Nacho's Life

It all began with a beg, then a plead, then a cry from our kids. "We want a dog, please?" "We will do anything you want if you get us a dog." My husband and I sat there looking at each other trying to figure out the best way to say no to them. We asked them to give us some time to think about it. My husband admitted he was ready to get a dog again after the last incident with rescuing a dog. I was still unsure; my heart was still broken. I wasn't sure I would be able to love a dog again. In the end, we agreed to go to the Humane Society to just look to see what they had available. Little did we know how doomed we were.

When we got to the Humane Society, we looked at the puppies first. They were cute and sweet, but they were not ready to go home because they were still sick. Next, we visited the small dog room. These dogs were loud. They barked anytime you walked past them. A couple of them caught our eyes, but nothing felt just right to me. My husband found one bulldog he liked, but I convinced him to take a walk around the big dog kennels. When you go around the big dog kennels, there is a guide that walks with you because sometimes these dogs are not nice and shouldn't be around kids. So, we walked and looked. We found a couple dogs that were good choices but had too big of barks for my youngest son. Then we saw him. He was laying down on his bed and got up slowly when we walked over. He never made a sound but smiled and wagged his tail. We walked past because he only had 3 legs, but something was pulling on my heartstrings. I told my husband I wanted to have them get him out of the kennel and when we did it was amazing. He went straight to my youngest son, laid down and asked for a belly rub. No other dog made the connection with him like Nacho did. They didn't like to be separated. We started to leave because we didn't think we could handle the tripod dog. Nacho went back in his kennel and we went to the door. My boys started crying and something told me we were doing something very wrong leaving that sweet boy there. He didn't deserve it.

We never even made it to the car. My husband wanted to go get the bulldog and I wanted to go get Nacho. Special needs need special needs is what I kept telling him. Nacho was so gentle with our son. We asked a few more questions, some very difficult. They had not had him very long, but from what it sounded like, he had a very difficult life up until then. He had been a hunting dog, but then he was shot. They were able to save him but not his leg. After that his previous owner let him be in a kennel all day. By some miraculous way, Nacho escaped, and his owner did not come get him and he was there for us to take home. My husband finally agreed that it was a good fit for us. The Humane Society broke their own rules and let us take him home that day, even though he wasn't fixed yet. My kids were in heaven, my heart was full, and my husband was happy. Little did my husband know that Nacho was going to become his best friend and couch buddy. The 3 legs never stopped him, and he was still speedy when he wanted to be. He chased squirrels and rabbits daily. He was a lazy dog that loved belly rubs and socks. He was our good boy, all the way up until he got sick, and he had to go over the rainbow bridge. Our youngest still cries when he sees a picture of him or when he has a memory of him. Every now and again we see him, in the smile of our new dog, a cardinal that flies by or in a memory on Facebook. He was the best rescue we ever made because he saved us too.