Rudy

(aka The Love of my life, my 92# mush)
Rudy was brought to Hallie Hill Animal Sanctuary with his mother and nine siblings at the ripe age of approximately 3-4 weeks old. Rudy was very shy and was always the one in the corner. I remember telling Jennifer Middleton, “if he is the last man standing, I may have to foster him” Fail. He gave/gives the best neck hugs. Rudy was born scared of the world, Noises, people, other dogs… everything, etc. We have worked very hard to make him feel comfortable in the world and not anxious. He has come such a long way, and in my eyes, he is the BEST friend and dog EVER. We have certain protocols when people come over (ignore for 5 minutes) and when we go for walks, but this is our “normal.”

He loves most people who come over and loves his morning bonding walks. Every dog walker knows Rudy and always compliments him on his sweet face! He has play dates with three dogs (one is his brother), loves taking my spot in the bed around 4 am, loves food, loves his pools, Nyla bones, hero balls, and looooovees to lick people!! He is the best thing that has ever happened to us! I have learned patience and that all dogs are individuals and thats OK! His face melts my heart!! Oh… and adopting a puppy with two senior dogs was actually a good call, after the first four months of hell, they taught him a lot and bonded.

Things don’t happen overnight! There’s a learning curve for both the new family member and for the humans who choose to make the commitment of adding to the family. Things can be challenging to start, but with the willingness to understand and knowing that companion animals do not come prewired to our expectations, it will get easier. For us humans, it’s a happy, exciting time to “rescue” a new family member. Our new family member, in most cases, doesn’t realize they were “rescued.” All they know is that their world has changed (maybe for the third, fourth, or fifth time), and they are trying to figure things out! The greatest gift to give to your new family member is time to adjust, clear communication, gentle guidance, understanding, and room to make mistakes and not be punished for making them but to be praised and rewarded for doing things right (in our eyes or to our expectations).

It’s a beautiful journey that never lasts as long as our hearts wish, so make the most of every day and cherish the time we have with these beautiful souls. Show them they matter and that they are safe. Give them choices, let them sniff and take in the world around them. Let them decide if they want to meet new people or dogs or if they are good with just walking by. Be mindful, be their advocate! Build a relationship that goes both ways. We owe it to them!

Stu

I hope all is well! I just wanted to thank you so much for bringing Stu that day. It was definitely fate. This boy has taken my heart and helped it heal over the loss of my Thumper. He runs, plays tag with the other dogs, he sunbathes, he gets super excited and makes the cutest noises, he doesn’t like loud quick sounds, he runs through the house and plays with his best friend, Gibbs. The bond he’s created with our other dogs is so beautiful. He loves to get mommy hugs, he doesn’t like apples or watermelon but Liam keeps trying to feed him anyways. He loves when Liam eats because he’s the perfect height to get fed by Liam, he LOVES stuffed animals and he is a shoe stealer! I’m so grateful for Stu, I can’t thank you enough. Keep up the amazing work that you do.