Rescued... with many tears

Here is :Bull Dozer, at six weeks of age, commonly called Dozer by his friends.   I was very active in a humane society in Springfield, Illinois, named  The Animal Protective League.  During the many years of my service to this group I fostered and trained endless dogs, allowing them to be placed up for adoption and found forever homes.   A bit of heartache came with letting each treasured animal go, but I knew there were so many more unwanted ones waiting to get a chance to move out of the kennels at the shelter and into a new home.
Life, at the time, was very busy and I was happy with my  own two dogs, Trigger and Spirit, who accompanied me everywhere.    Both excellently trained and very well behaved, the constant ebb and flow of foster "kids" never phased them.   Having a pack helped the mental growth of all the dogs.   Never imagining that I would be getting a new puppy soon, I went about my daily routines cherishing every moment with each companion.
Let it never be said that a dog was too smart, too well trained, too in control of their instincts, to not need a leash.   I always used a leash on my pets when away from my home, but when I took them out of the privacy fenced yard and put them into my car, they were allowed to walk with me, unleashed, the fifteen feet.    I never believed that one fateful night would come where I was allowing Trigger and Spirit to cross that short fifteen feet and I would witness their instinct over take my training and control. 
Trigger was six years old and Spirit was four.   In moments, my life was forever changed as I saw the two lose focus and dash across the front yard in pursuit of what I later found out to be a stray cat.   Having no idea that they had traveled further than the edge of the darkness I was looking at, I heard a yelping scream  and thud I will never erase from my mind.    Screaming out their names, I ran towards the main road, about half a block away, and stood at the edge looking into the darkness, illuminated only by the headlights of passing cars, to see my Trigger lying on the pavement.    All rational thought erased, I blindly walked out into the traffic, on that dark, rainy night, to see if my beloved Trigger was alive. 
Unfortunately, he was not.    Having been hit by a passing car who never even stopped, he laid in the roadway, lifeless.    Another motorist had seen the entire event.    Both dogs had been hit, Spirit survived the dash out and back across the highway and so had the stray cat.   My life tragically halted, I carried my Trigger away, cared for Spirits injuries, took her to the vet, and later that same night buried my first dog.
Suddenly emotionally drained, I still had all the fosters to care for as well as Spirit.   She mourned the loss of her companion nearly as deeply as I did, which in later years I found to be the norm for pack mates.  Within a week of my loss I got a call from the director of dogs, at the humane society, saying they found one live puppy and one mother dog living in a local park.   The mother had been placed in the humane societies kennels, but the puppy needed a home.   I was adamant that I did not want this puppy.   It was way too soon, the hurt way too fresh, but I agreed to take him in as a foster.   But Dozer, in his sweet, tender, soft furry way, grew on me.    He was the only survivor of the litter, and that made him even more special.   Our beginning bond was tentative, till he insisted upon nuzzling  me every time I picked him up.   House broken in a week, this five week old was a boy with endless imagination.    He graced my life for ten full years, moved with me across the state, was my very first Certified Search and Rescue dog, and opened the door into my first experience with personal protection dogs.    Wise beyond his years, he knew friend from foe, loved all other animals, and protected my car and home with fervor.   This fantastic companion became one of my best friends and our adventures seemed endless.   A bit of a clown he kept me in smiles throughout our time together.   I would never trade my experiences with Dozer for anything.   Although heartache colored the beginning of our relationship, nothing but happiness and loved followed in the years to come.


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