Although the updating may be delayed, never doubt that stuff is always happening at K9s to Furkids, and it's various satellite locations. Our pups are busy babies, and we have prospects on new rescues every week.
There are two in particular who need to have their stories told.
First, let me tell you about Ace.
Ace is a very special boy who came to us in what can only be described as a miraculous way. We received a service dog application from a family with a lovely young lady named Katelyn. Katelyn has severe visual problems, along with some anxiety and behavioral issues.
Incidentally, we do not train seeing-eye dogs. That is a very specialized field of service dog training.
Anyway, we received the application from Katelyn's family. Quite literally within the next two days, our behaviorist received notification from a woman in MAINE that she had a fully qualified seeing-eye dog that was in need of a new home. He was a great dog, but his pace was too slow for her. He would be far more suited to a small child. Since we were a GSD rescue, and she knew we connected people with service dogs, she thought maybe we would know someone who could make use of Ace's unique set of qualifications.
I'll let you digest that for a minute.
Long story short, Francie worked her magic within her network, and several weeks later, Ace made his way from Maine to West Virginia. He is now living with his new fur-ever family and picking up new skills for helping Katelyn deal with her anxiety and sometimes overwhelming emotions.
If that isn't a match made in heaven, I don't know what is.
The second miraculous update I'd like to share with you today is about our original problem child, Ryder.
Ryder has had a tough road. He came to us from a situation of severe abuse, and it showed. He had trust issues, aggression issues, fear issues, and basically, he had no idea how to be a dog. He struggled to find his place within the pack, he never reacted appropriately, and he even gave our experienced behaviorist a bite severe enough to require stitches. He has been in residence for many, many, months, and the words "compassionate euthanasia" have come up in a couple of conversations.
Francie saw something in this dog, though, and she wouldn't give up on him. Through her hard work and determination, and also the structure of her existing pack, Ryder began to learn that life was not just a series of horrifying, over-stimulating events. He has come into his own, learned to trust, and, best yet, has found his place in this world.
Our very first applicant was a veteran who was looking for a service dog to help him with his PTSD. He's met a few of our program pups, but can you guess who has bonded with him? I'll give you a few clues.
Yes, that's Ryder. Yes, he is bundling and cuddling with his person. He is learning task training to make him a perfect PTSD dog. He was literally born for this work. The Rowan family is, without a doubt, becoming Ryder's fur-ever family. This dog, whom we thought may have to be euthanized, has literally been reborn into life as a service dog.
These types of things are the reason we do what we do. These aren't stories written in fictional books made to entertain. This is our life, every day. We see the miracles. We see the hopeless come together to give each other hope. It happens. It is happening, every day.
Rescue work can be hard. It can be discouraging. God knows it can be heartbreaking. But keep your eyes open for the miracles--they happen every day.