In July 2007, we rescued a cairn who was a former puppy mill momma. We were told by the shelter that she was 2 years old. She had actually already been adopted out once, but the family returned her because she was withdrawn, scared of every little noise or movement, wouldn't bark, play, or eat. We didn't mind the challenge and wanted to see what we could do to help this little girl. We owned a cairn already at the time and hoped that he would show her the way. Turns out that she was closer to 7 or 8 years old and wasn't eating because most of her teeth were rotten. Once she had most of her teeth removed, she showed us just how hungry she was! No, she didn't play or bark or run. She was frightened of her shadow – literally. She didn't understand toys, but carried a stuffed dog around by his neck and whimpered. She had been separated from her puppies during the puppy mill raid and still had milk when we got her. This stuffed dog became her "puppy."
Our resident cairn, Micky, was a senior and didn't have too much to do with our new family member Sadie, but he minded his own business and tolerated her. She followed his lead and knew to head to the kitchen when the dog bowls were being filled. After a few months, she became more comfortable with domestic life - no longer scared of the sound of coughing, no longer hiding under the bed when I was noisily loading the dishwasher, freely giving kisses and learning how to do a small set of stairs.
Our resident cairn tried to play with her occasionally but she didn't understand. Twice this summer she finally reciprocated but, unfortunately, he would bark while playing and it was all over in a few seconds. The noise was too much for her. We've had a few fosters who joined us and wanted to play, but they were left playing with the other fosters or a neighbor's dog, as our resident boy Micky was too grumpy with these foreigners - perhaps just due to his own old age. Sadie was curious, but still didn't understand why they were pushing their noses into her or bouncing around her with excited tails.
Micky passed away over Labor Day weekend. We knew it was coming, it had been for months. He was a ripe old age and lived a good life. He peacefully crossed the bridge. We had a fun foster staying with us at the time and she helped us in our grieving. We knew we were doing something good for Micky's cousins and that helped us through a very difficult time.
Col Potter welcomed the first round of Freedom Fliers a few weeks later. We excitedly took in a puppy to foster with plans of adoption. We had two fosters with us at the time along with Sadie - the house was very busy. Luckily, our two fosters had a lot of energy, especially Welder. Welder and the puppy "Pewee" became fast friends and LOVED to be together. They played constantly and we had to be careful to remember to give Pewee a break – he needed naps! Sadie watched these young dogs run and play, always at a careful distance from the sidelines. If they came into her area while running laps through the yard, you could see her discomfort.
The fosters went on to their forever homes a few weeks ago. We are submitting our adoption contract for the puppy this week – Pewee is now named "Scout." We have been careful to get Scout's energy out while Sadie isn't around so he is calmer when he is sharing space with her. Last week, Scout woke up with a great deal of energy and enthusiasm like usual. He went running towards Sadie as I called out to him to calm down and come to me…worried Sadie would growl if he pounced on her. He was midair and I figured, well, he'll learn to give her space if she growls at him enough.
To my surprise, Sadie opened her mouth and went towards him, her tail high in the air with a nervous wag. He landed on her back, fell off and was under her a moment later, biting her ankles as she leaned into him. I started to panic until I realized what I was witnessing. They were playing! My Sadie girl was playing! It took a while, but Sadie finally figured this all out. I truly believe it was a combination of things that got us here. She was comfortable with Micky – and he had tried this playing thing with her before he passed. The fosters were all having fun wrestling and she felt left out. This new four-month-old puppy didn't know any better and needed the attention…and I think she knew that.
They have played daily for the last week. Last night I was finally over the shock and awe of the situation enough to take a video of it. The video quality isn't the greatest, but it meant a lot to me to be able to share it with those who know Sadie and have followed her journey since we adopted her last summer. While she isn't a Col Potter cairn, she is what inspired us to become part of the Col Potter community.
To watch her grow so much in the first six months we had her made us realize that if we could help even one other puppy mill dog become more domesticated, that's one more life saved. I don't even want to know the statistics, but it made me sick to know that a family had adopted Sadie and returned her 2 days later because of the condition she was in. It made me sick to know the shelter sent this dog to this home without properly explaining to them where she had come from and what condition she was in. She deserved better.
Thank you, Col Potter, for all that you do in finding proper homes for these little ones; for doing such a thorough job in making sure the families are properly matched to a cairn that suits their lifestyle and that the cairns are placed with families that go above and beyond in meeting their needs and providing them the life they deserve.
Thank you for sending Pewee our way. He has brought something out of Sadie that I truly didn't think was there. I was sure she was too old to remember that feeling of letting go and just having fun. Pewee has been so much fun and has brought us a lot of happiness. We have had only senior cairns for the past several years and Pewee (now Scout) has brought new life into our home. We have a lot of learning to do, but he is training us quickly!
Thank you to everyone for your contribution to Col Potter, every little bit counts.
Pictures of all of the dogs: http://tinyurl.com/SadieScout
Sincerely,
Laura and Aaron G
Roswell, GA
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