12 pounds of energy

On the chilly, rainy night of December 2nd of this past year, I decided that it was time to bring some more life into the house.   I officially adopted Jasmine and Grace.   How did I end up with these two mischievous little furballs?   It was an easy decision for me.   I kept my question for the Summit Humane Society pretty simple.  “Who’s been tough to adopt and needs a home?”   

Coming home, but not real sure about all of this

These two cats have an interesting story.   They were brought to the Summit Humane Society when they were only 3 weeks old or so.   Both of them had severe upper respiratory infections also.   As kittens, they spent most of the time getting poked, prodded, tested, or having yucky medicines given to them.   Because of this, they look at humans as giant needle sticking, disgusting medicine giving monsters.   By the time they were healthy enough to go up for adoption, they were no longer cute kittens, but now cats.    

Not only were they not the cute and cuddly furballs, but they were scared of humans.   The caretakers at the Humane Society did wonderful things for the girls, but Jazzy and Grace aren’t really so sure of that though.   People would come in, hang out in the visiting room with the girls, and they would just hide in the corner.   It’s this unfortunate reaction that made most people say “I’m just not feeling it with these two”.   

When I started to think about adopting cats again, I started to think about what type of cat I wanted.   What their personality would be like and how they would interact with me.   I looked back to a cat that I had for 13 years before named Rocket.   She was amazing.   She always greeted me at the door.   She was always ready for dinnertime.   She was always by my side.   “Yes….that’s what I want again!”

I realized that is the cat that everyone wants.   That is the cat that gets adopted right away.   I started to ponder my position in things and I felt that I should be taking on a challenge.   I should be learning something new and different.  I should be doing something that’s going to be a change and force me to change.   I have the capability, so I should be the one to adapt.   As soon as I was told about Jasmine and Grace, I knew that they were the ones that we going to come home to teach me.   

For the first 3 weeks, they never left my home office.   2 litter boxes.   2 food dishes.   2 water bowls, and about 10 times more room than they’ve ever had.   I could almost see the “OMG this is scary big!” looks on their faces when they finally ventured out of the cat carrier.   When I started to open up other areas of the house, Grace started out as the brave one.   Unfortunately, that was short lived as she made it to the living room before hiding under an end table and refusing to move...for 24 hours.   Once she got back to the office (with some assistance and me earning a few scratches for my efforts), it was 2 more weeks before she decided to venture out again.   

The first 5-6 weeks were tough on all of us.   I wanted to encourage them to get out of the office and explore the rest of the house.   My presence usually only scared them into hiding.   I wanted to show them some of the neat things to climb on.   I wanted to show them all of the room that they now had to run around in.    They sat huddled in the corner together.   

Sometimes they just creep on me while I workout in the morning.

It’s been 5 months now that Irving and I have had the two new housemates, and we’ve both learned a lot.   Irving has learned that cats turn quicker than he does….especially before a wall.   He’s also learned that cat claws are ouchie if you get in the cats face too much.   For me, there’s been a few lessons involved.  

1. Patience.   Sometimes, we need to do things on our own schedules.   Pushing someone is good, but know when to let them work on their own.
2. Adapting.   When I adopted these two, I thought “it’s cats. I’ve done this before”.   These two cats are a whole different ball game.   I’ve had to adapt my thinking to fit them specifically.   We’ve all benefited from their ability to get me to do that.
3. Comfort.   I went a bit outside of my comfort zone when getting these two.   Normal cats are wonderful creatures.   Watching these two do what they do has made me laugh, learn, and think more than a “normal” cat would.   These two are the classic case of “Step outside of your comfort zone if you want to learn”.  

Anytime is playtime.   Especially 3:00 AM

Jasmine and Grace were at the shelter for 500 days.   They’ve been here for only 156 so far.   I still haven’t been able to pet Jasmine and I can only pet Grace when she’s got her face in her food dish.    I’m ok with that.   These two have made this place home.   I’m glad that they are willing to share it with Irving and I along with many, many lessons that they have in store for us.   

A week not to be weak

It’s been more than two weeks since I’ve been able to get to One Of A Kind Pets to go on a walk with a dog.   I’ve missed it.   In the same sense, I’ve been a bit busy to put it politely.   As I went through work today, I pondered taking the night off again and staying home to catch up on little things around the house.   I’m really glad I didn’t as it gave me some perspective that I think that I’ve been missing over the past few weeks.

One of the four seconds that he was sitting still

This guy is Bentley...AKA, Marshmallow.  I’m not sure how much he weighs, but I’m pretty sure that he can pull his weight….and mine….and yours.   This guy has more energy than 8 dogs combined.   He’s got a huge smile, jumps like he’s got springs for legs, and runs like his butt is on fire.   He is amazing!   If you think that you need an energy drink, go for a walk with Bentley.   His energy really is contagious is the best kind of way.   

I’m glad that I decided to walk a dog this evening as earlier in the day, I was pondering not going.   I’ve been a bit stressed with a number of things that are currently on my plate and I was worried that an animal shelter would only add to that.   If you ask anyone that’s been to an animal shelter, they know that it can be a very stressful place.   Lots of barking, confusion, and some fear are mixed with a lot of love and caring.   It turns out, it was a bit of a stress reliever for me and it seemed to be the same amount of stress relief for Bentley.   

After arriving, I was trying to figure out what dog I should be walking.   I walked into the room all of the way at the back eventually which is where I found Bentley.   If anyone needed a walk…..it was this guy.   He has probably put more miles on pacing in his cage today than most people have on their favorite pair of shoes.   He was like a spring.   He was winding up and had enough kinetic energy stored to power a small city for a number of hours.   

I heard the words “He’s a handful”.  

“Good.   So am I” are the words that went through my head.

Slobbering foot warmer

We headed for the park and for the first few minutes, I felt like I had an electrified jumping bean at the other end of the leash.   This guy was all over the place!   When we would stop for a few seconds, he would go from “run” mode to “jump” mode.   Eventually, it became playtime and he would paw and jump at my ankles trying to get me to play like another dog.   Sooooo…...I figure it was time we learned some doggie walking manners.   A firm “NO” combined with a yank on the leash and he melted into the world's best slobbering foot warmer.   A ball of energy that will listen once they know you mean business……...sounds like Irving!

It wasn’t until one of the other dog walkers said something that I had even thought about what I had been taught this evening.   I was told, “Glad you’re here.   You’re the perfect match to walk that dog.  He needed someone that could keep up and help wear him out.”   That’s when it really hit me.   

Someone needs your help.   You specifically.   You have skills that someone needs.   Go find them.   Go help them.   Both of your worlds will be better for it.

Tonight, I made a new friend and learned something about myself.   I learned that I can help in general.   I also learned that some of the things that make me who I am, can make me a perfect fit to help a specific someone.  Don't take my word for it. Please go learn this one for yourself.

Tough Decisions

A tongue for treats.....and kisses!

Familiar things can be good and bad. I was more than happy to walk with Rudolph this evening. I am sad that he isn’t in a forever home…yet. I will state that as difficult as it is, I’m ok with it. The person that Rudy met last week as a possible adopter decided that maybe Rudolph wasn’t the best fit for their home. I’m glad that they reached that decision earlier rather than later and I hold no hard feelings on that. It’s a very difficult call to make, but they felt that they had reason to do so. It takes a strong will act on that. Although it wasn’t Rudolph, I’m pretty confident that the person will be adopting a rescue dog in the near future, and that in itself is a wonderful thing. I sincerely hope that Rudolph gets adopted soon, and I do think that it will happen. Patience is a virtue that Rudy has much more of than I. Maybe even some day he and Irving could hang out together. Who knows...

As Rudolph and I walked with one of the other volunteers and Queenie, I was told that “as soon as Rudolph heard your voice, he started jumping and got all sorts of excited.” It feels good to know that what I’m doing can get someone that excited. In some ways, I think that I’m one of the highlights of the week for him. In some ways, working with him is the highlight of mine also. What I give in treats, I receive back 10-fold in understanding, loyalty, life lessons, and kisses.

What did I learn from today? Rudolph has shown me that he is constantly learning. Constantly evolving. I need to follow his lead in that. As he and I have walked together, I see him get more and more excited for our walks as he starts to grasp how much there is to learn. As he gets better about sit, stay, up, and wait, I can see that he’s thinking, “Ok, got it. What’s the next trick that’s going to make you happy (and earn me a treat maybe)?” He’s soaking up knowledge like a sponge. He wants to explore. He wants to play. He wants to thrive. He really wants to be a companion. He wants to learn from someone. I find that awesome and admirable. This is one really smart dog and I’m amazed at how much he has taught me. Wow……...

Leading, when you need to

Yup.    Monday.   That means another walk at One of A Kind.   When I walk in, it’s not even a question as to who I’ll be walking with. I’m greeted with “Rudolph is waiting for ya”.   I peek in the window and I see a dog that is ready and waiting to go.   Like a battery that’s been charging all week and is ready burn up all of that energy at once.   I say hi with a treat, hook the leash on, and we head out to the park.

Once we get to the park, it’s go time!   We ran almost a full lap.   We generally followed the path, but there were some “off path excursions”.    (Hey, you have to stop and smell the roses…...or in this case, where other dogs have pee’d).   We had a blast, but sometimes running with Rudolph is a bit tough.   He runs in front of, beside, behind, then in front, then stops to sniff, then off to the side, then takes off like a shot, then to the……..you get the idea.   I realized two separate things at this point.   The first part is that without leadership, things aren’t efficient.   They don’t stay on task.   I was letting Rudy lead and the priority for him was really just to follow the next smell.   He sorta-kinda followed the path, but we were all over it.   We weren’t really getting anywhere.   For us to actually walk around the park the best he needed a leader to guide him.   Being on the other end of the leash, that was up to me.    

Taking my leadership responsibilities a bit more seriously, I started to offer my guidance to keep him on track.   As I started to rein him in and point in directions, he did great.  He walked next to me.   He checked other things out, but did his best to stay on task.   While doing this, I could tell he just was ready to explode though.   That’s when the second part hit me.   “Why are we restraining what we’re doing?”   This guy doesn’t get walks in the park but once a week.    Should the whole hour be filled with rules and work?   Heck no!!!!!!   I looked down at the same time he looked up at me.   “Let’s go Rudy!”   We took off running like the wind and having a blast.   Sniffing, stopping, starting, and going in circles as he pleased.  It was his time for fun!   My second lesson…fun doesn’t always need to be organized.   Sometimes, it just needs to happen.

As we started going a bit bananas and having some fun, my phone rings.   It’s a call from One of A Kind.   “Hi Josh.   I was wondering if you could bring Rudolph back as there’s someone here that would like to meet him and maybe adopt him.”   I’ll be very honest, I’m not sure how I responded, but inside I said “@#$% yes we can!”   I scratched his chin, and said, “Let’s go buddy!   This could be your big chance!”   Straight across the middle of the park we went.   We didn’t need a path!    We needed a straight line to get us back as fast as 6 legs can carry us.   

We get back to the clinic and I’m doing my best to act like I didn’t just do a ½ mile sprint with the dog, and failing miserably.   I’m breathing like someone that ran a marathon while sucking air through a straw.   I do my best to compose myself and  we head into the room for a meet and greet.

  

Frankly, I think it’s better if I don’t say much about the meeting.  I will say that I’m very hopeful.   I very much hope that I will miss Rudy.   If I do, it’s because he has the forever home that he deserves.   For such a wonderful creature, this possibility makes me feel happier and more fulfilled than I have in a very long time.   We will see what happens, but if it means that Rudolph has his forever home, I’m more than willing to let someone else teach this old dog some new tricks.    

One wise dog

Tonight was another walk at www.oneofakindpets.com.   If I’m being honest, I was in some ways  dreading going there tonight as I have felt a bit stressed and animal shelters aren’t a relaxing environment.   Compounding this, I have a very strong sense of empathy.   What this has given me in the ability to bargain and understanding of how others feel, it has very much taken payment from me by making me comprehend some of the fear and confusion that are often found in situations like this.   Other than knowing I needed to help, I made this comparison in my head to push myself out the door:   “That uncomfortable burn is what makes me a better athlete when I’m training.   Maybe putting myself in an uncomfortable situation mentally can help me be a better person.”

Every time that I get to the clinic at One of A Kind, I hope that Rudolph isn’t there and is up for adoption and finding the forever home that he deserves.  I peeked in the window and saw that he was in his area, half asleep. As soon as he saw me, the tail started wagging. I'm happy to see that each week, that tail is having to do more and more work. Let's go buddy!

It started out as less of a walk once we got the park and turned into more of an all out sprint.   I guess Rudy thought that my 400m time needed some work because as we ran, he kept looking at me and the leash like “dude, toss the anchor out the back and let’s go!”   After a lap, we ended up stopping by a shelter in the park as we haven’t really investigated that so far.   I thought that it’d be a good opportunity for some training, so I got him to hop up on the bench and take a seat so I could take the worst picture both of us have probably ever been in.   (I never earned that photography merit badge)

At the end of the evening, we headed back to the shelter and it was a bit odd for me.   I was wondering what I lesson I was supposed to take from this evening.   Helping others always seems to teach me something, and Rudy is one to make sure that those lessons are hammered home.   Sometimes, lessons don’t sink in until later, and I figured that was the case here…..until we got back to the shelter.   

When we got back, I opened up Rudy’s kennel.   He walked right in, sat down, and waited for me to dispense the treat that I was holding in my hand.   He took the treat to his bed, laid down, and started munching away.   When I closed the gate, he stopped chewing long enough to look up and he seemed to give me a slight nod, almost as if he was saying “Thanks man.”   As I started to leave, I noticed his neighbors.   Both looked a bit confused as to what was happening and one had some obvious health issues.   I looked at Rudolph again.   He was OK.   He was calm.   He knew he was safe, well taken care of, fed, and loved.      

He was OK with the things he cannot change.   He has what he needs…not what he deserves, but what he needs....and he is OK with that.   

This is one really intelligent dog…

Tough times

I’m not sure if it’s just the day, the weather, or if I’m just on mental overload from yesterday….but tonight’s walk was very difficult for me.   I’m honestly still in a bit of a daze from it.   Walking into the shelter/clinic tonight, my heart just sank.   So many barking dogs all calling out.   I’m not sure what they’re saying, but I know that all of them deserve love.   As I move about, there’s that overwhelming “I want to help them all” thing that creeps up and smacks me over the head…..repeatedly.   This is a tough fight.   I am here though and keep reminding myself of an earlier lesson…..”Never let ‘I wish I could help them all’ prevent you from making all of the difference for one”.

Through the window, I see Rudolph.   Like the rest, he’s barking.   Then he sees me in the window and he suddenly becomes a bit more calm.   The barking is now replaced by a wagging tail.   My mission became a bit more clear.   

So I grab some poop bags (of which we only needed one this week!!!!) and a handful of treats.   I head back to his cage, and tell him to sit…and he does.   I opened the cage door and “sit” goes out the window.   He’s not headed for the door though.   He comes straight up to give me a good “Glad to see ya man!” headbutt in the knee.   On goes the leash and a few “how are ya buddy?” pets and scratches later, we’re headed out the door.

He was ready.   Although he’s still a touch skinny, he pulled like a sled dog.   Rudy was bouncing around like a superball.   I was ready for a walk in the park.   He was ready for a run.   So, we ran about ⅔ of a lap before he finally started to tire out a bit.   It was a lot of fun.  It was also a bit challenging as he likes to run in front, behind, and beside me….but fun.   We walked.   We sniffed other dogs.   We hung out.   We worked on “sit”.   I'm finding that “stay” is still a work in progress, but I think that he’s getting it.   I blame the teacher for being a bit too easy to get a treat from.   

As we were walking back, again his lesson really started to hit me.   4 weeks ago, I first walked this dog with barely any fur and an upset stomach who was living in a shelter.   Today, I was walking a strong, pretty healthy pup with loads of energy.   This guy is going to take on the world!   Just because someone is down, don’t count them out.   This guy has gotten a lot of help from a lot of great people at www.OneofAKindPets.com, but he is the one that has pulled through the tough times.   He is the one that has done the hard work.  Perseverance is what’s gotten him to where he is today and it’s what will take him farther.   This guy has moxy.   He got dealt a shit hand and lost a lot of chips.   He is well on his way back to the high rollers table though...and I admire him for that.   

When times are tough, that’s when you have to fight the hardest.

Thanks for the lesson Rudy...I guess I owe you a few more treats.

Making Snow Angels

Today, I volunteered with the Akron Snow Angels.   Their site, www.akronsnowangels.com, puts down the best summary possible.   “We help the less fortunate by providing them with warm clothing, toiletries & most importantly great conversation, friendship, compassion & respect.”    When it comes to what the group does…that nails it.

The morning started off with a great energy which carried through the whole experience.   After some organizational items, we loaded up and headed out.  I was to help two ladies pass out toiletries and underwear.   I’m not really sure what I expected, but whatever it was, that’s not really what happened.   I saw people.   I interacted with people.   We shared stories.   We shared laughs.   We shared respect.   There are some great people!    Any apprehension that I had entering into all of this very quickly melted away.   What an amazing thing to be a part of!

Before leaving the second site that we visited, a few of us had a chat with a man named Mickey.   He’s lived on the streets of Akron for 10 years now.   Born and raised in Akron, he’s been here his whole life.   I have no idea on what chain of events has led him to be where he is, but he blamed no one.   He called himself a survivor, which to me, seems to be an understatement during a very chilly winter.   Most of all, he had hope.   “Someday it’ll get better” was what he kept saying.   Wow…  

Living in the moment is a pretty good description of how it all went for me.   Things were happening so quickly that I was just focused on doing what I could to get items to the people that needed them.   As I started to compile information and put things together in my head later in the day, that’s when it all started to get a bit too much for my neurons to handle.   So having walked the dog, and some time in my favorite chair pondering, I’m finding that my brain is still having a difficult time getting through the big “What did I just witness?” question.   I’m still not sure, but I know that it was good.   

So what did I learn by helping?   Being my first time out with Akron Snow Angels, there were many more lessons than I’ll be able to grasp in one sitting.   The lesson that stood out to me from the day as a whole is that I learned that everyone deserves respect.   We all have different circumstances.   We all have different tools and excel in certain areas.   Thankfully, what Mickey and many others in his situation excel at is holding onto hope.   I’m not sure that I could do what these people do day in and day out.   It takes a very different skill set than what I have.   They all have my respect for that.      

Today gave me an amazing feeling.   I’d love for you to experience it also.   Please find something to get active in.   Make a difference.  Make a lasting legacy of compassion.