It is 2019 and that means I am rapidly approaching the two year mark with our dog, Luna. Lunies, as I call her, had a very different journey to her forever home than most rescue dogs- quite literally Lucas rescued her from an abusive owner who wanted to put her down.
Let me set the scene: I’m on a little trip in the Valley with Leon, and I get a text from my husband asking if I wanted a German Shepard puppy. Pause- let me add that I grew up with German Shepards, and our beloved Ollie Dog had just passed about a month earlier. I said yes, but I felt crazy; I wasn’t sure I was ready for another dog. Lucas told me that she had obviously been beaten and very sick, but needed somewhere to find love. I had no idea what that meant, and I was hardly prepared.
I get home a few days later and Lucas had already warned me that it was a lot worse than he had thought. She was a distemper survivor, had a twitch, was severely under fed, did not use her back legs AT ALL, and about half her body was covered in mange. I honestly did not see how this poor girl could continue on, and I was certain Lucas had brought home a dog that I was going to lose immediately.
We do a vet visit, buy what seemed like mountains of medicines and shampoos, and were assured that she had mange and was skinny, but otherwise was fine. For three months we washed her with medicated shampoo DAILY. She was sweet, although a little scared, and seemed to be getting on well. When her hair started to grow back, we noticed something- Lunies was running! She had started using her back legs a few weeks after being home, clearly she hadn’t spent much time outside a kennel before, but all of the sudden our pathetic little doggo was running down the hall after our other dog!
After so many conversations about amputation and research on dog carts for her, we could breathe. From there, things really took off for Luna.
The thing with rescue dogs like this is that the journey is long. So closing in on two years with Luna, she is still growing. We have finally gotten her housebroken- a long year that was. She is much less food-aggressive, but it’s a work in progress. Luna forgets who the cat is daily, despite the cat being here before she was. We had a cancer scare and a surgery to remove a mass, but recover was quick.
Luna has an excellent recall, we never worry about her running off. She is extremely excited and curious about new people. She has snuggled up with strangers and babies alike, and met multiple dog friends with a massive success rate. She plays with our other dog Minnie, as well as my mother in law’s dogs, and her favorite place is in the sunshine.
As a bonus…
I thought I would share some of my favorite doggo products. I find I am extremely picky about the kind of leash, harness, brush, tags, and collars I use. None of these are affiliated, but all are in regular use in my home!
The BEST dog tag that won’t fall off is HERE
An affordable dog harness with a chest clip AND a handle is HERE
A brush that works and is easy to clean is HERE
The kind of leash we swear by is HERE
