For the Love of Dogs

I was weeding out front and all of a sudden my dog, Sawyer, took off after a stray Pit Bull wandering down the street. So begins Nancy’s gifting story. After getting Sawyer under control she quietly followed the stray. He was too scared to let her near. But a connection must’ve been established, a silent message sent and received, because the next day the stray showed up at her house.

He was a sweetheart and he allowed Nancy to clean him up, give him food, and love, and a bed under the deck. Nancy would’ve invited him inside and he no doubt would’ve accepted, but Sawyer said no way. So she started researching rescue organizations in her area and found one to her liking – Catskill Animal Rescue, Inc. The rescue named him Dynamite.

What should show up in her mailbox while this was going on? My $60 birthday request. Talk about divine intervention. There was no question as to where the money would go. The need was immediate. Nancy gave it to the rescue, adding to money she had already given them for the care of Dynamite.

I’ve known Nancy a long time. She has a big heart and wants to take care of everyone. So it was no surprise to me when she shared that until he was adopted, she regularly visited Dynamite at the rescue.

Newly married, Elaine and her husband were considering their first dog. They settled on the Samoyed breed not just for its beauty, but for its happy and playful nature. The dog’s sweetness sealed the deal and they have had Sammy’s ever since.

In 1989, twenty years after that first adoption, Elaine and a couple of friends rescued an owner-surrendered Samoyed — a pick up in a shopping center parking lot. One act of kindness eventually became a cause and the rescue group Samoyed Rescue of Southern California was formed. In the early years Elaine designed the rescue’s first logo and information pamphlet, and helped out with phone calls and fund-raising.

Often I see Elaine and her husband walking the neighborhood with Koda, their 6th Sammy. I’m familiar with their affinity for the breed. But until I read their gifting story, I did not know of Elaine’s involvement in helping to care for and place in fur-ever homes, rescued Sams. She and her husband continue to donate to the organization, making where to send my $60 an easy decision.

It was such a simple request. Ask people to give away $60. Much was revealed to me in the completion of this task. The myriad of ways in which people process such a request and express philanthropy, for one. But in many cases, as in these two stories, the gift offered to me was a peek into the soul of a person, something more for me to know and appreciate about them.

Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened. ~ Anatole France