For the first year of Willow’s life, it appears that she mostly roamed the prairies of Saskatchewan (Canada). At around one year, she was surrendered to Running Wild Rescue, a local animal rescue group that I follow on Facebook.
I learned they were going to be making a trip to British Columbia, where I live, with many dogs and cats in a few days when I inquired about her; the rest is recent history.
This experience with her and other rescue dogs I have had or fostered, and knowing and hearing of SO many stories of people bringing unwanted dogs into their homes and lives, made me want to dive into this topic.
Humanity’s kinship with animals
Millions of us worldwide feel a deep reverence and kindship connection with animals and the natural world; therefore, we bring long-ago-stemming-from-wild-beings into our homes to be closer to them.
In the pursuit of how they help humans out, for example, working, guarding, protecting, and herding breeds and our ideas about our perfect companion(s), whatever they may be, a lot of problems and disharmony with domestication have been created, such as overpopulation, overbreeding, horrific puppy mills, shelters bursting at the seams, greyhound racing, mistreatment, cruelty, neglect, abandonment, disease, and lacking basic needs, regard, safety, etc.
The reality of canine rescue
A cute little puppy bundle from a breeder often has experienced secure, nurturing surroundings; therefore, they have a calm and regulated nervous system, have been properly socialized, and trust the world around them.
Alternately, rescue dogs often have had difficult early and current experiences of not being wanted, dumped, abandoned, mistreated, living in shelters, on the street, etc. As a result, they often have deep emotional and physical scars, deep fear, mistrust, and a resulting dysregulated nervous system.
Willow entered our lives with a (stress-) bang
At 9:30 pm on Jan 14th, 2022, the cold and wintery night of My son’s 13th birthday, I waited in the Safeway parking lot for the rescue van to arrive. He asked me to send him a picture of her as soon as I had her, as he was with his dad until the following morning.
As I walked up to the van filled to the brim with rescue dogs and cats, the rescue founder said, “who are you picking up?” I said, “Willow.” She passed me the leash, and I thanked her. Willow and I took about five steps together, and then masterfully, looking like she had done it many times before, she pulled her head out of the loose collar that was on her- oh boy!!
Just like that, she was gone!
With everyone suddenly lunging at her to catch her, she spooked and bolted across a busy street into a schoolyard until we could not see her anymore! The search began. I could not believe this was happening! Instead of sending a picture to my son, I had to call and say she was gone, which was one of the most excruciating moments of my life!
It was now after 10 pm, and the rescue group had to move on to bring the other animals to their final home destinations. I decided to ask for help on the Vernon Dogs Facebook page, and within minutes, someone called me to let me know that he and his sister were on their way to help! I could not believe it and will never forget it = tears of gratitude!!
After two hours of searching, I asked God/the Universe/Source for a miracle! And guess who called me moments after that, confirming that they had found her!!?? Earth Angels, Leo, and Amy!!, I cried with delight and relief.
Willow and I headed home, a place, meaning and a feeling that I realized she was not familiar with. When we arrived, she would not come out of the car. She was frozen in fear. She had no idea who I was and what was happening to her.
What I noticed about her in the first few weeks
She is a blend of wild, strong-willed, intense, determined, driven, powerful, independent, playfully exuberant, friendly, stubborn, and has a big, kind heart. She:
was incredibly self-sufficient and reliant (understandably so!) and did not want to look to or listen to us.
she could not settle or relax and wanted to be outside ALL the time, desperate to escape the yard or garage door.
seemed wary and mistrusting of people and, at the same time, wanted to love them.
was not familiar with leash walking and fiercely did not desire to be introduced to it! She wanted to be unrestricted (and I can’t say I blame her)!
chewed and ate everything; her favourite was pencils and chords, and she seemed certain Kleenex was food. Nothing was safe from her mouth, including the baseboards. We even ended up at the emergency vet once!
acted CRAZY around other dogs (and was wary of people)! We were not sure if it was leash aggression or overexcitement.
was VERY itchy and would constantly scratch and bite herself, creating bald patches.
“What did I do!!!??”
Having a highly sensitive nervous system, harmony in my surroundings is of the utmost importance to me! I felt like I made a BIG mistake and wondered MANY times what I had done!
For me, walking, especially in nature, is extraordinarily nourishing. With a powerfully wild, endlessly and easily distracted, high prey drive dog at the end of the leash, I began to dread them with her. I felt so stressed, frustrated and overwhelmed by all of it, and she felt that way too!
Pranic Healing, nutrition, & supplements to the rescue
Pranic Healing is a vital daily part of my self (and others’) care. I did a scan of Willow’s chakras and organs to see what might be happening in her emotional and physical body. What I noticed mirrored what I observed in person. She was extremely stressed as the residue in her adrenal glands and solar plexus showed.
Her liver was very congested, which correlates to her compulsive itching and biting herself, which also seemed related to frustration and anger. E.g., being asked to walk (nicely) on a leash, she would stop and scratch.
In addition to her skin, her stomach was NOT happy. I observed that chicken and beef seemed to worsen things, so we altered that and got her on a raw food diet and supplements (this is where my career as the co-founder of Tail Blazers came in handy), which has made a huge difference!
Willow updates worth celebrating:
Willow has been with us for close to nine months, and she now feels safe and calm at home. Her friendly, spontaneous, fun, goofy and up-for-anything personality has broken through and is incredibly endearing! A dog trainer we have worked with calls her the ‘party girl!’
After diligently working on it for the first time, Willow and I had a delightful and fun walk together! For me, this is worth celebrating! Biking with her is always enjoyable as we can both go at the speed we like. She:
no longer wants to always be outside all the time and fixated on trying to escape. And thankfully, she will now come into the house (mostly) when we call her.
went from not knowing how to play and interact with balls or toys to running to get them and bring them back (if there is no stick around to distract her)!
can be trusted not to eat, chew or destroy everything in the house except socks and chords.
is no longer wary and mistrusting of people; she loves them!
is still very much learning how to be around other dogs calmly. There does not seem to be leash aggression, but I have seen her want to get into it in response to a little dog that wanted to get into it with her. So, we are learning, and every dog situation is different.
Reflections and lessons learned after almost nine months of acclimation
I have always known the importance of choosing to have energies around us that are in harmony with ours. For me, that is peace and calm. I have worked HARD to balance my nervous system and create this in my life and environment.
I acknowledge that I was desperate to try and fill the void from losing our rescue Greyhound/Whippet a couple of months before. Would I ever commit to adopting a dog before meeting them in person again? That would be a no! Like any relationship, it’s essential to get to know each other and see if you are a fit for each other. It’s a lot easier that way.
Regardless, we have come to create harmony with (not as) ‘wild’ Willow and love and accept her as she is, even through the frustrating moments, and I believe she does the same with us.
Celebrating the goodness of humanity
There is an overwhelming need in society to open our eyes to the animals, people, and places that need help, care and compassion. When we look or turn away, we do a great disservice to the whole!
I would like to celebrate ALL the people involved in canine (and any other animal) rescue that takes in unwanted and or/difficult, traumatized dogs that others look away from and provide care and safety so that they may be able to finally relax and know what it’s like to feel loved and cared for!
Caring for unwanted or surrendered dogs can certainly be challenging, especially at the beginning. It is remarkable to be able to see them thaw out and learn to relax and trust, and as we have heard or may know from experience, they are deep-level-grateful and will dedicate their lives to showing this to you in any way they know!
I would LOVE for you to share your rescue dog experiences with me in the comments! Also, please feel free to share this article with fellow dog lovers!
I love seeing this story of willow and you. What an incredible way she has already come in your loving care. I think she picked you guys for this healing journey.
You both have come a long way from where you started on your journey together, that cold night in January! Willow is so lucky that she could come and live with you and Chayton. She has brought many gifts to you as well. So glad that nervous systems are aligning and that peace is being found. Magical and well written story Tam! 🥰