Do You Ever Wonder...?

[jennifert9]

I didn't know where to post this....

For those of you who have adopted your dog...
Do you ever wonder what became of the others in the litter? Or the mother?

I sometimes look at Duncan and ask him "Did you have brothers and sisters? Where are they now? Do they look like you? Did you like them? Did you get along with them? Were you the bully or the runt or in-between? Do you miss them? Do you even remember them?"

"What were you doing for the 6 months before I met you? Where were you? Why did someone give you up? Why, why, why.....?"

"Are you happy with me? Am I a good mom? Do you ever wish some else adopted you? Are you the way you are because of me or in spite of me? Who are you really? What have you seen? What can I learn from you?"

I look at him sometimes, right before we go to sleep, and he curls up next to me, with some part of his body touching mine(because he knows I can't sleep otherwise)...and I think these things...I wonder how he got so smart, I look into his eyes and I KNOW he knows something I don't...he knows ME.

I would give anything to know how I was so blessed to have him. When everything else seems to go wrong, I think to myself, "Well, I have Duncan to go home to so God hasn't completely forgotten about me, he sent me an angel and that angel is waiting at home for me and will make me laugh and smile and go on no matter what..."

I hope this doesn't sound dismal because it is not the way I feel...I just am constantly amazed by my good fortune and I wonder what brought this particular dog to me.....

I know alot of you must feel the same way...please share your stories here....

For those of you who don't already know, Duncan has a scar about 2 inches wide all the way around his neck. The vet thinks that he was tied up somewhere and left and the collar/wire grew into his neck and he finally escaped this prison and was wandering the neighborhood eating garbage until the SPCA in my hometown found him...

And then he found me....

What has he seen? How can he possibly wag his tail all the time....?
(If this was a human being, we would give them 25 years of counseling and STILL make excuses for them....I am just amazed every single day at my brave dog...at EVERY dog.)

God, I wish he could talk! Please, God, when I die, let me get the answers to these questions...

Please share your questions/answers/thoughts/feelings...let me know that I am not the only one that does this....!

Please!! (Otherwise, I may have to go get some counseling!!)

[aly]

I do it all the time too. Not only with my own dogs, but with all my fosters as well.

Even though I know some of Lolly's background, I still wonder things. I wonder what she looked like as a young puppy. I wonder how she acted before she endured the 5 years of abuse from that @#$*(#$@(. I wish I could see Reecie as a puppy too. Reece's past is more hazy than what I know about Lolly's. He was at the kill shelter once and the no-kill three times before I adopted him (he was just a year old and I was his 5th home ). I wonder what all of his homes were like, how long he was in each one, etc.

I know that fate brought me to my dogs. I wasn't planning to adopt either of them, it just happened. That is the only thing I know for sure. I know I will always wonder, but when I look into their eyes, a lot of things are answered. I know they love me and they're grateful to be out of the terrible situations they were in before. Nothing compares to the love of a rescued dog.

[Oggyflute]

Possum is our only rescue pup, and her details are unknown. I'm just happy we are able to give her a loving home.

[gemini9961]

I got my 2 as pups so I know pretty much all of their history except where they came from before I got them. I have UKC registration on Sadie so I know who the breeder is and I have Sadie's mom and dad's name but I have no other info about them. Maggie well, not to sure about her mom and dad. I know that they love me so much, well me and my fiance. I know they are happy to have such a loving and happy home with cozy beds, meals and treats and lots of doggie family. I wish they could talk because my oh my I bet Maggie would never stop. She is so hyper she would probably talk and talk. Sadie on the other hand would more likely carry on a conversation with me. The things they would tell us if they could talk would be amazing. But if they could talk it would take the mystery out of it and it wouldn't be the same. God made them this way for a reason and as neat as it would be to have them talk, I don't think they are meant for that. They are meant to be our faithful loving companions to love us unconditionally. (Too bad not all people realize this and abuse the poor pups ) Ok that's all from me.

[k9krazee]

Jack is my only rescue pup and I got him when he was about 3 months old. I do wonder where he came from, how many brothers and sisters he had, what his parents looked like...ect. There was someone I "met" on dogster though that has a pup the same age as Jack and we think that they could probably be brothers. His name is Jake and they got him from a rescue when he was about 8 weeks old and they only live about an hour away from us. It is quite possible that they are related, they look a lot alike but why didn't Jack get adopted until he was 3 months old and Jake when he was 8 wks? I will probably never know but I am soo glad Jack is a part of my life!

[finn's mom]

My RB boy, Bruno, wasn't in a shelter, but, I was his third owner and he was a year old. I know the people that had him prior to me were really good to him, but, they were a much older couple and knew they couldn't give him what he needed. I know his first owner wasn't that sweet to him, and, I always wanted to see baby pictures of him. That's the only thing I ever really regreted, was not knowing what he looked like as a baby.

[chocolatepuppy]

I often wonder about Lacey and Mandys littermates. Why was Lacey the only one left? Why didn't anyone want her? She was at the shelter a month. And with Mandy, her and her 3 littermates were thrown in a dumpster. I often wonder if any of her littermates have a bad heart like she does. I called the shelter when I found out about her heart and they said no one had called and told them if the others did.
These are things I'll probably never know, but I do know this, they are loved now.
This is a great thread jennifert9 and just gotta tell ya,your Duncan is absolutely adorable!

[sammy101]

Kodie is my first rescue.He was dumped with his sister at 3 weeks old,under a bridge on the highway.We adopted Kodie the same day another family adopted his sister,Billy.I dont know where his first few weeks of life were spent,how someone could dump him like that...i really dont know.I love him so much.
I have no idea is Lucy has siblings.A lady brought her into the shelter.If she does has siblings,she ws the last one to be adopted...(by us ).i love her so much too.
The only thing i would really like to know are their True mixes...what breeds are they!?Thats all i want to know really

[K9soul]

This is an issue close to my heart, because when I went to the pound and adopted Tasha, she was there with one other littermate, her sister. I could not take both of course, but it broke my heart to take her and leave her sister there, it truly did. And I frequently think of her sister when I look at Tash, and wonder where she ended up and if she's ok. When I first saw both of them, I actually was more attracted to her sister because she was more reddish and I just love red coloring in dogs, but then after her initial interest in me, she ran off to play with toys, while Tash sat next to me gazing into my eyes and wagging... I took her up in my arms and never let go. She left with me.

It is hard. I still feel guilty too, six years later. I hope and pray with all my heart that Tasha's sister also found a loving forever home.

[wolfsoul]

I got to see all of Timber's sisters. I even met the owner of one, but I never saw her dog. She had one sister who was identical to her except bigger and not as fluffy. I always look for that dog. I would love to see if they still look the same.

[lute]

i wonder these thing all the time too! Beanie was 3 when we got him, so a lot happend. i want to know who his previos owners were. if i knew it would answer a ot of questions like why he's terrified of linoleum floors, why he has had to LEARN to play, why he is scared to eat in front of people, etc.

[JenBKR]

I just adopted my dog a few weeks ago and I want so much to be able to ask him if he is happy with us...although he seems to be!

[Kfamr]

One thing I always wonder about, but am grateful for...is WHY?
Why were they left in the shelter?
Why was Simba a stray at 4 months, and then never adopted until 8 months?
Why was Nala left there with her littermates?
Why was Kiara left to wander on a busy road?
Why didn't anyone else care enough to take them home?
Did they not like them? Were they not cute enough?
Why was Simba left to die?
Why did Kiara choose ME?


I especially think about Simba. Kiara and Nala were young puppies so I bet they would have gotten adopted if I didn't. Simba was 8 months old and was going to be put to death if he wasn't adopted soon. He was there for 4 months. WHY???

[LauraT7]

"I look at him sometimes, right before we go to sleep, and he curls up next to me, with some part of his body touching mine(because he knows I can't sleep otherwise)...and I think these things...I wonder how he got so smart, I look into his eyes and I KNOW he knows something I don't...he knows ME.

I would give anything to know how I was so blessed to have him. When everything else seems to go wrong, I think to myself, "Well, I have Duncan {Tristan for me} to go home to so God hasn't completely forgotten about me, he sent me an angel and that angel is waiting at home for me and will make me laugh and smile and go on no matter what..."

that was said so beautifully - and is exactly how I felt about my precious Rainbow Bridge boy - Tristan.



Tristan was turned over to a county shelter at about 18 mos because he was "too mouthy and jumpy with our 3 yr old"

the shelter placed Tristan with Golden Rescue, and he was in a foster family and then their shelter facility for SIX months. this amazes me, because he had such charming personality that many of the rescue volunteers loved him and followed our story with him for years after we adopted him.

Why was he passed up for so long? he was a charmer - affectionate, playful and funny. A golden mix - his 'handsome stranger' half was unknown. he had an adorable 't' cowlick on his nose, and a curly coat that looked like a dark golden with a bad trim. Heavy callus' on his elbows and knees told that he may have been kept for a long time in a kennel or hard floor. Tristan may have been neglected, or abused - I don't know. what I do know is that it wasn't in his nature to hold a grudge - he loved everybody and everything!

I figure his long time in rescue had to be because he was destined for us. Tristan fit our family like we were made for each other. "jumpy and mouthy"? no - Tristan simply needed to be a part of a family. once he felt secure in our love, the mouthiness and jumping simply vanished. Tristan was the most gentle, sweet and loving dog.


Tristan making 'new friends' on the trail at Devil's Lake

Easygoing, friendly, and always happy - Tristan made friends wherever he went. And he 'went' everywhere with us - he went car shopping with me the first week we had him - he LOVED car rides and helped me pick out my van. He went on many scout outings and some campouts with us - the boys adored him. He loved water - he'd play in a water dish or the whole lake - it didn't matter to him!

Sadly, we were only granted a short time with our lovable clown - a little over three years. In Sept of 2004 we found he had Lymphoma. Every attempt was made to extend his life with chemo- he responded well - we had a bitter-sweet fall of adventures together. In Dec, however, he relapsed and we could not get a second remission, and he crossed to the Bridge in January 2005. Tristan was only 5 yrs old.

Tristan will always be my heart-dog. And I will always wonder about those first years of his life that I missed, and I will always look for any dog that might have been a littermate, or have a 'spark' of his charming personality, his quirky cowlick, or his laughing golden eyes.

Laura

[jennifert9]

I just found this thread again....I rejoined Pet Talk again after many, many years and Karen was kind enough to restore all my "old" settings since I forgot my password. I have been going through some past posts of mine, reflecting, remembering and looking for old friends...and I came across this...

Brought me to tears. As some of you may know, I had to put Duncan to sleep on 12/16/10 and I still miss him terribly. This thread is bittersweet to me.

Thought it might be nice to bring this back up again as everyone seemed to like it then and I am sure there are new members that would like to post their stories.

I have not been able to bring myself to get another pet yet. However, someday I may have another dog and I hope to be able to have these questions again...let my heart love again. Let adoption and rescue be Duncan's legacy.