In July of 2018, just a few months before one of the most significant events of my life (more on that in the next post), another was taking place. One thing my children’s mother and I had always told them was that when we bought a house, we would get them a dog. We had a couple cats and of course, they were loved. But my boys missed having a dog since our Isabella.

Isabella was a local rescue we had taken in when we saw the conditions she was living in. We had zero experience with her breed, Great Pyrenees. At that time, we loved the idea of having a large breed dog, so after looking at the paperwork for her previous owners (before the squalor she was living in) we had an idea her health was ok. We loved that girl and decided that we wanted to rescue another large breed dog, maybe even a Great Pyreness again.

I started looking online and saw a listing. These boys (yes two) were from a neglectful farm in Tennessee. One of them (Master) was a worker and massively underweight, I’m pretty sure he was left on his own to feed himself. The other (Buster) was non-working and while not so underweight, was abused. He had bb’s in his neck from being shot multiple time, and his ears had slits cut in them from either a knife or scissors. The point is, these boys needed help. Before being transferred to a foster (in Lowell, MA) only and little over an hour from us, they had been 24 hours from being put down. We made it a point to visit the as soon as possible.

We all fell in love with them instantly. Buster was super goofy, it was hard not to be drawn to him. Master on the other hand, was extremely timid. He warmed up to the boys and their mom, but he was skittish around me. I can only surmise it was because of the abuse that he and Buster had endured. I was unsure whether or not he would ever get over it but as a family, we made the decision that these boys should come home with us. A week later, after finalizing all the approvals with the adoption agency, my oldest son and I went to pick them up and bring them home.

Two years later, the boys live with me. That scared and timid dog is now my white shadow. I can’t turn around without him either being right at my heels, or laying nearby staring at me. Buster hasn’t changed much, he has put on some weight so he’s an even bigger dope. The good thing is, Master also put on weight. They have a great veterinarian who takes good care of them. They see the groomer as often as they can. As a matter of fact, they just went yesterday and are the talk of the neighborhood.

It may seem like so much was done for them, but what they have done for me is immense. I had a condo for a short time and wasn’t able to spend much time for them except on weekends. When I’d show up to walk them they would swarm me and show me unconditional love. They also would look at me confused after I had to leave and head back to the condo. A couple months ago, I got a rental and they came back to me. I no longer come home to an empty house. They are excited to see me each and every time I walk in the door. Whether it’s a 15 minute run to the store or being gone for work, the excitement and love they show is all the same; and I feel it with every ounce of my being. These two have done more for me that they could comprehend and it’s up to me to make sure they are taken care of well and to the best of my ability. My boys love them just as much and agree on what they have done for us all.

Here’s a small album of pics of them, and us, throughout the past two years. Enjoy!