Who Saved Who?

There are a lot of things we as humans can want out of this life. Abundant wealth, world peace, all of the best clothes, unlimited sushi...but the one thing that is more important than all of the rest is unconditional love.

Our family and friends may say they love us no matter what, but from time to time, they will judge us and sometimes cut off contact with us. The one thing in this world that will always love us no matter what is our furry friends.

In the months leading up to Oreo’s rescue, I was going through a lot mentally and emotionally. I had just ended a 4 year relationship, moved out of state away from my family, and to say I was feeling depressed is an understatement. There were times when I just wanted to stay in bed and ignore the world, because I felt like there was nothing in it for me.

The one thing that made me feel okay in any sense of the word was walking down the road for a slushee at the gas station. I could have of course driven, but I was hopeful that being out in the fresh air would lift the darkness that was settling over me.

I had been indulging in the slushee therapy for a couple weeks when I first noticed Oreo. Of course he wasn’t Oreo at the time. He was just a sad, skinny, dirty little pup that was completely eaten up by fleas. It broke my heart to see the bones poking through his skin and the sad, defeated look in his eyes seemed to ask “what did I do to deserve this?”.

It took 2 weeks for me to earn his trust. He was always hiding around the corner behind the dumpster, sad and shaking, but wanting to trust so badly. It became a ritual for me to buy a couple hot dogs and sit down, trying to lure him to me.

I will never forget the time he was first excited to see me. He timidly came out from behind the dumpster, his little tail just wagging. He was still scared, but I could see then that he was willing to trust. After that day, I bought a leash and collar with me, slowly introducing it so he wouldn’t be scared. A couple days later, I was finally able to get it on him and he trusted me enough to walk home with me!

The first thing we did was give him a bath. I didn’t have any animal shampoo, so I used dawn dish soap, because I read that it helped kill fleas. Once he was clean and dry, he looked like a whole new dog. I didn’t want to overload his system all at once so I boiled some chicken and plain rice and let him feast on that for a while, rationing so he wouldn’t make himself sick. Once he had a full belly, his personality started to shine through. He was curious and so loving. He couldn’t get enough of the pets.

I had him for about a week before I could get him in at the vet, but he had put on significant weight with me and got a clean bill of health after he got his flea medication and vaccines.

From the minute I met him, my mood and outlook on life started improving. I finally felt like I had a purpose again and after bringing him home, I didn’t dread getting up in the morning anymore. I became his momma and he needed me and continues to need to me to this day. April 28th of this year will make a year that he’s been with me and I continue to ask myself “who saved who?”.