Put Your "Paws" Together and Pray!

The Story of Oscar

We lost our Golden Retriever, Dexter, this past January, 2011. He’d been a part of our family for 10 years. Dexter was definitely my husband’s dog...that dog loved him! Dexter also had a best friend, Jake. Jake yellow lab, is our neighbor's. They’d been best friends for 7 years. So, when Dexter died, we didn’t just lose a family member, Jake also lost his best friend.
 By August of that year, our 16 yr old son and I were ready for another dog. We could still feel the void in our lives from Dexter’s loss.  I was praying for a rescue dog...preferably a Golden retriever, but Labs were my second choice, no puppy. However, my husband was ADAMANT --> “NO MORE DOGS!!!” He liked our life dog-free, and besides, our son will be going away for college in a couple of years.

Although my son and I talked often about the benefits of a dog, we kept those conversations from my husband. I respected my husband’s position, and I let the matter drop as I continued my prayers. I truly believed that if God wanted us to have another dog, He would have to bring that dog to us!

Fast forward to Thanksgiving. We were at my dad’s along with the rest of my siblings. My dad has a large dog pen in his back yard that his neighbor had been "borrowing" for 4 ½ years to house his 2 dogs. Unfortunately, one of the dogs died a little over a year ago and so there was only one left in the pen. My son fell in love with this dog, but we knew that it would be useless to approach the subject with his father, so we left my dad’s without a word about the dog

Now, mind you, my son and I have been to my father’s multiple times over the last year, and I can honestly say that I have not noticed this dog.

Back home, I overheard Dale talking to my mom (who had come for a visit) about this dog. He wanted to RESCUE this dog.

This dog is a lab...a yellow lab, just like Jake! He is the sweetest dog. The owners had a bark collar on him so when we were all outside all you could hear him do is whine because he wanted to be out playing with us.  

So with much haste, lest my husband change his mind, I contacted my dad to inquire about getting the dog.

We didn’t hear from my dad for a couple of days. Seems the man/wife were very willing to give us the dog, whom we had already renamed “Oscar.” However, they had a teenage son who was reluctant to give him up, and they asked for us to give him some time to digest the idea.

My husband started getting fired up about the dog. At a family dinner, he and all of our boys started plotting how there were just going to go up there and steal Oscar. In their eyes, they were being heroes, saving this dog from a life of concrete and loneliness.

In short, everything fell into place, and on Dec. 1, 2012, an older son drove 5 hrs each way to retrieve our newest family member, a handsome blonde lab who apparently was under the watchful eye of a “Savior.”

Oscar is a great dog, and fits in with our family wonderfully. He loves fetching his tennis ball, and cooling off with a swim in the pool. Every time I see how happy he is now, compared to living in that concrete pen all by himself…my heart breaks. How could I have not noticed him before? I now see that God not only has filled that hole in our hearts where Dexter used to reside, but He also noticed a lonely dog in desperate need of a family.

Oscar (front) & J

Oscar and Jake have become fast friends, and I can picture Dexter up in heaven smiling down like he’s had a “paw” in putting us all together. "This dog needs my family, and this is who I want to be Jakes next best friend."

God answered my prayers for a dog. I had a vision of what I wanted: a dog that needed rescued, preferably a lab or a golden retriever, no puppy, it had to come to us & most importantly, my husband’s heart had to be changed. I saw it happen! Thank you, Jesus!

We’ve had many challenges since Oscar’s arrival. I’d been told by the previous owners that he was up to date on all his shots and heartworm meds. So, for the first two weeks we exercised him heavily because he was overweight. It was during the Christmas season, so there were people around all the time, and he seemed to adjust well.

There have been a few instances when we have left the house where he’s gone crazy and chewed/clawed up a few of the door jams around the house. And a set of blinds now needs replaced. At first we thought Oscar had separation anxiety issues so we tried medication, caging, and we even tried the Thundershirt to ease his anxiety. But what seemed to work most of all was time. It seems he’s become quite secure after 3 months with us, and we can now leave the house without any issues. He seems to have grasped the idea that we will return.

Two weeks after Oscar had arrived, he had his first vet appointment. Turns out, he had heartworms. Now, heartworms can be prevented and don’t show up on the test until about 6 months after infestation. This means that the previous owner had not given him the preventative meds like I had been told. Most likely, that is what Oscar’s sister had died of. And I think the hardest part of learning all of this, is that the worst thing you can do with a dog infected with heartworms is to exercise them, and we’d just had 2 weeks of nothing but exercise.

After 3 weeks of treatment for heartworms, 3 weeks of NO exercise, $1000+ in vet bills, and 3 months of adjusting to his new environment, I can proudly say that Oscar is slowly carving out a niche in each of our hearts. It’s not an accident that God brought Oscar to our family…we saved his life TWICE, and gave him the family he deserves.

I don’t know if Oscar remembers his concrete life, but I am reminded of it every time I look at him. And I am certain that God not only heard my prayer, I’m also sure He heard Oscar’s!

 

In loving memory of Dexter! 
Feb. 23, 2000 - Jan. 9, 2011