Chic dog Emma’s 5th adoptaversary

Last week was Emma’s 5th adoptaversary! Can you believe it? Five whole years of Emma magic. From Romanian shelter puppy to Chic Dog! She is so loved and has now a life that looks very, very different from the first 6 months of her life.

Loss and an empty house

I had lost Bailey, my sweet labrador girl in May of 2019. I loved her so much and cared for her with my whole heart for 12 years. She was my baby and I felt completely heartbroken when she passed away. Though Marlow and Milly were here (Milly passed away last year), the house felt empty and sad. A sadness that was very palpable and one that made me feel incredibly restless. This is the curse of being a dog parent, we know they don’t get to live as long as humans do and having to say goodbye is incredibly heart wrenching. We are never prepared for the inevitable loss.

Romanian dog shelter

Though I had no real intention of adopting a new dog right away, I occasionally saw posts on social media by organizations who were desperately searching for foster- and forever homes for the countless shelter dogs they were trying to save. Back then I still had facebook, that’s where I saw a post from care 4 shelter dogs Vatra Dornei, which is a Dutch organization that works with a local public shelter in Romania.

The saddest puppy

I saw this very short clip of Emma as a baby at the shelter in Romania. I had never seen such a sad and overwhelmed baby before. Her eyes held so much sadness and it haunted me. I felt an instant connection with her and a deeply rooted instinct to protect her. How could someone, who was only a few months old, be so heartbroken already and petrified of the world she was born in? Where was the lightness and playfulness that all young animals (including humans) have? She had a look of pure terror in her eyes and she was sitting there, alone. As if being tossed in a world she had no business being in.

When I read the caption, it said that her name was Nola and that she was the last puppy of her litter. They had found the litter on the street. Babies, on the street with no mom in sight. Domesticated animals. Domesticated by human beings and left to their own devices by the same species that claims dogs to be ‘man’s best friend’. It continues to baffle my mind how cruel and utterly heartless some people can be.

The caption said that she was 6 months old and that her chances of being adopted, were getting slimmer and slimmer with the passing of each day. She had been the last of her litter because she was so fearful and did not want to be touched by people, nor did she positively respond to them. The fact that she was going to be a big sized dog, did not increase her chances of being adopted either.

Deciding to adopt

I could not sleep that night. Her eyes, sadness and hopelessness, haunted me and kept me awake for most of that night. So the next day I contacted the organization and asked them some more questions. A few days after that, I talked to my husband and told him that I wanted to adopt her. I asked him ‘What do you think?’ and he replied, ‘regardless of what I say, you already made up your mind, haven’t you?!’. I smiled because I had already filled out the adoption form.

When she arrived in the Netherlands, we were there to pick her up. She was the last dog to come out of the truck. It was quite an adventure because she tried to bite the driver when he wanted to grab her. Once she was in our crate and in the car, she pooped. I guess that was due to all the excitement. And then, she fell asleep as I whispered, ‘welcome home sweet Emma bear. You are so loved’.

Love at first sight

I fell in love with her. How could I not?! She looked like a cartoon character and had this droopy look in her eyes that reminded me of Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh. She wouldn’t let me touch her for a week and my husband could only touch her after a month. But I did give her a bath on that first day, to wash off the smell of the shelter and her past life. As I picked her up to put her in the shower, she bit me. Though it was more like a warning instead of a real bite.

From the moment the warm water touched her tiny body, she instantly fell asleep and collapsed on my arm. I sobbed right then and there. My heart broke, for her and all the other countless animals that will never get a second chance at life. For those that are doomed even before they are born. I realized I would never be able to prevent such a harrowing fate for every single dog. But I can give this girl and my other dogs, all the love and comfort that they need.

Slow and steady

It took three years before she was ready to go on a walk with Marlow and I. She even escaped from her harness and ran into someone else’s garden because she panicked from a sudden noise. She is physically incredibly strong and her traumas run deep. I have to be very alert when I take her on our walks and I have to anticipate many things. I’m very attuned to her and I pay close attention to what it is that she needs. Sometimes, what she needs is to stay home because there are days that she wakes up anxious and easily startled. I had to learn to accept this and to understand that this was not a punishment to her. On the contrary even, it is exactly what she needs. She needs me to pay attention to her and really listen to what it is that she needs in the moment. This girl has taught me a lot about patience and acceptance. About what it means to really listen.

She’s come such a long way

For a while, I’ve been very worried, wondering if she would ever trust me. Wondering if she would ever trust this world and herself in it. I have grieved and continue to grieve as I accept certain things about her such as her still very limited window of tolerance for dealing with new situations.  I’m not sure she will ever see the beach, if I’ll ever be able to take her in the car and drive her to a big forest like I do with Marlow.

But I’m not giving up hope and nothing is set in stone. She has already come such a long way and I know that many shelters would’ve considered her to be unadoptable. Whatever that means, because I don’t believe there is such a thing as an unadoptable dog. Unless for those who see dogs as nothing more than entertainment for humans. Patience and lots of love, can heal even the most bruised and battered heart. That I know with certainty.

Happy Chic Dog

Though she can still be very fearful and only allows a handful of people to stroke her incredibly soft fur, she is happy and playful. She loves to be in the garden, often hidden in between the flowers and the zucchini plants. Always looking up to the sky. Calmly soothing me while I am curled up holding my head, fighting off yet another migraine. She and I know a thing or two about being overwhelmed. I find it easy being with her, I get her and she gets me. She is incredibly kind and has a soft and gentle demeanor. She is full of patience with Stella and I can guarantee that lots and lots of patience is needed with little Miss Foxy fox.

Peace and quiet

Emma will sometimes ask me to go upstairs to our bedroom. She will sit by the door to the stairs and point at the door with her nose. When I say ‘do you want to go upstairs’, she starts to wag her tail and smiles (starts panting). Once I open the door, off she goes and she will stay there for hours at times. She will sit in front of her big arched window and watches the fields surrounding our house. When she gets tired of all the observing, she will jump up on our bed and sleep a very deep sleep. Sometimes, when I go upstairs to check up on her, she will be fast asleep.

When she’s downstairs, she never sleeps as deeply and startles easily. She also loves to sleep behind my desk while I am writing. And sometimes she will even do this by herself because she wants some peace and quiet. Like I said, she’s magical.

When we have visitors, she’ll be either behind my desk (my home office is at the back of the house) or will ask to go upstairs. If it’s my girlfriends or parents visiting, then she’ll eventually join us in the living room.

Fun facts

Something that I noticed early on was that Emma actually loves to take a bath. She calms down instantly and thoroughly enjoys it when I carefully wash her beautiful fur. I will often catch her going in to the bathroom for no reason or when I fill up the bathtub for myself. She truly is a Chic Dog!

In addition, she has an insatiable appetite for boiled eggs and broccoli. She loves salmon too but eggs are by far her favorite. If she hears me peel a boiled egg, even when she’s in the garden, she will rush into the kitchen with a look of excitement in her big beautiful brown eyes.

When she drinks water, she nearly causes a flood and a tsunami. It’s like she dives into the water bowl. Very chic, I know! 😉

I hope you enjoyed reading about Emma’s story. I hope she inspired you to consider adoption in the future, or help out shelters in any way that you can and feel comfortable with.

Love

Wendy