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becoming free friday

My journey of becoming free is so illustrated in my little rescue dog Bella.  Let me tell you her story.

Bella was a puppy mill victim.  She lived most of her life in a metal cage, existing only to breed puppies. She didn't really know the touch of a human, or soft carpeting , treats or fun playing with other dogs.  She was rescued from the puppy mill by a Lab rescue organization in KY. We drove the 10 hours to see the labradoodle puppies that the rescue org had that weekend.  We fell in love with a cute little white labradoodle puppy and it was really hard to decide.  Bella was in a cage all by herself, and so defeated that she didn't respond at all to us. No barking, or growling, or moving away from us. Vera was the one who went into the large cage and sat with her and tried to get her to respond to us.  For about 2 hours we talked and tried to interact with her, and tried to decide which dog would work best for us and for Bailey our 1 yrs golden doodle. 

Here is Bella at the rescue organization. She was so matted, had horrible breath and infected ears.

I was reminded of another rescue story and God put it on my heart to talk to the girls about their own rescue.  Deanna was crying and so upset because she had her heart set on the puppy, but when I asked them to think about what would happen to Bella, and what would have happened if I hadn't adopted them- what if I only wanted a baby or a cute little toddler, where would they be ???

In the end we took Bella.  He name was Kayla, but we changed her name as we drove back to our home in VA.  We loved the name Bella and felt it was a pretty name for a little girl and it sounded so cute with Bailey.  Bailey and Bella, our two dogs.

Here she is on her first day as Bella- we groomed her and started her transformation! Her eyes are still so fearful and empty.

It is now almost a year since she came into our life. At first it was difficult to watch her, the fear of everything- fans, people, doors, yards, etc.  Bella wanted to go outside, but was scared to death to go out the door.  She wouldn't come back in either.  In fact most people didn't know I even had a 2nd dog, because she would hide most of the time.

God intervened in Bellas' life about 4 months ago. Somehow, she made the decision to trust- to let go of her fear, to be happy, to wag her tail at us, to let us pet her, love her.  It is a joy to watch her now. She has come so far! 

When I think about my own walk in being free, Bella reminds me that I have to make the decision to "BE FREE". To walk in freedom means I have to let go of my fear, my anxiety, to make the choice to love and be loved.

So each time I pet my Bella, I thank God for the picture of faith and freedom he has given me!

another foster doodle named Benson!

We are fostering another doodle named Benson. We rescued him last week. He is a 1 year old black Labradoodle, 67 lbs, non-shedding coat and a lover boy.  His former name was Bear, so we changed it to Benson!  He had been chained outside before he was surrendered to the kill shelter, but he must have been in a home before that because he is housetrained and wants to sit in your lap constantly!  He is getting along well with Bailey and Bella ( she just tolerates him though). Bailey and Benson romp in the back yard each day.

He came to us with mattes in his hair- full of feces, and even a fish hook and sticker burrs. I had to cut him down and then bathe him. Look at the before picture, you can't even see his eyes. He actually had a sticker burr between his eyes!~

I am teaching him to walk on a leash ( he is so strong and pulls a lot), and to be gentle with the girls. Hopefullly he will find a forever home soon! If you are  or know anyone interested in doodles check out Doodle Rescue Collective, the group I am working with. I get the dogs from local shelters and we bring them into our rescue program and I am one of the fosters.  Please adopt a rescue dog before you go and buy a puppy - most of the puppies come from puppy mills. If you want to give your heart to a wonderful loving, smart non-shedding breed, check out Doodle Kisses where you can see pictures of doodles and find out everything about the breed. Our rescue dogs are listed for adoption on Doodle kisses also!

Maxi was adopted yesterday!

Two weeks ago I went to Spotsylvania County Animal shelter and rescued a beautiful labradoodle named Maxine. She had been turned into the shelter and was due to be euthanized in a few days. I am a part of  the the Doodle Rescue Collective. We rescue doodles from shelters and foster them and then work to find them permanent homes.

Maxi was a beautiful 30 lb buff colored labradoodle. She was about 10 lbs underweight.  She had been spayed, and wasn't current on her shots, but completely house trained, knew her commands and loved to play ball. Luckily she didn't have tics, or fleas, and fit right into our doodle group.  At first she just wanted to hang with the humans, but just this week, she and Bailey started playing together and really became pals.

Yesterday her new family came from PA to adopt her. I think she is such a lucky dog!  Her forever family has 2 children 12 years old, and they were really excited to have a new dog. Their beloved family pet died about 2-3 months ago, and when they saw Maxine on the Doodle Kisses  website, the applied to adopt her.

We said goodbye to her with a heavy heart, but a glad one, as she has a loving family who will give her the love and attention she deserves. She will be a beautiful doodle when her hair grows out!

Please rescue a dog before you buy a puppy. There are so many dogs in kill shelters and they are wonderful dogs, who for lots of reasons need a new home!