To The Human Who Gave Up My Dog: Thank You.

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To The Human Who Gave Up My Dog,

Thank you. You’ve given me a new best friend. I’m really, truly glad that you decided to give your dog up to the shelter. You left him in an overnight kennel and didn’t leave much information, but that’s ok. Barley (formerly Marley) has been pretty easy from day one.

Well, there were a few bumps. He did pee in the house and eat my keychain in the first 24 hours. He still gets into the trash. When I adopted him, he pulled on leash – really hard if he thought we were on the way to the park. But he already knew sit, down, leave it, drop it, stay, and come (well, sometimes).

You clearly did a good job with him.

You probably really loved him. I don’t know exactly what drove you to give him up, but it probably wasn’t an easy decision. You might have worried whether or not he’d leave the shelter alive. Maybe you worried that he wouldn’t find a good home quickly. You probably wondered if he’d miss you and your life together.

Let me assure you – Barley is in good hands. He lives with a dog-crazy professional trainer. I adopted him less than 24 hours after you brought him to the shelter. And thanks to the good start in life you gave him, his medical and behavioral concerns are just about nil. We spend a lot of time together. He gets daily exercise and training. We play lots of fetch when I don’t have time to go running, hiking, or swimming with him.

He’s got his issues, sure. He still growls at strangely shaped people (did he do that for you?) and is pretty freaking obsessive about toys. The other day he growled at a puppy that was trying to take his treats away. I like to say he’s just challenging enough to keep me on my toes.

Barley is a pretty good sport.

His life with me isn’t exactly perfect. I work 10-hour days and can’t afford a dog walker. Sometimes his exuberant energy is too much for me. And some days, when he’s covered in mud, I groom him. (It’s the worst day of the month for him, I think). So no, he’s not in doggie heaven. But I like to think our life together is pretty awesome.

I hope that you think you made the right decision.

Because selfishly, I’m really glad that you decided to give Barley up to the shelter. Whatever was going on that meant you couldn’t keep him – I get it. Don’t worry about him. Just work on whatever the challenges are in your life. Maybe it was kids, money issues, deployment, pet-free housing. Maybe he was just too much energy for you. That’s ok. I hope that things are getting better. Maybe getting rid of Barley helped.

I really, really love this dog.

And yes, he’s one of the lucky ones. Many, many dogs who end up at shelters nationwide don’t make it out alive. But because of the good work you put into Barley as a puppy (and because you picked an awesome shelter to bring him to), it all worked out really well this time.

To the human who gave up my dog – I’m glad you did. You helped me find my “heart dog.” Barley is smart, athletic, and a bit naughty. He’s exactly what a trainer dreams of – and I didn’t even have to potty train him!

To the human who gave up my dog – thanks. Really.

Kayla

2 thoughts on “To The Human Who Gave Up My Dog: Thank You.”

  1. Wow, this made me cry! Thanks for summing up how I feel about my new rescue pup, Monty. Still waiting on the shelter paperwork to find out his history, but someone trained him on the basics before he was surrendered. I often worry that he was lost by someone and they’re really missing this adorable face, but he wasn’t chipped so….
    Anyway, just a little note of thanks for all the effort you’ve put into this blog. I’ve learned a LOT!

    Reply
    • Aw, Katy! Barley’s best friend is named Monty. Most shelters do a great job of holding onto the dogs and trying to find the owners. I’m sure Monty is happy (and lucky) to have you.

      Reply

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