Since late 2020, Luna the rescue dog has been part of the family of our son and his wife, Dan and Renee, and their daughter Kate. Kate was 3 ½ when Luna joined them.
Renee grew up with dogs. Dan did not, although we had a couple of cats.
Renee signed up with Heading Home K9 Rescue, then watched their website for the “one” that caught her eye–Luna, a stray black dog in Alabama, with heartworm. She was being treated for that and had stayed with a foster family.
Who knew there are “well-worn routes of travel for rescue dogs”? Luna traveled to the Twin Cities via Chicago. Dan and Renee picked up their rescue dog from a suburban park and ride where Luna and others were microchipped and sent home with their new families.
This was during the COVID pandemic, so they had to send their license plate number, make and model of their car, stay in the car, and wear masks. Dan cracked the window to hand over an envelope with the signed contract and adoption fee. Renee said it was “like something out of a spy movie during a hostage transfer scene.”
After the documents were checked, the rescue person brought Luna to the car and opened the back door for her to hop in. She also tossed in a brown lunchbag containing flea and tick spray and heartworm meds, wished them luck, and suggested giving Luna a bath. Their new dog stunk!
On their way home, when they stopped at a Petco for shampoo. Luna tensed up. Renee shopped quickly and also got a name tag for her dog collar. When she fastened the collar around Luna’s neck, this rescue dog seemed to relax and recognize that she had found a home with them, a place to belong.
Luna is most calm when all three family members are with her. Kate, who just turned 9, has grown up with her. Luna gets too stressed to leave in a kennel, and sitters haven’t worked that well either, so Luna goes nearly everywhere with them. She comes to visit with them, so we don’t go out to eat unless we can be outside where pets are also welcome.
One holiday weekend, I offered to stay with Luna while the rest could go to church. Luna is used to me and our home, and they left treats for me to share with her. But as soon as everyone left, Luna headed to the front door. She stayed there, watching, listening. She climbed up on a cedar chest and onto the bed to see out the front window. I didn’t realize she was that agile! I tried coaxing her with treats into a seating area, where they’d left her bed. She gobbled the treat and went back to the door. Waiting was stressful for us both.
Renee said it’s typical for her. Once while staying at a B&B, Dan took Kate ice skating while Renee read a book and stayed with Luna. Luna was antsy until Dan and Kate returned. It sure makes you wonder what kind of trauma she’d endured before her adoption.
Their family had planned to come down last Christmas break but two weeks after they’d moved into a new neighborhood, Renee took Luna for a walk. Luna was attacked by two pit bulls. Renee ended up in urgent care for a very bruised thumb, and Dan at the vet with Luna. Luna needed several stitches and one wound was deep enough it needed a drain. Dan and Luna got home at 2 am.
They’ve recovered that Luna would rather not walk toward the direction where they encountered the meanies.
During the six years she lived with them, Luna has aged enough that her muzzle is turning white. But she has certainly found her forever home.
Here’s a terrific related Good News post by John W. Howell–a photographer giving shelter dogs a second chance.