Memoirs: The Most Evolved Earthling Ever...was a Dog.

I would like to tell you the story of Smiling BirdDog. I think it's time to let everyone know exactly what true beauty is.

Around 2000 was working at a dog boarding facility. We ran Heeler Rescue out of the store. If anyone in the tri-state area found a heeler or Australian cattle dog we would come get it, get it healthy, rehabilitate its behavior if necessary, and find it a forever home. Well, one day a police officer called us from a nearby state. They had busted an animal hoarder who had about 300 dogs stuffed in small crates in her living room. Each dog was in a crate barely as big as the dog itself. The dogs couldn't even turn around in them really. Out of the 300 dogs, there was one blue heeler and she was...well...the lady paused..."special." She asked if we would take her.

They were calling her Cyan. We said of course we would, and headed east to meet the officer with the dog. The heeler was scrawny to say the least. She seemed hunched over and was in the far back of the crate and wouldn't come out. We moved the crate into my truck and just let her stay in there. They said she was between one and three and had already had at least one litter of pups. They had gotten her spayed before they brought her down. And of course gotten all of her shots.

After we got her back to the store, we put her crate in the boarding room and opened the door. She wouldn't come out. We thought maybe she was too scared with all the other dogs so we moved her to the kitchen and opened it up again. Again, nothing. Finally, after sitting by her and talking to her for almost an hour I sensed she was okay enough to come out. I reached in and put a leash on her. Then I pulled her out. She couldn't really actually walk. She kind of stumbled forward, petrified, peeing all over the place. I told her it was okay, and through my tears at what must have happened to get her to this point, I carried her outside to potty. I did this every day for three months. Four or five times a day, pulling her out, making her walk a few feet, getting peed on every time.

I began taking her home at night. I'd make her get out of the crate and she would huddle frightened in the corner on blankets. I would tell her goodnight and pet her every night. But, every time anyone in the house moved, she peed.

Then, one day, I had dropped her off at the store early and had returned a bit later than usual. I opened the crate and she moved towards me! She didn't come out but I didn't have to drag her. She actually helped me. Then, once I carried her to the yard, and she peed on me, she walked a few more steps than usual and I said "good girl!!! What a good girrrlllll!!!!" In my happiest voice. I bent down and smiled at her and clapped my hands gently in excitement for her steps. And then, it happened.

All of a sudden, the scraggly little blue heeler named "Cyan" took three steps toward me and did a little leap in the air!! She was SO proud of herself for walking so well she tried a little jog-leap and I was so excited I let out a woohoo that could be heard for miles! Her face literally lit up and she smiled. I swear to you, she smiled. I knelt and hugged her and petted her and told her what a brave warrior she was. She looked at me with wild and happy eyes and at that moment I decided she would be named BirdDog. I said, "You're my smiling BirdDog!!!!" She beamed. And then she started to hobble back to her crate without me holding her leash and curled up in there. And she didn't pee.

I have never been so excited. I also realized at that point to re-home her after all the work she had put in with me would be cruel. I knew she was mine. And I knew we were meant to save each other.

Things progressed slowly with my little soul mate. BirdDog still hid in the corner of the house and I still had to pull her to get her outside each night. Plus she had never made a sound. Not a bark, not a whine. She could walk now and do little hops sometimes, which was awesome.

One night I was watching tv and I had the front door open with just the screen closed. I wasn't paying attention and all of a sudden I heard a bark from the hallway. I was confused because the dogs were outside. Who barked? I jumped up and in the process found my neighbor sneaking in the house to try to scare me as a joke! Little BirdDog had barked her first bark to protect me!!! I was so excited that I almost peed!!!! She hadn't moved from her corner but she was vigilant like a hawk!! How did she know he was sneaking in? I knew right then that she was more special than I could have ever conceived.

The years went by and we moved to another state. BirdDog still hid in the corner but now would use the doggie door and go outside sometimes. Even by herself. After a couple years she stopped peeing when we moved around and after a couple more she stopped peeing and shaking when people came over. my poodle of 8 years (adopted at 7 yrs old) died and BirdDog remained. She slept on the floor right next to my bed every night.

When I had had her about 3 years, my partner and I broke up. I kept BirdDog because I felt she was mine. And once it was just us, she made another leap forward! She started to be able to run. I had about 8 puppies around that time (don't ask why) and they were CRAZY. She didn't love them, but she did feel they needed herding. Plus, now she seemed to really interested in protecting our property. It was like she was born to run!!! Our little 2 acre plot was never unwatched as long as BirdDog was around!! Then after the puppies were gone, she seemed lonely. I decided it was time for her to have a little brother. And so, an 11 week old Standard Poodle became our new family member. But after only 24 hours the poodle was very sick. I rushed him to the vet only to find he had parvo. He was almost dead and they worked on him night and day at that vet. He and a little weenie dog named Nacho were in the parvo ward. The doctor told me not to expect him to make it. I told the doctor he BETTER make it and that doctor better make SURE HE DID. Still, I was crushed. I went home and I had NEVER seen BirdDog that despondent. It was like she knew! She did not leave my side and hung her head every moment for days. I couldn't believe she loved that fuzzy 11 week old poodle so much after just 24 hours with him. But she did. Her capacity for love literally blew me away. Over and over again.

Poodle and Nacho had been there lying motionless for five days when something amazing happened. I walked into the parvo room and the little fuzzy poodle in the cone head with the IV did something he hadn't done since I'd had him. Over the cone, towards the back of the kennel I saw it. A tiny little tail that started wagging slowly up and down the moment he saw me. I shrieked with delight and grabbed the vet tech! She smiled a huge smile. I knew he would be okay. I ran home and told BirdDog all about it.

She was so excited!! Doing the little awkward hops that had become her happiness trademark. Two days later Poodle came home for good. And boy was BirdDog happy!!! She was soooo gentle around him and just made sure he was accompanied at all times. She curbed her hopping even until he was all better. Side note: Nacho made it as well!!

So a few more years passed and BirdDog had become a social and loving and brave dog. She would sit on anyone's lap who'd let her and continued to favor white bread over all other foods. I wondered if that's what her first home had fed her on "good" days? Anyway, one time, when she was about ten or eleven, BirdDog began to limp severely. I rushed her to the vet and he took x-rays. What he found was something he said he'd never seen in 35 years as a vet. Her bones had almost all been broken. One of her femurs was broken in half and the lower part healed in a T shape with the top part of it. In addition her hip socket had been crushed and had remodeled in a way that had allowed her to actually move her leg. How she stood on that left femur much less ran and leapt on it he had no idea. She had over ten broken bones, all miraculously healed and remodeled. I pointed out that she was, in fact, a hee(a)ler. The vet postulated that she had probably been hit by a car or beaten with a bat. Either way, he said, in an ironic twist of fate, the crate that was way too small for her that the hoarder kept her in had acted like a whole body cast, keeping her from moving--and this is probably what saved her life.

I was dumbfounded. I felt so many things. Anger, relief, sadness, admiration...I was overwhelmed at what this little blue dog had overcome to live, and then to thrive, and that The Universe would have allowed me to be her human partner. I hadn't even really noticed her left leg was shorter by an inch and usually was "paused" about an inch off the ground. She never acted like it bothered her one bit!! I just could not believe what I saw on her surface and how little that reflected what was underneath. I am not sure I've ever felt quite so blessed in my life. Before or since.

So my old vet chalked her limp up to those injuries and age and sent me on my way. I decided I wasn't going to accept that pain for my girl, so I started doing research. First, I went to an amazing pet communicator and she said BirdDog was just fine and wasn't in pain and was happy even though she could barely hobble. So, I went with that and remembered a friend of mine had mentioned Cetyl-M. It's a joint supplement. So, I put her on that and lots of glucosamine-chondroitin and within two days she was running up and down the stairs again just fine. No limp at all. Ahhhh. I had my Smiling BirdDog back.

A couple more years went by and I had had BirdDog for around 12 years. I knew she may not have long left, but she and Poodle were so happy and sweet and fun, I didn't think much of it. At the time I was living with my parents as they were both aging and were ill. Then, one night, my mom passed away. Three of my best friends didn't come to the funeral. I felt like I lost my mom and them all in one day. Soon after, my dad had to go to an assisted living center as he no longer wanted me to care for him. Through all this, BirdDog was by my side. She never left me unless I wouldn't let her come. Every night I hugged her and petted her before I fell asleep, and every time I cried, she licked my tears away and leaned against me until I felt better.

One day I was particularly sad and feeling devastated about having to take dad to the assisted living place. He was angry with me, and BirdDog missed him, and mom, too, I could tell. My partner said, let's go get some games and get your mind off of things. So we went to a store to do just that. And as we looked at games shots rang out. We hit the floor and hid until it was safe. I was barely able to breathe. Two people were killed in that shooting. I saw both of them, one dead already, and one as he died. It was one of the scariest things I've ever experienced. I was just beyond traumatized. When we got home, Little BirdDog was there, and she laid next to me on the sofa and comforted me like she always did. I finally managed to get to sleep that night, my mind and heart riddled with pain and fear. The next morning I awoke to BirdDog whining. She had never whined. Not once in her whole life. Ever.

I called my new vet and friend, L. She said she would come to us. I called my friend the per communicator. She said something had ruptured and BirdDog was hurting. I knew I had to let her go. And I did. Lauren cried with me as we watched the sweetest little soul leave this plane. As hard as it was, the first thing I saw after she had transitioned was her above me smiling from ear to ear on the greenest grass I'd ever seen. She looked at me and then took off running like 100mph without limping as if to say "MOM!!!! It doesn't hurt!!! I can really RUN!!!!!" It was a beautiful moment and I knew she was okay.

But I wasn't.

For 12 years I had had the most loyal, loving, brave, and stunningly powerful animal by my side. I had had the ultimate security. I had had pure trust and pure love in Smiling BirdDog's presence.

Life without BirdDog is just not the same. That safe place is forever gone. But let me say that life WITH BirdDog was the best one a human could ever have. Ever. And if I had one wish for each of you it would be that you get to have at least one "Smiling BirdDog" in your life. Because there's just nothing sweeter than being healed by a heeler. She was and is the most evolved being I have ever encountered, and the most loyal, and that included humans and aliens.

I know she's with me all the time still. I can feel her and the Poodle often watches something unseen dart back and forth across the living room. I always know that's her. I wish she was still here in fur form, but I am just so fully grateful for the journey...I can barely even contain it. Thank you Smiling BirdDog: for loving me unconditionally, for toughing it out to take care of me, for always being there, and for, even with all that pain, always smiling. I wish you were here today, because today is a tough one. I can feel you though, and I bow to your wisdom.

#family #humanity #kindness #love #save #SOULMATES #dog #friend #40s