This is Jessie, my shadow.

Jessie is my inspiration for Eugene’s new dog Rex…”in a fashion”. They look nothing alike; one is big and one is small, one is female and one is male, one is real, one is a made-up character, but their stories are going to be similar.

We adopted Jessie about 9 weeks ago from the  local animal shelter here in North Vancouver. She had been abused and abandoned by her former owners. She was found , wandering the mountain side alone, afraid and terribly thin. The shelter believes she had been out there for two weeks! I cannot for the life of me figure out why someone would just abandon her – maybe give her up for adoption if she was more than they could handle…but abandon?

She is a loving, super-friendly dog (maybe a bit too much sometimes), she loves kisses and has tons of playful energy. She is good with the grandkids and any visitors to our home. She is quiet and well-behaved and oh so adorable.

But, she is also easily stressed and can be anxious when over stimulated. She has abandonment issues ( I would think that would be expected after being abandoned) and she needs lots of exercise. She also has a habit of following us everywhere…hence my “shadow” and more abandoment issues.

We are doing all that we can to ensure she has a healthy, happy home from here on in. She gets at least three walks a day, generally about three hours of out-door time. She has her own space where she can go to when she is stressed, and she gets to play ball everyday. Because of a tendency towards allergies she is now on a raw food diet and to this point has not been left alone. Yes she is work, yes she is a pain in the butt sometimes, yes she can get expensive, but these are all things we accepted when we brought her home.

If you are ever thinking about getting a dog or any pet for that matter, consider a rescue. Think of it like getting a slightly used pair of jeans or shoes from Goodwill; still in good shape but someone else has already broken them in and made them comfortable. A rescue animal can be similar: yes, you will undoubtedly get some baggage ( we all have baggage) but if you are lucky, you will also get someone else’s training, making them so much easier than a puppy! Giving an abused or abandoned animal a second chance at a good life can be very rewarding and the unconditional love you will get in return has no measure.

Jessie has a huge heart and she has given it unconditionally to us, we are doing the same in return.