Today is a special day and I wanted to share our story with everyone. This is a reminder that whether you rescue 1 dog or 1,000, they are all special. I hope that the next time you have a chance to help, whether by supporting a fundraising item, educating the public, or by actually participating an a rescue group, you remember this story and know that you too can make a difference. It's a wonderful feeling, both helping save dogs and being their lucky new owner.

I wanted to write a nice tribute to Shy for her anniversary but I keep tearing up thinking about how much I love her and how lucky I am to have her. Please forgive typos or grammar errors. It's hard to worry about English when my heart overflows.

At noon on December 4th we will have shared our lives with Shanaya for exactly 2 wonderful years.

Shy dearest, when we got you, we had no idea what we were getting, or getting into. (g) You have changed my life beyond all imagination. In many ways both our lives started fresh on that memorable day when we met.

As I gaze in your beguiling ice blue eyes, stroke your silky white ears, bury my head in your fuzzy white collar, or duck from the dangerous thumping of your fluffy, coon-ringed tail, I can't believe that I was disappointed when I first met you. As I recall, you didn't seem overly impressed with us either. Ann coaxed you to meet us but you were too immersed in play with your buddy Shasta (NOTE - this is the Shasta Daisy in the 2002 ARPH Rescue calendar!).

We loaded you in the car for the long, 8 hour trip home. I sat in back with you, thinking you'd want comforting, but you snoozed the whole way. I'm glad now that you travel so well but at the time your aloofness was disturbing. Do you remember how we stopped every couple hours and walked around for 20 minutes trying to get you to potty? You never did, and to this day you will still hold it for ridiculous lengths of time. You're such a little goof!

Do you remember you scared you were of other dogs at first? When we walked through the neighborhood you would freak out and lunge at them, shrieking and yowling, and sometimes even gnashing your teeth. I was so discouraged but your Aunts Anne, Sandy, and Sheila kept encouraging us, and little by little you grew to understand they aren't a threat after all. Now you just yowl at real foes, like the lighted reindeer lawn ornaments in the neighbors yard.

We'd only had you a month when you first seizured. I was terrified, not knowing what was happening. We learned about epilepsy together. If we had known you were epileptic we would never have adopted you, but once we had you it didn't matter. We have been blessed now by you being seizure free for 6 months, and I cross my paws that it's forever.

I hated you having seizures because of all the tests. You were so scared of the vet, and going regularly for bloodwork just made it worse. We struggled for months to learn to accept toenail trimming, ear handling, and leg holding. You responded to well to the clicker though that Dr. Block called Purdue and asked about it. She still comments on how much you have improved.

We've had a lot of fun time together over the last two years but by far my happiest day was when you realized you are mine FOR GOOD! To this day I can't remember that time without my eyes filling with tears. It wasn't your fault that you were afraid to love us. You wanted to, badly, but after having 4 homes in 4 months, it's not surprising you guarded your heart. We just loved on you and waited. And waited. After 8 long months, when another rescue had come and gone, and you hadn't, you suddenly understood. I know you don't speak English, but your joy was evident. Such a huge outpouring of love came gushing out. You'd never wanted to sleep with us before, much to my disappointment, but for 3 days you were glued to us everywhere. As the initial rush wore off you regained some of your independence, but never to the previous level. These days I wish for a little space from you, or at least another 2" in bed (g) but knowing what it means to you I don't begrudge you a bit.

I think your best moment may have been the day you got "lost". I told you not to wander into the woods, but you wouldn't listen to me. You'd been a stray for a while, and thought you could take care of yourself just fine. I knew you were perfectly safe in the fenced in half acre stand so off you went. Still, when after a few minutes we couldn't find you I was starting to panic. I called your name, over and over, forgetting your unilateral deafness. Meanwhile, you heard me, but couldn't tell where I was by sound, and were getting frenzied. It was no more than 5 minutes, but to us both I think it was eternity before you came barreling around the bend at us. Your eyes were wide, your face filled with fright and no little relief at encountering us. That day you lost the last of your remaining reserve when you realized how much you love your Mom, and want to be with her. It's a hard way to learn a recall, but quite effective! LOL

I just can't believe it's been 2 years already. You've become such a lady. When I first got you we had lots of stories to tell about your shanayagans. From eating the pockets from my best pants and brand new, expensive, favorite sweatshirt (on my birthday no less!) to eating 3 containers of Vaseline and 1 Bag Balm (great antidote for travel constipation) to climbing out of ex-pens to barking at lawn ornaments, I cherish every memory with you.

Our first winter walking through neighborhoods was a struggle. You gave someone at our obedience club a migraine from your yowling our first night. I doubted we'd ever earn even a CGC, but you did last April. You worked so hard for it, letting yourself be handled for grooming when you had an ear infection, and then doing a recall off of liver, your favorite! I was so proud of you. Shyraphic Shanayagan, CGC!

Now we're working on obedience, herding, flyball, and soon agility and tracking. With clicker training you love to play at training. Remember when I was late getting up one Saturday so you fetched the bait bag and threw it on my head? You love the mental stimulation of trying to outsmart me, and boy are you good at it. You've had me stumped so many times, but we keep trying until we get it right. I know you're burdened with an inept trainer but you don't care, because it's me.

I have often wondered if you are an angel in disguise. We did our first rescue on our way to adopt you. You saved Merlin's life, as did his human helpers. You've helped encourage others to participate in rescue, in various ways. You've shown how patience, positives, and persistence can polish a piece of dirty carbon into a shining diamond. All the little hurdles we've passed together have educated me, so I can share with others and improve other dog's lives. If you weren't such a schnook I'd know for sure that you're a canine angel. (vbg)

Thank you for sharing your life with me. I wonder if your former owners know what they lost. I doubt it. :(( They gave up the sweetest, most precious, adorable, loving dog anyone could ever hope to own.

I love you sweet Shy.

Your forever Mom,
Hope

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I wrote to Hope asking her permission to put her wonderful "rescue" story up on the website…here is part of her answer…

"Please feel free to clean up the grammar and spelling as needed (NOTE - nope left it exactly the way it was written!). I'm actually a pretty good writer but when it comes to dear Shy my heart overwhelms the rest of me. I'm glad our love came shining through though. It WAS written straight from the heart. (vbg)

When I chose our ILP/LEP name I wanted something permanent that I could use on all my dogs, that was about Shy, because she's the foundation of my dog life. So my kennel name is Shyraphic, a combination of Shy and seraphic. IOW, Shy-angel. Shy's registered name is Shyraphic Shanayagan. She came to me named Shanaya, because a little girl in one of her former homes thought she sounded like Shanaia Twain (not!). So I call her Shy for short, and for a long time she's actually been shy. I wanted Schnook, since my German grandmother called me that when we were being naughty, but I saw that had been used. Shy was always having shenanigans, which I called Shanayagans. So she's my Shyraphic Shanayagan. My other dog, a rescue Golden, is Shyraphic Shining Light. Her call name is Nellie (short for Eleanor, which also means shining light).

I love rescue and rescues. Just wish there wasn't such a need for it.

Hope

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NOTE: And we love people like Hope who find a space in their heart and home for a rescue dog and then share their wonderful stories with us. Bless you Hope and thank you for your wonderful story!