Shadow

A few weeks ago, my husband and I considered rescuing another dog. We were at the Vet's and we saw an ad on the bulletin board. An 11-year-old lab needed a home. His owner was no longer able to care for him, and he was in a temporary foster home.

We called the number and arranged for a meeting. We met "Shadow", and we took him home with us for a "trial", to see if he would fit in with our other dogs, as well as be able to negotiate the steps in our home and so forth. Shadow had had leg surgery in 2002, and due to his age, he was not very mobile. His hip strength and range of motion was less than optimal. His owner had disabilities, so when Shadow wasn't in the house, he had been limited by the length of a chain for his outdoor adventures. The dog had had excellent Vet care, but his rehabilitation from the leg surgery had not been carried out.

Shadow came to our home and I believe he was absolutely astounded that he didn't have to be on a chain. We have a large fenced yard, and for the first several hours, Shadow wandered around the backyard and was not very interested in coming into the house. He also had to climb stairs to enter, and each time he looked up the 5 steps, he had a rather forlorn look upon his Labrador face. With encouragement (and some physical lifting of his rear up the steps!) he finally entered the house. He quickly made himself at home.

Shadow stayed with us for 5-days. For the first couple days he would go down the steps to the backyard, but he would not attempt coming back in without help. I called his foster mom and she indicated that yes, Shadow could walk up and down basic porch steps. I swear the dog heard the conversation, as right that moment he decided to show me that yes, he could do what he had been refusing to do. It was uncanny.

I fell in love with Shadow, and really got a kick out of how he kept track of his favorite toys. He would have "conversations" with me, which although noisy, were very fun. I'd forgotten how a big dog could be fun that way! I found an old soft ball and decided to give it a toss. Shadow momentarily forgot that he was 11-years-old and not very spry. He trotted across the yard and showed that he still had the puppy spirit within.

We had to return Shadow to the foster mom, things with the other dogs were not working out quite like we hoped. The day after I returned him, I got a panicked call indicating that the owner had decided to put Shadow down. I had 1 1/2 hours to either take him, or find someone who would take him. Well, our college department secretary came to the rescue.

Shadow now lives with her and her family, out in the country. She reports to me that he is a joy to have, and such a character. His mobility is improving. She said the exciting thing was watching him actually be able to run...he ran down to their pond to have a drink.

Shadow has been well loved by all of us that have been touched by his life. His foster mom calls my secretary to see how he is. His old owner calls, and had recently given some tips about what are his favorites. I check every few days and hope to have Shadow come to visit. I love hearing the stories. "Yes," Julie says, "he's still carrying around his green Frisbee, and he loves tossing and chasing his lighted ball."

Even writing this note about him, I can see his loving big brown eyes looking at me. Shadow...a great dog, with a marvelous place to spend his last few years.