The Hope of Isis

I have hundreds of pictures of Isis, and this is one of my favorites. Her mom took it during a recent outing at Pt Isabel.

It's because of Isis, formerly Iris, that I know without a doubt that there is a perfect home for every dog. So when people ask me, "Do you really think you'll find someone who will want to adopt a dog like Popeye?" I just think of Isis and know the answer is yes. Because people asked me the same question about her. They asked me the same question about Marlee, a corgi mix with epilepsy, and about Laura, a young shepherd mix with hip dysplasia and a twisted ankle. By now, I've realized that the kinds of dogs I most want to help are the ones people would ask this question of. When I think back of the dogs I've cared for, dogs with physical or emotional issues of some kind, all of which have gone to wonderful homes, I know that with patience, hope, and a simple chance, the right home will come along. It may take a while to find it, but it's out there.

Isis came to me as a severely undersocialized dog, terrified of all people, of dogs, even of the quiet streets outside our suburban home. She had been confined for most of her life and everything, everyone was new and scary to her. She spent the 5 days I first had her hiding under my desk.



Isis went to another foster home in San Francisco and after 2 days, escaped from the backyard. 41 days later, some of the worst days I've ever had in my life, she was finally found. She came back to me weighing only 17 lbs from her former 35 lbs.



Isis came to trust me completely but was still terrified of everyone else. I worried about how she would do in a new home, whether I would make the right decision in matching her to a family that understood her severe fears. She was very much a special needs dogs. Ultimately though, she found a home with the most perfect family I could ever imagine for her. They have nurtured her and taken her so much farther than I could have ever done.







To read more about Isis (I promise you'll find her story inspiring), visit:
http://sillypugs.com/dogs/Iris/Iris.html

That a dog like Isis could have found, not just a good home, but the best home I could ever imagine even in my wildest dreams (I swear I am not exaggerating) makes me secure in the knowledge that there is a perfect home out there for every dog. It's my job to help them find it and until then, to care for them as best as I can.