Having Faith
A Story of Healing
Ten years ago, we adopted two beautiful boxers we affectionately named Angel and Cas (short for Casper). You wouldn't know it by looking at them, but they were sisters from the same litter. So lovable and playful, they were the sweetest dogs you could ever want. Just one look at them could melt your heart. They were my baby girls.
These silly girls were funny. Just watching them grow and their fun loving personalities develop was a joy. They were true "besties" and extremely close. I found out how close they were the first time they had to be separated. It was after we noticed a very strange looking nodule growing inside Cas's ear. We took her to the Vet who said she would need to have it removed. I don't remember exactly how old Cas was at the time, but I do remember how upset Angel was when we left to take her in for surgery. The surgery went well and Angel was thrilled to have her sister come home.
Years seemed to fly by as our family grew. Then one day everything changed. Cas started having a seizure. We rushed her to the ER vet in a panic. The news was grim. The Vet believed she had cancer. I won't go into details because it is to painful for me to discuss. She deteriorated very quickly within those few weeks and crossed the Rainbow Bridge in 2011. It was very difficult for me as her Mom, but even more difficult for Angel. Her whole demeanor changed. It was as if she was giving up on life. She was no longer her happy goofy self. Time passed and it was almost 10 months since Cas had left us, but there was no change in Angel. I asked the Vet if he had any advice that could help her. He advised me to adopt another dog in hopes that it might help her depression.
I took his advice and started searching local rescues for another boxer. I came across an organization called Dolly's Foundation that had a boxer available for adoption. I went ahead and contacted them to find out more details. I gave them the run down on our full house (kids, dog, and cats) and found out we were not a good fit for this particular lovely but they had another dog that they would like us to meet. I was a bit hesitant, NOT because it was a pit bull mix, but because it was another female white dog! I couldn't believe it. I didn't know if I could handle it. I thought she might remind me of Cas and that it would be too painful. Then I found out her name was Faith. What are the chances! Angel and Faith? That was it, we had to meet her.
We had our first meet and greet and Angel was so excited. It was the first glimmer of her old self that we had seen in months. After seeing how much Angel perked up we were hopeful. I knew we were making the right decision. Faith on the other hand was not so sure. She was quite the shy one. Little did I know as much as I thought we needed Faith, she needed us just as much. She was a shy and extremely skittish girl. So skittish she was afraid to go outside at night for a walk. I had to admit, I had never seen anything like it. But Angel helped show her that not everyone is bad and not everything is scarey. And with a lot of love, time and patience we were able to earn her trust and build her confidence.
We officially adopted Faith in January of 2012. Angel bounced back almost immediately all thanks to her new sister. I like to think Faith was meant to be. I mean look at her name it was perfect. We found a wonderful addition to our family and she found her forever home. All it took was an Angel a little Faith and a whole lot of healing.
I hope you found this story inspirational. Thank you for reading!
Jen ♥
Jen ♥
