Mama Dogs Get to Me

The mama dogs are always the ones that get to me. They’ve been through so much and it’s clear not just in the condition of their bodies, but in their eyes.

Grateful. That’s the word that emanates from them.

And Cherry is no different. She’s had a particularly hard journey. Her owners surrendered her to the shelter and said she didn’t belong to them —she was just a stray who had been tied in their yard for the last four years.

So much about that statement chills my soul.

That anyone could so callously neglect a dog with a heart like Cherry’s makes me ache for the humans in that family. I choose to believe it is simple ignorance and someday they will know better.

Cherry gave birth to countless puppies; her permanently scarred and distended teats testify to the fact that she nursed puppies into their adolescence.

Living on a chain in a yard in West Virginia, she was completely vulnerable and likely attracted dozens of male dogs’ attention.

Cherry is terrified of thunderstorms, cowering under my desk at the first hint of one. What did she do when storms raged across the yard where she was trapped?

Cherry loves people, and I imagine the isolation was the hardest part of her life—watching people and not being able to interact with them.

Cherry is somewhere between four and six years old (best guess). That’s a long time to live with such hardship and blatant neglect.

And yet…she couldn’t be sweeter. Hence her name. She loves everyone she meets, joyfully greeting them with a windshield wiper tail. She loves to play, especially with squeaker toys, and she’s very good at entertaining herself. A skill I imagine she learned living long days all by herself.

Mostly, she loves curling beside me or on the futon behind me while I work. She is happiest wherever I am.

Every now and again, she’ll get up and nudge my side, wanting me to give her an ear scratch or just to run my hand over her back, to reassure her that I’m here, and she’s a good dog. Then she lays back down.

This dog deserves to be spoiled for the rest of her days. But first, we have to find a family to adopt her. And I know that may not be easy—she’s not young, her body is not beautiful. She has bumps and bare patches here and there, but her coat is getting more beautiful every day. She weighs about 60-65 pounds – not a huge dog, but heavy-boned.

I’m pretty sure she would chase a cat, as she alerts me to the presence of my barn cats, watching for them vigilantly when we walk in the pasture. She squeals and pulls the moment she sees one. We have new foster kittens here, so I’ll be paying close attention to her response to them.

While Cherry is doing better on a leash and enjoys our walks, I don’t think she’ll be a long-distance dog. She’d probably love a daily stroll around the neighborhood or even a mile or two hike.

She’s crate-trained and quiet in her crate. She is also housebroken. Many dogs who live on chains, like Cherry’s current roommate Gracie Lou, are automatically housebroken because they’ve never gone to the bathroom anywhere but outdoors.

Cherry isn’t sure about other dogs –she seems fearful, understandably so. She’s never had a chance to interact with other dogs. She hides under my desk when Gracie Lou gets rowdy and wants to play. She wags her tail at the sight of my dogs on the other side of the fence. I think she simply doesn’t know how to interact with them. Gracie Lou has the same problem, so I find myself being the playground supervisor when they are outside together. Two awkward, middle-aged ladies, trying to figure out how to ‘play’.

Cherry was spayed last week and she’s now ready to be adopted. Cherry is available for adoption through Operation Paws for Homes. You can also reach out to me directly at carasueachterberg@gmail.com if you have questions about her. If you know of anyone looking for a good dog, please tell them about Cherry and help me get her home.

I will tell you all about our newest foster, Gracie Lou later this week!

I’ve gotten a little behind on the blog as I’ve been busy helping with Who Will Let the Dogs Out’s biggest fundraiser of the year which goes live tomorrow! I hope you’ll check out the more than 250 items (many are dog items, but not all) and register to bid. The auction closes on October 1 at 8pm. I’d REALLY appreciate it if you could also share the auction link with people, especially dog people, in your network. Here’s the link: https://givebutter.com/c/PL9Ikz/auction

Until Each One Has a Home,

Cara

For information on me, my writing, and books, visit CaraWrites.com.

If you’d like regular updates of all our foster dogs past and present, plus occasional dog care/training tips, and occasional foster cat updates (!) be sure to join the Facebook group, Another Good Dog.

And if you’d like to know where all these dogs come from and how you can help solve the crisis of too many unwanted dogs in our shelters, visit WhoWillLetTheDogsOut.org and subscribe to our blog where we share stories of our travels to shelters, rescues, and dog pounds.

If you can’t get enough foster dog stories, check out my book: Another Good Dog: One Family and Fifty Foster Dogs . Or its follow up that takes you to the shelters in the south One Hundred Dogs & Counting: One Woman, Ten Thousand Miles, and a Journey Into the Heart of Shelters and Rescues.

I love to hear from readers and dog-hearted people! Email me at carasueachterberg@gmail.com.

If you’d like to support the work we do (and save the rescue and me some money), shop our Amazon wishlist.