Winston's cousin Teddi (Bill's sister Carol's dog) is a little pekingese mix that has lived such a sad but amazing life. People used to ask me all of the time how I could handle working at the Humane Society and stories like Teddi's, though few and far between, made every second of back-breaking, tear-jerking work well worth it.
Teddi came to our shelter one evening when I was working late as part of a cruelty case. His daddy was cooking meth in his house and was more concerned about his drugs than his dogs. Teddi and a hound friend of his were living in absolute squalor. There was no running water, no heat or air conditioning, and trash was everywhere. Teddi was found tied to a bed post with very little room to move. He was so badly infested with fleas that he had no hair. He was so skinny and malnourished he could barely stand. He had been walking in his own filth for what had probably been months. Not long after he made it to the shelter, I noticed that his right eye had come out of socket (it literally looked like it was bulging). I immediately called a local vet who agreed to perform the surgery on the eye if I could assist her with it since everyone had left her clinic for the day already.
So I took Teddi to the vet and helped with the surgery. Watching him so helpless on that table, I immediately fell in love. I knew if he went back to the shelter, his eye would most likely become infected and he would most definitely be euthanized. I couldn't let that happen. I decided to take Teddi home and nurse him back to health. He ended up loosing the eye as well as eyesight in his other eye, but other than that, it took him maybe a couple of months to get back in shape. His fur grew back and he gained weight.
The amazing thing about Teddi's story is his personality. Despite everything he went through, he is the most lovable dog you will ever meet. He will sit in your lap for hours at a time. All he really seems to want in life is a little attention (which basically means a lap to lay on from time to time), some food, and a squeeky toy. Also, he never once had an accident in the house - even though he was basically walking in his own feces for months.
We were talking about Teddi Saturday, when Bill looked over at me and said, "We humans should really learn to forgive like dogs." WOW! How great a statement! Think about it - Teddi was put through hell by a person which could have made him never trust another human for the rest of his life. However, he responded the opposite way - he LOVES humans. How many times have we failed to forgive someone for so much less? Think about your own pet. I know I've done things to make my animals not like me from time to time, but they always forgive me and usualyl almost immediately. I know this probably has to do with the biology of their brains, their lack of attention span, and their short-term memory, but I still think it's a lesson we all should consider.
Here's a picture of my little nephew Teddi:
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