Life of a Shelter Dog -- Boo

Prologue: When it all began.

In 2003, my husband Ray and I had bought a 1750 converted barn in Hunterdon County with just under five acres of property. I’d always had cats – we already had two – but thought, ‘what would a big property be without a few dogs to share it with?’ The vision of farm animals, sheep, chickens, horses was in our minds and we pictured border collies instinctively and magically keeping our livestock in check. We were pretty clueless. We’d never really entered into the world of dog ownership; but, minds made up, we did our due diligence and scouted out some Border Collie groups in the area.

We located a place in Quakertown, NJ. When we arrived, we were taken into the barn where they had several young dogs and a new litter of puppies. Ray was immediately drawn to this four month old beautiful tri-color that was by herself in a pen. He asked about her. I was immediately drawn to the new litter of puppies and saw this special one with a black and white split face and one blue eye. I wanted her.

Oh, decisions, decisions. Discussions, discussions.

Let it be known we left with both. The tri-color became our big girl, Tess and the little split face with the blue eye became Lil’ Gem. And, we became official dog lovers.

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Tails of a Shelter Dog: Boo

Boo, Boo Boo, Boo Bear, Boo Boy joined our family on 11/22/2009. We had lost our 2 ½ year old Border Collie, Lil’ Gem a few months earlier after six months of trying to manage her grand mal seizure episodes. It was devastating to say the least. While we still had our other Border Collie, Tess, it felt like there was something missing. I liked having two dogs. Not necessarily because Tess needed a playmate, but because it feels like the right number.

Over the next weeks, I found myself ‘looking’ at sites that showed dogs available for adoption. I’m not sure if it was to torture myself or a way to process my grief. Needless to say, the options were endless. I would scroll through the different pages, ‘Oh, this one’s adorable! Look how sweet this one is! Where is this one located?” On and on. How does one even pick?

I decided it was torture. But, I couldn’t help myself.

Eventually, I landed on a picture of this beautiful, black and white border collie looking creature that I kept going back to. Hmm, two year old female, border collie mix. Feral. Not a whole lot of other information. I decided – She was the one! We have to meet her.

Now, I just needed to convince my husband, Ray. Surprisingly, it actually wasn’t a hard sell and a few days later he, Tess in tow, and I got in the car and traveled 3 hours to the middle of nowhere, PA.

When we finally arrived at the rescue property, the place was quite lovely. It had fields with open space and several paddocks holding horses and other livestock. We walked past several pens containing litters of puppies, cats roamed around rather freely, while chickens and ducks scattered the yard fluttering about.

Interesting.

A volunteer took us to the area where the dogs were held. Dogs of all sizes and mixed breeds were barking like crazy making it impossible to hear ourselves talk. Boo was sandwiched among at least a dozen other crates. She was shaking, cowering against the sides of her own confined space. It was awful.

Even though I knew the rescue group did the best they could to care for the dogs, it was hard to be in there.

We were given a leash and told we could take Boo to a horse corral to spend some time with her and to meet Tess. Still quivering, she didn’t give us any trouble when we brought her out, but you could tell she was terrified and walked with that halting step of fear and constantly looking around for an escape.

Tess joined us and was doing her typical Border Collie thing – looking for a ball or stick to play with and didn’t pay much attention to the terrified creature circling our feet. Ok. well that’s a positive. Boo was so focused on being terrified that she didn’t even notice Tess. Ray picked her up to see how she would react to being held, trying to soothe her. It was then it hit us as we got a closer look –

‘SHE’ was actually a ‘HE’ - huh?! Wait what? We hadn’t even considered a male dog. Surprise, surprise!

Well, here we were. We spent about another 20 minutes with she-now-he, and I think we felt just as traumatized as this poor quaking pup. We didn’t have to say it out loud, but we were both thinking, 'Is this dog too far gone?’ Ray and I looked at each other...oh, boy. Are we up to the challenge?
Our common sense said, 'no way’;
Our hearts said, 'we have to.'
…And off we went to do the paperwork.

Less than an hour later, this anxious, quaking, puddle of a dog became the +1 of our previous trio...homeward bound – Ray and Tess in the front seats, me and this terrified dog in the back.

For several weeks Boo would not come out from behind the couch when we were sitting in the living room. He was terrified of my husband or others that came too close. I walked him every morning, afternoon, and night around the perimeter of our five-acre field in the back of the house and he would constantly look for trees and bushes to hide in. I was the only one that could get him to potty because he felt vulnerable around anyone else. And, thank goodness for Tess. Boo would keep a close eye that Tess was nearby – his security blanket.

Then it happened….

One night when we were watching tv, he creeped from behind the sofa and jumped up on the other couch opposite where both Ray and I were sitting – and just looked at us. We tried not to seem too excited (that would scare him) but we were. This was huge.

Over the months and years, this sweet, gentle boy gradually evolved into the dog he was meant to be. His brown, soft eyes bespoke quiet wisdom and soulfulness. He adored his big sister, Tess and followed her like a shadow. When Tess passed he mourned her with gentle whimpers of grief. We got our next border collie, Star, and he became her ever-protector – quietly standing by, ready to get between her or any perceived threat. He never sought the limelight, but allowed Star to shine.

Boo never overcame his fear of people or new places. He would hide behind me, wary of anyone he didn’t recognize. He was perfectly content at home cuddling on the sofa and pillows. Our cat, Piper, always one eye open any time else, would curl up next to Boo and sleep peacefully.

Boo loved to explore, hidden in the brush or climbing rocks, or running in the trails – never straying far from me. No longer looking for an escape route.

Neighbors would try desperately to get him to come to them; and were thrilled when he would tentatively give them a sniff. He was slow to love but when he did it was pure and loyal.

Most people didn’t understand why after all those years he was still so timid and standoffish; why he got so nervous in new environments; why I was the only person he truly trusted.

We would never know his story. I didn’t need to know, I just needed to love and accept him for who he was. He was perfect in all his imperfections. It was enough that he trusted me and I did my best not to betray that trust.

My sweetest boy Boo will forever be tucked away in my heart reserved just for him. My soul dog.

I'm so glad he chose me.

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Afterward: It is the loss of Boo that led me to the doors of Somerset Regional Animal Shelter (SRAS) after he crossed the rainbow bridge on 11/11/2019. When Boo passed I was so heartbroken that I found myself looking for something to fill that emptiness. I knew Boo could never be replaced, but perhaps there was a dog that also needed love and we could help each other.

It had only been a few weeks since the loss of Boo. I’m not sure why – especially since my heart was still raw and my eyes still red, I decided to walk through the doors of SRAS just to ‘look’. I had adopted our cat, Piper from SRAS a couple years earlier and, seeing how well the animals were treated under their care, knew that when I was ready for another dog, I was going to go the rescue route.

Little did I realize that a transport from a SRAS’ coalition partner in Bowling Green, KY had just arrived that morning. There must have been at least 15 new dogs and puppies that filled the space of the shelter – purposefully organized and settled in crates and runs to make them feel as comfortable and secure as possible considering their long journey. Cuteness overload!

I took my time looking at each new arrival tugging at my heartstrings. Then I saw her. This sleeping beauty, resting peacefully on a mat, surrounded by mini stuffed animals and chew toys. Sassy said her name card; beagle mix, about 1 year old. I’d like to meet her. I want her. I’d like to make that happen. And so, with all family members in agreement, the boxes checked, paperwork turned in, the meet and greet completed, Sassy, now Abby, on 12/11/2019 came home.

Thinking back on the series of events, I’m certain it was Boo who nudged me that weekend to the little shelter with the big heart called SRAS.

If you’d like to help other pets on their journey to a better future, go to www.srasnj.org to donate (or to view our other wonderful pets!).

Click the following name links for more stories by the author:
Romeo
Gabbana

The Little Shelter with a Big Heart

Author -- Eve Campeau