That's what I did to Kailey & Corey. My name is Teddy although Some call me Chuckie dog (grandpa and grandma). I am a purebred Papillion, which actually means "Butterfly" in French.
The photo to the right was taken the day they brought me home from Lollypop Farm. The morning I was whisked away from my original family I had surgery, got shots, my microchip and more. With all of the confusion and terror I was feeling, I was a feisty little thing.
I had a rough start, but it was one of those situations where my "foster parents" felt sad for the people giving me up. My original dad got very sick with Lou Gehrig's disease. It is a sad thing that takes your life away even while you are living. My original mom was so overwhelmed that she basically kept me in a crate day, after day, after day, because she had so much to do taking care of my first dad. A family member intervened and said that it wasn't fair that I was living in a crate. I was not getting fed enough and got really really skinny, and I was also having difficulty with potty time because I did not want to have accidents, but I am only five pounds and 12 hours in a crate was making me really unhappy and sick.
Corey had to carry me inside the house in a cat carrier because I was growling and nipping at him in the car when Kailey showed up. I was terrified and had no idea what was going on. At the same time they decided to foster me, they still had Lucy, the puppy mill Chi, and unlike her they decided instead of letting me wait to come out on my own they would remove me from the crate themselves. You see I was very snippy so they wanted me to know who was boss (even though I still try to be). Corey reached his hands in, and growling and grumbling out I came trying to bite his fingers off but I was just under a year old so my teeth weren't exactly deadly.... and he did NOT seem scared.
I immediately ran to Kailey's lap and stared at Corey in disgust. I did not know what to think of him. As she pet me, I relaxed (but barely) and she kept telling how I was the softest dog she ever touched. Once I realized there were other dogs there, I began to get curious. You see, I had a boxer in my old home that was much older than me and I loved her dearly. So, like all the rest of my parents foster dogs, I was drawn to Roxie...
I loved Roxie so much right away- In fact I still do! I love Bengal too but he ignores all of the fosters and is not interested in them, so immediately he did the same to me. I never got to know Lucy, even though I lived with her for a month, but Roxie made me feel safe right away and I followed her everywhere. In fact I really annoyed her and she growled at me a lot, but I did not mind it because I was still a puppy basically. I knew she was teaching me what to do, and what not to do when she would growl. |
| Roxie, Lucy (Foster), Teddy(Foster-failure), Bengal |
I learned quick manners when it came to food and treats. I always wait patiently and stare up with my big eyes, ears back-. and when I finally get a treat I am very gentle and kind. I am even allowed to eat out of the bowl with Roxie and Bengal now at the same time (although it took them a while to let me)! All things take time... but I was persistent. I followed Roxie everywhere, nuzzled her when she would let me, and bite her lip when I want to wrestle. Bengal has grown on me too. A few days after I got there he walked up to me and took his paw and swatted me. I guess he has never done this before because Kailey did not know what was going on! All of a sudden we started wrestling like we were brothers our whole life and we still play everyday, any game we can! We do love tug of war though with a left over stuffed animal after we have ripped out all the stuffing! This is what got Kailey hooked and she kept teasing Corey she wanted to keep me!
Well, that's when I knew. I wanted to live with them forever.
They would introduce to me to people and I would bark at them, show my teeth, growling - I would even try to bite them. I did not want to go from another home. This is how I got the nick name Chuckie because when I met my Grandpa Wayne and Grandma Donna I hollered at them saying NO you cant have me, just in case they wanted me! Grandpa Wayne said "Hey, that's not a Teddy dog that's a CHUCKIE dog". I was just trying to make sure nobody wanted to adopt me from this place that I loved! Kailey knew she wanted me... but it was Corey I had to impress. I began to follow him everywhere, staring up at him with my huge eyes. He fought it, he did not want another dog.
When Corey would have a hard day I was give him kisses and curl up with him if he would let me. If he moved I moved, if he went to the bathroom I followed. If he was on the computer I jumped into the chair with him. At night I would wrap my body over his neck around his head when we would sleep. I love Corey more than anyone in the house, and I can tell when he is sad too, because then I put my teddy bear moves on full force. I wouldn't let him out of my sight.
After a while, it was just understood that I was not going anywhere. I had weaseled my way into this family of four, to make it a family of five. My big ears, pleading eyes, and coy way of pinning my ears to the back of my head when I'm in trouble to make my eyes look EXTRA big sold them. They love me ... Even though I am not a dog that they would EVER pick out on a normal day. Thankfully that is not how Kailey & Corey operate.My personality showed through, the way that i would wrestle like a mad man one minute, and gently give kisses and snuggle the next. Even though I am a "designer fu-fu dog"they call it, because of who I am I worked my way into their hearts and I am theirs, and they are mine.
That's the beauty of rescue.
.........Kailey always says that the best way she can describe how it feels for her to Rescue is by comparing it to how she found Corey. She didn't find her soul mate by picking him out of a line up. In fact- Kailey found Corey by pure accident. One day when she was NOT looking, there he was- Just like me. She did NOT want to keep him at first but he was persistent, loyal, and he grew on her and it is the best, most true love she has ever known. So now she goes with her gut and tries to tell people that Rescue is very similar... that cant just buy your best friend's because that never seems to work out quite right. We are already out there, waiting for you, and it's amazing when you find us!
****Thank you to the family, whoever you are, that gave Teddy up that day. I never like to see a dog leave their home, but he was meant to be ours, and we love him with all of our hearts. I pray every day for your family, and for your health. Even though I will never know you- you are special people.
WIKIPEDIA, PAPILLION, DOG,
The Papillon (from the French word for butterfly, pronounced: [papiˈjɔ̃]), also called the Continental Toy Spaniel, is a breed of dog of the Spaniel type. One of the oldest of the toy spaniels, it derives its name from its characteristic butterfly-like look of the long and fringed hair on the ears. A papillon with dropped ears is called a Phalène (French for moth). The small head is slightly rounded between the ears with a well defined stop. The muzzle is somewhat short, thin tapering to the nose. The dark, medium sized, round eyes have thin black rims, often extending at the junction of the eyelids towards the ears. The large ears can either be erect or dropped with rounded tips. The teeth meet in a scissors bite. The long tail is set high carried over the body, and covered with long, fine hair. Dewclaws are sometimes removed. The straight, long, fine, single coat has extra frill on the chest, ears, back of the legs and the tail. Coat color is white with patches of any color. A mask of a color other than white covers both ears and eyes from back to front.
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