Babe was found in a ditch, a shattered, terrified five-month old pup. He had been left for dead, probably badly beaten, thrown from a car, or run over, and his fear of men led us to believe his tormenter was a less-than-human male. A broken knee, a toe dangling by just a flap of skin and a hole in the chin were his physical woes. It took $3,000, three surgeries, and more than two years, but somehow Babe survived to learn that life can be about safety and love as well as horror. He will limp for the rest of his life, but now he can run, play, scratch himself, and be pretty much a normal dog.
Because we did not have room for him at first, we found him a foster home. The family loved him, but as time passed and he outgrew his puppy cuteness, they were not so loving. Babe matured into an adult who could not tolerate other male dogs and he became aggressive toward them. Unbeknownst to us, the family began confining him to a crate most of each day. We provided monthly flea prevention for Babe, but the family never administered them. The resulting flea allergy and nasty skin infection made him less than pleasant to be with, so they crated him for even longer periods. Abuse and neglect were the last thing he needed. Poor Babe was starving, even though he had been provided plenty of food. He was a sad sight when he came to the rescue.
At home with us, he blossomed into a healthy, affectionate dog. He is gentle and protective of babies, fulfilling the historic reputation of bullies as America’s babysitters. He is great with cats and he loves female humans and doggie girlfriends. You would think a dog like that would have no trouble finding a home of his own, but as he grew older and felt safe with us, he became more protective of his friends and his home. His intolerance of male dogs intensified, and he attacked other males in the rescue. He held grudges and rarely forgave a trespasser.
At home with us, he blossomed into a healthy, affectionate dog. He is gentle and protective of babies, fulfilling the historic reputation of bullies as America’s babysitters. He is great with cats and he loves female humans and doggie girlfriends. You would think a dog like that would have no trouble finding a home of his own, but as he grew older and felt safe with us, he became more protective of his friends and his home. His intolerance of male dogs intensified, and he attacked other males in the rescue. He held grudges and rarely forgave a trespasser.
Managing Babe was never easy. After his foster experience, he became antagonistic to most women and continued to fear most men. He barked and growled till he was hoarse whenever a man entered the house. No matter how long a volunteer worked here, Babe could not help himself; his fear made him act like the quintessential bully. If visitors had only known he would run for the hills in terror if they just looked his way, they would have realized that his bluster was just his way of trying to scare away those who scared him. Babe bluffed volunteers to the point that no one wanted to deal with him. He had to be boarded away from home during our rare absences, and that turned out to be the magic that made Babe’s dream of a home and family of his own come true.
Babe loved the staff at the boarding facility – men and women alike – and they loved him. He somehow knew his menacing ways would get him nowhere with them. So, nearly five years after we first met this little rascal, Babe wagged his tail as we approached the facility for a two-week boarding stint. We felt good leaving him where we knew he would be safe and happy among old friends. Never in a million years did I expect the miracle that awaited me upon my return!
During his stay, a new vet tech had fallen head over heels in love with Babe – and Babe had accepted and begun to love a man! We had pretty much given up hope that anyone would recognize the beauty and sweetness of this little package of a dog, but the young man wanted to adopt him. Moving cautiously, we set up a meet-and-greet with the young man’s housemate/grandmother. It went beautifully. Babe lay on her feet and grinned. During the ride to the meeting, Babe rested his head on grandma’s shoulder. Over the three weeks they took moving into their new home, we scheduled
During his stay, a new vet tech had fallen head over heels in love with Babe – and Babe had accepted and begun to love a man! We had pretty much given up hope that anyone would recognize the beauty and sweetness of this little package of a dog, but the young man wanted to adopt him. Moving cautiously, we set up a meet-and-greet with the young man’s housemate/grandmother. It went beautifully. Babe lay on her feet and grinned. During the ride to the meeting, Babe rested his head on grandma’s shoulder. Over the three weeks they took moving into their new home, we scheduled
