. You'll get them headed in the right direction and shed a tear when they're adopted.
ReplyDeleteGreat story. I so want to foster but right now cannot afford to and am afraid I'll be a failure at it. Keep us posted on your adventures.
ReplyDeleteOMG ~ what a beautiful story! And, I'll betcha Max will be a great Foster-Brother, too
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful story - certainly brings tears to my eyes.
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