It all started with a Pyrenees puppy in 2004. He was a surprise birthday present from my sister. While I don’t EVER recommend surprising someone with a pet, we fell in love with our dear sweet Dillon. He was our fur baby and made our two person family more complete.
Raising Dillon led to more adoptions and the fostering of special needs dogs that needed extra care physically and emotionally. Some went on to new homes and others stayed. They gave us joy and a sense of purpose.
When we lost Dillon and our toy poodle Baxter within two months of each other in 2013 we were heartbroken. To be honest, we still shed tears to this day. After they passed, we still had three dogs in the home and we decided that was plenty for the time being. However, I secretly fantasized about a poodle showing up on our doorstep. Baxter had been like a baby to me.
That fantasy quickly formed into a reality two months later. A unique situation popped up with a friend of ours. He had rescued a standard poodle who was a retired therapy dog. Her owner had become mentally ill and was suffering from dementia. She became abusive to her dog and the people around her so the family asked our friend if he would like to adopt the dog. He bravely said yes and let us know he was bringing her home.
The night they arrived I watched from the window just to get a peek at her and I quickly sensed something was wrong. When I looked out the front door, I saw our friend running down the street yelling “Jennifer please help!” The poodle was loose! She had bolted from the car out of fear and was running on a city street.
She is black and it was dark. I was terrified! I quickly prayed and asked God to protect her and deliver her safely to us while I ran for treats to lure her in. She did not know us and we were chasing her. Not a good combination for catching a dog. After several close calls while I stood in the middle of the street waving my arms to stop traffic, our prayers were answered and she came to us safe and sound.
Rehoming a dog can be traumatic in itself for the animal, so this was a double whammy for her. Things had not started off well. Our friend took her inside, got her settled, and since he’s a professional brewer decided to name her Hoppy.
Our friend lives right next door, and it wasn’t long before I started noticing constant barking whenever she was home alone. I began to suspect separation anxiety and recommended our friend contact our dog trainer. After an assessment it was confirmed that Hoppy was experiencing separation anxiety when alone and was basically having panic attacks. Being someone that had experienced and overcome panic attacks in my thirties, I knew her pain and my heart ached for her.
Our trainer let us know that it is not uncommon for retired service dogs to develop separation anxiety. They are always with people and if the owner does not leave them alone a few times per week, they never learn how to manage being home by themselves. When people are provided service dogs they are advised to leave them alone from time to time to avoid anxiety issues when the dog retires.
Separation anxiety in dogs is treatable, it just takes time and commitment. Working with a professional trainer is critical and you only leave them alone for as long as they can handle it. Every situation is unique, but over time they can learn to be home alone. Until then they need to be with a person at all times. This was more than our friend could handle as a single man with a busy career.
Hoppy’s options were very slim because she had not come from a rescue so there was nowhere to “take her back” to. The pound was out of the question so after a lot of consulting with our trainer and prayer, Matthew and I suggested that we adopt her. Our friend was relieved and Hoppy came to live with us in January of 2014.
Hoppy is getting more and more comfortable every day. She has learned to live the life of a dog and has fun. Just like her mom, she’s a huge fan of the beach. We have a fabulous daycare she goes to while I see clients and a lovely college student that has become like family to us doggie sits when we go out. She gets along with her other dog siblings and we plan lots of activities that are dog-friendly.
When people hear Hoppy’s or some of our other dogs’ stories, they say such kind things like “what lucky dogs” or “you are their heroes.” While I am always grateful for these complements, the truth is I am no hero. I am blessed. These dogs have made us better people, taught us things that I may have never learned otherwise, and most of all brought us such joy and unconditional love that I can only point up to Heaven and thank God for each and every one of them. He loves His animals and I believe He works through them to teach us things and soften our hearts.
It’s often said “who rescued who?” Over the years I think I’ve learned that it was the dogs that God used to rescue me.
Shared with much love,
Jennifer Ledford
