Well, this post is basically about one life lesson that they have taught me: letting life happen. Stop planning so much - simply rely on the universe to resolve some of the obstacles. Serendipity rules! I know now that the more I plan for every minute step in my life, the more I end up bitterly disappointed in the end. And Rose and Will have been an integral part in discovering this fact of living.
Though I got her last, let me tell you the epic tale of how Rose, my greyhound, came to be part of the Fox household team - a tale of a happy accident. In spring of last year, 2011, I suddenly decided I wanted another dog. I had just pulled myself out of a relationship, so, of course, I was in need of comfort and distraction. I decided that it would be great to have a rescued greyhound.
I contacted one of the local greyhound rescue groups and made plans to go to a special event they were holding. What I didn’t know clearly was that it was a fundraising event for people who actually had a decent income. It was held at a ritzy winery, under a tent which contained a lot of rich people dressed in business suits and pantsuits. (Good for them, though, for giving the awesome Greyhound Pets of America - Lexington money! Though they were not dressed for furry cuddles in my opinion).
Upon arriving, I immediately felt uncomfortable, and, to make matters worse, Will (my whippet) took a dump right in the middle of this crowd, while everyone was eating their cocktail shrimp and sipping their chardonnay. I think he was trying to tell me something - the whole universe was.
I was there specifically to meet a male greyhound named Buddy. I had already made my mind up, based on the description I was given, that he was going to be mine. He had never raced, so he was not nervous at all - incredibly friendly and even knew his name - most greyhounds are never called a name at them while they race, as it is more like their brand. The foster “mom” as I’ve referred to her said, “He’s just like a dog!” (Most greyhound people do not see greyhounds as just any dog, as they have likely had a strange upbringing that forms their personalities. Also, I’ve had a vet describe their body structure as “something between a cat and an alien - nothing like other dogs.”).
Well, of course, my mind started to race as I planned for Buddy to become an integral part of my life. He looked like a huge version of Will - both faun (ie blonde) and very playful. This was going to be great. However, the foster mom pulled up on the day that Buddy was going to be tested in my house...with no Buddy. I searched her car when she opened the door and found only her female greyhound. She told me, “I have bad news. Buddy bit one of my italian greyhounds, so I don’t think it is safe to let him live with Will.” I was devastated. I had already told myself that life was going to improve drastically with Buddy! Why you gotta let me down like that!
She then said, “However, we just got a female greyhound in and we believe a female would be a better fit for your home, since the male/female dynamic has less potential to be aggressive. She’s super sweet and small. Her name is Mexican Rose.” I was willing to give it a try, despite my sore disappointment.
Keep in mind that during this planning period, while she visited my house, and when I did a subsequent interview with the organization, I never met Rose once. I only saw one picture on the website that someone had taken with their phone. Of course, this made me anxious. But I just had to go on faith that this would work out.
Finally came the day that Rose arrived. Again, the day she arrived to live with me was the first time I had ever met her. The foster mom, Louise, pulled in, and I suddenly realized that her SUV had tinted windows. Gahhh, when am I going to see her!! Louise popped out of her SUV and, just ever so barely, cracked the back window. All I could see was a big black nose, nothing else. no eyes, no snout, just the nose.*
That disembodied nose gave me a few long sniffs, gauging who I was and where she was now. I’ll never forget those few moments as they were in some affect spiritual - I knew in my heart, but not yet in my mind, that life was about to change, and this commanding nose was going to lead me through that transformation. Rose was going to be my guide and mirror through one of the toughest evolutionary periods of my entire life thus far.
Louise opened the back door finally, and Rose jumped out as graceful as a gymnast leaping from a balance beam. I don’t want to be overly effusive by using the word “beautiful,” I thought to myself, so I said, “Wow, she’s so pretty.”
Louise corrected me. “No. She’s beautiful.”
Though it was still two months until my life-changing event, Rose began to change my life. I became more aware of a need for change because of her own need of recovery and healing after four years of, let’s face it, abuse. If you don’t know much about greyhounds, if adopted as a former racer, they had probably never been pet that much, especially not hugged or cuddled, nor met with any kind of affection at all, whether physical or verbal. On top of that, they have likely never seen a house before, nor stairs, nor clattering keys nor slamming doors nor honking horns. All of these changes make them, oftentimes, neurotically nervous. At that point, I had my own set of neuroses I was battling as well. We made a great team.
When my life-changing event did happen, she and I grew together, taking baby steps every day. Then the day finally came when she jumped up on the couch (which she had been terrified of for months) and laid her head on my lap. I cried. She finally knows she’s home and she’s safe with me.
Did I plan any of this? No. Did these moments change my life in ways I could never imagine? Yes. Does she continue to have this affect on me daily? Hell, yes. We are still growing together, and boy, if not just seeing her face in the morning doesn’t put a pep in my step.
Stay tuned for more, perhaps less emotional, posts about life with dogs. Tomorrow I meet with our Denizen Dogs fashion designers so I’m sure to report back to the internet about that! As my mom says at the end of every phone call, make sure to give your puppies kisses for me!
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| *This is the nose I am referring to. |
