It is somewhat rare for a dog to surprise me. Since I have been doing this for a long time, I often think that I have seen it all. But to meet Frankie is to understand resilience. A dog that was, in all probability, taken way too early from his mother. Separated from his pack and not given the chance to learn social skills from his peers. A dog that lived the majority of his young life in a constant state of fight or flight. A dog that was never properly socialized or given the skills to cope with stimuli. A dog that has an enormous amount of love to give but was misunderstood by almost all who met him.
Frankie’s stay was a long one. He was a mess when he first arrived. The tip of his ears were always bleeding because he couldn’t stay still long enough for them to heal. He was skin and bones despite all efforts to make him gain some weight. He would freak out at the sight or sound of anything new… dog, people, butterflies, motorcycles, etc. For him, life in the human world was a constant struggle in a state of perpetual excitement. He didn’t trust humans or dogs to give him direction. Lack of proper socialization will do that to dogs and humans alike.
However, Frankie has always been a lover. He loves everything and everyone he meets once he understands they will not harm him. It takes time to earn his trust. Nevertheless Frankie teaches all that have met him what forgiveness is. He teaches what unconditional love is. He pushed me to let go and surrender. To have the confidence that he would be ok if I gave him the time and patience to create trust and respect. In that time he learned to join the world in a calmer pace. To not react, but to engage. To trust that he could look to the human and other dogs for direction and protection.
And now another family has fallen in love with Frankie. When his adopters first met him, I explained that he wasn’t going to be an easy dog. It would be at least six months until they could comfortably walk him around their neighborhood with full trust that he wasn’t going to “pop off” in one of his freak outs. That it was going to take a lot of consistent work in order for Frankie to remain the best version of himself. That he was going to need dedication and commitment in order for him to be integrated with their family’s dogs. The answer was: bring it on! We love him and we see him for who he is and want him to be a part of our pack.
Life has a way of showing you that there are indeed people out there that are ready to do the work where others have failed. Frankie deserves that and more. He has shown everyone he has met the power of forgiveness, He has demonstrated that your past does not determine your future. I will be forever grateful for dogs like him. They teach the power of living in the moment and how to move forward no matter what life throws at you.
Thank you Frankie and god speed my friend. You have hit the jackpot with your new family. They are amazing people that want to do the work with you. They want to show that humans can indeed be compassionate and do what is best for the dog. If that takes time and hard work, so be it. They see you for you are and love you. Your next chapter is a bright one. I am happy that I got to play a small part in your story. I will be forever grateful that our paths crossed.
