Some beautiful thoughts from Susan Boswell.

RESCUED

My heart leaps at the sight of a puppy, any puppy.  The intoxicating perfume of puppy breath can leave me smiling for hours.  Defenseless, precious, a new beginning, endless possibilities. Nothing beats a lap full of puppies.

When I see the unwanted, discarded, used, elderly and unloved, my heart is burdened.  I can’t consider the larger picture – massive overpopulation, abuse, cruelty – because my mind and heart simply cannot take it all in.

After several years of working with a local rescue group, I determined that, although tremendously rewarding, I could no longer continue to foster.  Then a persistent, patient, quiet voice began to speak and I wondered, in the midst of all the joy in my home (provided by my four-legged family), could we not provide for one less fortunate?  Did not love grow exponentially when given?

We were drawn to adopt a senior.  Senior rescues are notoriously difficult to place and we were in a position to offer a loving home for a senior’s last years.  A small senior, please.

We wound up with a delightful boy, Beau (14), from Paphaven Rescue.  Sadly, he had a severe heart murmur and was only with us for 4 months, but he had a great 4 months – and so did we.  After some time we started looking again, this time with other rescue groups, but wound up back with Paphaven and were blessed with another exceptional senior, Margie (12).  She is an oversized puppy-mill mother, but has that wonderful Pap temperament.  She, like Beau before her, became part of the pack quickly and now plays happily with her sisters.

The pace these days is frenetic.  Finances are guarded like the vaults at Ft. Knox.  Overwhelmed seems to be an understatement.  Yet when you get home and are greeted by those cold noses attached to those loving beings, they restore sanity.  And to daily look into the face that once knew only heartache and fear and see freedom, peace and belonging, you do ask yourself, just who was rescued?

Susan Boswell