[Dailydrool] Bonding & rescues

[Drew McQuade]

I've had various rescues respond differently concerning bonding. Belvedere 
knew a good thing when he saw it and attached to me immediately. Maybe he 
saw me as a safe harbor, after being moved about so much.

Alexis came to us straight from her former home. She must have adored the 
people who owned her (and I do mean "owned"), because she never forgot them. 
She accepted our care and seemed largely happy here, but she never bonded 
with me or Drew very much. We gave her much better care than what her 
original humans gave, but she never forgot them. But I still miss her after 
three years. I guess we can tell who did the bonding here.

Abner was also slow to bond. He'd been passed around a bit--maybe not quite 
as much as Bel was, but he'd been around the block more than once. Around 
the time he was beginning to bond, he had to have back surgery and started 
not trusting me again. As much as he adores anyone, he adores me. He really 
prefers to go out with me and will sometimes refuse to allow Drew to take 
him out. He loves me up periodically, and he loves to go to basset events an 
meet people. When thunderstorms go overhead, he hides under my desk and lies 
on my feet. But I wonder if somewhere in this world is the person whom he 
loved but who was not up to giving him a forever home.

It makes me incredibly sad to think that some dogs get constantly passed 
about. I wish we could have gotten Bel before all the others who gave up on 
him. I wish that no dog that got into rescue would have to go through 
numerous foster homes, then failed adoptions. I know this is all part of the 
real world, but maybe that's why a dog peeing on my floor or snapping at me 
because I tried to change his leash isn't enough to make me send a dog back 
to rescue. Like our bassets, I am incredibly stubborn.

No dog is perfect, but then, no human is either. We just need to share the 
love we have.
Pam, food slave to the Dashing Bassets