Table of Contents
Benny’s story.
I’ve recently developed a bit of a new addiction. A healthy addiction arguably, but an addiction nonetheless.
I want to foster all the dogs! I want pooches that have gone through difficult times to know what it feels like to be loved and taken care of. I want them to love life and feel secure in how great they are. And then I want to find them all appropriate homes where they can stay forever.
It’s a healthy addiction because it’s needed. Because it’s kind. Because it feels good. Because it makes the world a better place.
But it’s a lot.
It’s time consuming and sometimes very challenging. And yet… whenever one challenge ends, I find myself a little too open to the next challenge.
The Stray Dog Problem
I always knew there was an issue in our country with stray and abandoned dogs, and shelters bursting at the seams that need to put down their “extra” pooches. But until very recently, I didn’t really know how bad things were.
Not long ago, we accepted a beautiful dog into our home, gave him love and attention. Watched as his personality emerged after awful owners just left him to die. And when he was together with his new family, I sighed a breath of relief… and found myself wanting to do it again.
The Benny Story: The Beginning
That’s how Ben came into our life.
I’m not going to sugarcoat the beginning of this story. The first 24 hours were way above our pay grade. Obviously we can’t possibly know Benny’s full story. All we know is a dog came into our home with many small scars on his body and a bit dirty. He was terrified of people, and jumped at any sudden movements. And he had no interest in anything. He just plopped himself on our rug and barely moved. When we needed to get him anywhere, we had to pick him up, otherwise we’d just be stuck. He’s about 50 pounds!
Things reached their hardest point for me when I tried to walk him about two hours after he arrived. He was very resistant and managed to pull his head out of his collar. And then he just ran! He didn’t know what he was doing, didn’t understand the dangers of the street. And I chased after him, winded and terrified, trying to figure out what I was going to do.
The Benny Story: The Fear
I swear I’d never felt anything like this before. The combined emotions of fearing for Benny’s life and feeling like I’ve never failed at a task as epically as this.
Thankfully, he ran past a yeshiva and several boys ran out to help. They were incredible! (Big shout out to YTVA!) With their help, I was able to corner him and get his collar back on. Devorah came out and together we carried him home.
I was shaken. And we both wondered whether or not we were actually up for the task.
I don’t know if my ego could have handled returning him. Maybe it was stubbornness. Maybe confidence. Or determination. But we stuck with it, and I’m so glad we did!
The Benny Story: A New Dog
At the time of writing, we’ve had Benny for almost two weeks. He doesn’t even mildly resemble the dog we received. After a couple of days, we watched him break out of his shell.
The power of love, care, attention, and patience cracked through his defensive shell, and a beautiful, sweet, and fun dog is emerging more and more every single day.
At first I couldn’t get Benny to walk with me. Our dog, Frank, jumps up when I pick up the leash. He could walk for hours and never get bored. Benny was challenging to get out the door. And when we finally did, it was constant stopping. He’s a strong dog, and once he would stop, there was almost nothing that could be done, short of carrying him around. Which was miserable and exhausting.
Now: I grab the leash and Benny hops up too. The walks are a pleasure. He wants to sniff other dogs. He enjoys when strangers come over to pet him. When I take him to the dog park, he’ll run around gleefully. And when it’s time to go, he’ll walk right over to me and let me attach his leash.
He’s happy and sweet and lovable and responsive to training. It’s almost as if every dog that’s been abused by life has a wonderful, caring personality stored under a layer of defensiveness. It might manifest itself in aggressiveness or lethargy, but it just needs to be unearthed. One needs to just give them the love they deserve, and they will emerge from their cocoon. And the crazy part is, even if it’s a challenge and comes with setbacks, in the big picture it’s not even a lengthy process.
He Emerged
I’ll never forget two days into Operation Benny, he stood up and started wandering around our apartment. It was like watching a child walk for the first time. Up until that point he plopped himself on a rug and didn’t move unless absolutely forced. And here he was, wandering around the apartment. Smelling everything. Experiencing everything. Taking it all in.
It was a fantastic moment for him. And it was a glorious moment for us as well.
This past year has been very trying on my soul. I sit at home while other people risk their lives so I can watch Netflix in the comfort of my living room. I’m helpless. And it hurts. I’ve attempted to make a difference, and many times the attempts fell flat. A friend needs a kidney. I checked and I was ineligible because of my diabetes. I tried to give blood again after a long break due to iron issues. It was an epic fail. The nurse stopped everything prematurely when my face went completely pale.
So what am I? What do I have to offer?
Benny’s Forever Home
I can walk around and say this fun, happy, lovely creature will live a long, amazing life. And that may not have happened if it weren’t for us.
So we’ve done a whole lot for Benny.
But Benny’s done a whole lot for us as well!
At the time of writing, I don’t know what his future will hold. We are still searching for his forever home. Somewhere someone has all the love in their heart necessary to care for this beautiful dog. They are fortunate. I have no doubt he will give all that love right back!
I can’t wait to see what happens next.
