Cassie, my boxer mix, is especially dear to me. The shelter workers found her wandering around a busy city, scared to death. We adopted her after a quick visit. We thought our other dog was lonely since our older dog had just passed- little did we know he would soon pass on too.
As I started to train her, I saw a glint in her eye, but some things bothered me. I think she was abused, based by how she acts around strangers, how she flinches and it pains me to think about it. She was just a pup when we found her- how can someone abuse a dog, a Puppy? How?
Her loyalty... When I got home from school on one particular day about a half a year back, I was so frustrated and stressed out that I just sat down on my kitchen floor and cried. Cassie quietly came up and sat next to me, which is odd because she never sits still when she isn't sleeping. I pet her until I was calm again, and then got back up again.
Right now, Cass is sleeping peacefully next to me, curled up in a ball. I sometimes wake up with her droopy face on mine (thank goodness she doesn't drool..). I've developed such a close friendship with this happy pup, and I often thank God for the opportunity to know her and care for her. I've never bonded this closely with a dog before, even though I love dogs!
Caring for animals has softened me, I think in times when I otherwise would have come out more bitter. I look at how simply a dog lives, and how enduring their spirits are. They inspire me, and I've no doubt that God has used them to move me in incredible ways.
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A childhood story.. you asked for it GreenNn, see I'm a story teller

. So here goes. Gracie, she was my second dog, a brindle greyhound. My family had just learned about the need for greyhounds to be rescued from the tracks when we got her. That taught me a bit about injustice- how they keep the dogs at a weight that's OK, but that if a friend of yours had a dog at the same weight, you would worry they were abusing the poor thing. How the dogs were in cages most of the day, besides the 2 minutes of running on the track. I saw some trainers tug the dogs around by their ears- some greys have ear sensitivity because of this.
We wanted a greyhound and searched for months, until we say Grace. She chose us at a "meet and greet" for adoptable dogs at a pet store. I loved her right away, and told my parents as much. Grace was special- the perfect dog.
We would bring her in as a therapy dog to a nursing home. She loved all other dogs and people, of all ages. She was used as a spokesdog for our group.
When we learned that Gracie was dying, we were shocked, but knew that she was in pain (kidney disease). It was actually the same thing that my grandfather died of, which was freaky for my mother.
I opted to stay in the room when they did it. She seemed to KNOW- she gave me this look, and I whispered her nickname, and told her that I loved her very much. I was maybe 14 years old, and now go in to "say goodbye" to all of my canine friends. She gave me the strength that I needed, after giving me such a selfless love and affection for 6 happy years.