Roxie -the Schnauzer formerly known as Terry

How it came that I decided to get Roxie was part by chance, and maybe part by fate. I don’t really believe in destiny, but it’s a challenge not to because of the way Hardy and Roxie came into my life. Hardy came to me at a similar time – except that it was over nine years ago. At the time, I was separated from my husband, and I was lonely and depressed. Shows from Animal Planet often cheered me, and I decided that getting a dog might be good for my psyche.

Fast forward to my life after the attack, my psyche was wounded big time, and it’s a similar decision. Only this time I feel like she really came to me despite the odds against it. It began when I went to the animal shelter in Santa Cruz on a Thursday afternoon, on a quest to get a dog for my son. During this visit we met the dog, Capleton, a little Cairn terrier mix. It was one of the strides I made after my first EMDR treatment. But my son didn’t come home with a dog that day. He wanted to sleep on it. By the next day, he decided not only that he didn’t want Capleton, but also that he didn’t want a dog at all.

Anyone who has a son knows that they sleep late in the AM hours. So while I was waiting for him to get up on “decision” morning, I had found several dogs that I thought he might like on Petfinders.com. He wasn’t interested. Then I showed him a dog I thought might be right for me. I had already inquired about her to see if she was still available, I even send some personal information about Hardy and me, but I soon discovered she was not available for adoption.

Petfinders.com is a site on the Internet that helps many rescue organizations post pictures and descriptions about their rescue animals. It so happened that the Miniature Schnauzer Club of North California (MSCNC) was the one who was trying to locate a home for a 1 1/2 year old female named Terry. The only problem was when I went directly to their site; there was a message that they had already received enough applications to adopt her, and to stop inquiring about her.

Still when I checked my email, I received a different message. This one said that Terry might be perfect for me and I should go to the MSCNC site and fill out and send in an application. I didn’t. Instead I wrote back to double check, and I asked about the message about too many applications for her. I was told that Terry seemed like a perfect match for me and to please fill one out anyway, so I did.

On Sunday afternoon Terry’s foster mom called me. I arranged for my daughter, Chico, and me to meet Terry on my trip home from Santa Cruz. We met there at about 5:30 PM, and we didn’t leave until after 7:00 PM. We learned that she would need a lot of TLC because she was extremely shy and skittish. Not much was known about her past except that she was thought to have been kept locked in a kitchen most of her life, and she had a litter of puppies at around age 9 months. Her original owner who simply didn’t want her any longer relinquished her to MSCNC. She had recently been spayed after MSCNC acquired her, and she was overdue for her annual shots.

She was extremely fearful of just about everything. She darted around from place to place with trepidation, and she cowered when we tried to pet her head. She spit out any treat we gave her. Both my daughter and I remarked, on separate occasions during the meeting, that she reminded us of me. It was like she had PTSD! She was jumpy and looked uncomfortable in her own skin. I thought that we would be good therapy for one another, so did everyone else.

I didn’t take her home that day. I didn’t want to jump into anything because it had only been ninety days since I lost my furry love, Hardy. But I had mentioned to both my psychiatrist and my psychologist on different occasions that I thought getting a dog was indeed on the horizon. I thought it would help me get better faster. I made an appointment to come back on Thursday to adopt her.

That night I had trouble sleeping. All I could do was think about adopting and plan on getting ready for a new dog. I liked that she was female, that she didn’t have cropped ears, that she had a messed up bobbed tail, and that she was shy and submissive. All of these things were opposite of Hardy. I LOVED that she was a Miniature Schnauzer and she had a soft coat – just like Hardy. I decided to shop for female colored doggie accessories: leash, collar, doggie bed and blanket, tantalizing treats. I took Chico with me on the shopping trip, but I was certain then that I should get her. Adoption was making me get out there, and I was motivated.

When I got home, my daughter was already home from work. We had a conversation about Terry, and she noticed that I was 100% into the adoption. Finally she asked me why I was waiting until Thursday to pick her up. I didn’t have a good answer, so I called the foster mom again to set up the adoption. Terry came home that afternoon, and once again, I think I have a dog that is perfect for me. She has already adjusted to her new name; she is eating well, taking treats, and best of all she is happily walking with me every day.