Universal Birthday for Shelter Dogs

Universal Birthday for Shelter Dogs Day — The Story of One Shelter Dog

For anyone who has ever adopted a dog from a shelter, you know how wonderful these amazing pets are. August 1st is also known as Dogust 1st, the Universal Birthday for Shelter Dogs Day. Dogust 1st was founded by the North Shore Animal League America. This special birthday applies to shelter and all other rescue dogs that don’t have an official birth date on file.

To commemorate this special day, and in honor of all shelter dogs, this is the story of one shelter dog that holds a very special place in my heart.

It had been just over a month since my grandfather passed, and we felt my grandmother was sinking into a depression. All her life, she had been taking care of her husband, her children and her grandchildren. But now, we were all grown, and with my grandfather gone, we thought she needed someone she could love, who would be there for her every day, when we could not. My mom decided she needed a dog.

We weren’t even sure if my grandma wanted dog, but Mom wanted to surprise her with one anyway. So after looking at a local humane society’s website, we went to visit the dogs available for adoption. Out of the many dogs they had, we chose to spend time with three. The first one didn’t seem very interested in us. The second one was too hyper. Then finally, the third one came. The humane society called her SassyPants, but I could tell right away that name did not fit her personality.

As soon as she came into the small, enclosed yard, she walked right over to mom and me, smelled us and let us pet her. Then she walked a few feet away to do her business, and shortly thereafter, returned for my pets and affection. She had a gentle demeanor, and the volunteer showed us that she was very tolerant of people handling, snuggling and holding her.

I looked to my mom. I knew that if we took this dog home with us, there was no way I would allow her to be brought back to the shelter. My heart wouldn’t allow it. And I made sure mom understood that if for any reason my grandma didn’t want her, that we would keep her. We already had a dog, but it was a risk we had to take.

My mom agreed and we got her. She jumped into our SUV, and stood on the console between the seats like she’d done it a hundred times before. She was sweet, and I whispered into her ear. “You’re never coming back here again.”

I didn’t know if she understood or even heard me, but it was a promise I was intent on keeping. As we drove her to my grandma’s home, we wondered how Grandma would react. To our pleasant surprise, she embraced the idea, and renamed the dog, Bella.

Not even one hour into her homecoming, Bella decided to give us a run for our money when she escaped out the open garage door and took off. The whole family gave chase, trying to find her as she raced up and down the streets of our neighborhood. Even my grandmother went around the block, calling her, looking for her, hoping for her safe return. We had almost given up, and the family was slowly coming back to my grandma’s house, desperate, exhausted and empty handed. And that’s when we saw the unthinkable. There was Bella, sitting in the middle of the front lawn, as if she had been waiting for us, wondering what we were doing running around like that. It was hilarious and a huge relief. Still, we never could figure out how she knew exactly which house to come back to. She’d only been there an hour at most.

One thing became abundantly clear — she was smart. Bella stayed with my grandmother for about a week, until my grandma finally decided that having a dog was a little bit more than she could handle. We couldn’t blame her, and I reminded my mom about the promise I made her make at the shelter. Reluctantly, mom agreed to bring Bella home to our house.

The people at the humane society told us that she had food aggression with other dogs and could be a little unpredictable with other animals. We didn’t think much of it at the time since we planned on having her live with my grandma who didn’t have any other pets. But now that she was coming home with us, all those thoughts came to the forefront of our minds. Bella was slightly bigger than our dog, and we worried how they would get along.

Right away, Bella made it clear she wanted nothing to do with him. Every time our dog, Coby, came up to her, she gave him a nasty growl, and if he didn’t back off right away, she didn’t wait long before striking out. Poor Coby was a friendly little dog, that meant no harm, but Bella didn’t know that. And the food aggression — the humane society staff wasn’t kidding. Every time there was any food, Bella would show her teeth. After a few weeks, Mom had had enough and wanted to take her back to the shelter, but I said no. She needed more time, I insisted. She’d been through two shelters, and who knows what else. She just needed more time and lots of love.

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Never in my life was I happier to be right. Bella is an amazing dog, with a wonderful temperament and disposition. All she needed was time — to trust, to love, to know that she was safe, and home.