Indie

I came home one day to the strange sight of my family kneeling in a circle. I asked if everything was , my dad waved his hand for me to come over. To my delight they were all fixated on a timid puppy curled up in a ball. The pup was a stray from Tennessee, he was seven months old, and his coat black with a white chest. We had no idea what breed he we're thinking a terrier mix. The shelter named him Indigo which we found fitting, so we call him Indie. He was so nervous, my large family must have been overwhelming, he could move. He remained tail tucked and withdrawn everywhere he went around the house at first.

This was a surprise for my Mom and I, we had no idea that my Dad was going to come home with a dog that day. That afternoon he had gone to a shelter with three of my siblings. He told us his intention was to look but this one little guy stood out. In fact, they overlooked him at first, then walking back noticed they missed one. This guy was leaning against the side of the cage with those notorious puppy dog eyes. After a brief trip to the play pen, they knew he was the one. They said on the ride home he had the biggest smile.

My mom was not happy at first, she didn't want another dog, she was still mourning our last one. We all she took it to heart, as the mother of the house she felt she failed protecting our last dog. That's a whole other story, but that's all you need to know for this next part to make sense. Even though she ignored Indie for the first couple weeks, he followed her everywhere. It's like he knew she was the mother of our pack and was assuring his trust in her. It didn't take long for her to fall in love with him.

This pup ended up being the Mary Poppins of dogs, practically perfect in every way. His personality is docile, his temperament energetic, and perceptive. His dark eyes held such deep expressions, at times I’m convinced he’s a human trapped in a dog’s body. Indie had been through a lot, we discovered his first owner abandoned him. He roamed the streets for a while till he was to a shelter. We could tell he also showed signs of abuse, like being overly submissive. The fact that he was always so sweet and obedient rather than aggressive and unruly showed his character. I could tell how grateful he was and still is to be in a loving home.

I know everyone claims their dog is special, but Indie is something else. We barely had to train him. He can be trusted to go outside freely and stay on the property. He’ll listen intently to a conversation you have with him and most of the time looks like he understands. Unlike most dogs, he won’t eat anything off the floor or handed to him, he has to inspect it first and await approval. He’s a vocal pup, he’ll tell you what he needs if you listen. Strangers have nothing to fear around him, he's a gentleman. I think he might also be an angel, I swear he even has wings. When the sun gleams down on his back you can see two lighter patches of fur on either side that look like wings.

I must be honest, Indie isn't complete perfection. There was one time he misbehaved and gave us quite a scare. My sister let him out one night, when she went to check on him, she heard a car come to a screeching halt and a loud yelp. She sprinted to the scene where two girls remained at a stop in the middle of the road with shock on their faces. My sister looked around but Indie had vanished. She missed his black body fleeing toward the house in the dark. Miraculously his injury was a fractured rib. He never went near the road again after we always keep a better eye on him at night. He loves chasing critters which I suspect is what brought him into the street.

I'm so grateful my dad went with his intuition and rescued Indie. I know it's tempting to get a purebred when there's a specific breed in mind, but rescuing is more rewarding. There's too many mistreated, abandoned animals out there that need love. They have deeper characters because of what they've been through. Some may more work in understanding how to care for their emotional needs because of the trauma they've endured, but it's so worth it. In return for the care we give them, they teach us selflessness, patience, and unconditional love. If you're looking for a fury friend I encourage you to rescue one from a shelter, I bet you'll find an angel there.