How a discarded shelter dog took my heart by storm
Mar 12, 2022
Photography by Michael Puck
We already had two dogs, a Cairn Terrier with a personality larger than life and a sweet, happy-go-lucky 80lbs Black Lab/Husky mix. Still, I figured we would spend whatever time and energy needed to integrate the new furry family member. Going back was not an option.
Instead of the large, older black dog that I anticipated, the shelter manager returned from the kennels with a hyper 6-month-old English Fox Hound that had spent almost his entire life in the shelter. His name was Zack, he was white and tan with white eyelashes, but nobody wanted him. We never learned anything about his back story, but we quickly realized that he was deadly afraid of big black trash bags, garbage trucks, and basement staircases. We could only assume that the few weeks before ending up in the shelter must have been traumatic.
Despite his past experiences and the extended stay at the shelter, Zack has an endearing personality and took our hearts by storm. When we let him run in the backyard for the first time, he was overwhelmed and excited. A few minutes into his new life, he started running and jumping with joy, releasing all the pent-up energy until his long pink tongue was hanging sideways out of his mouth, showing his pearly-white teeth and the biggest smile.
Zack is turning eight this year and is now the alpha dog in our four-animal household. He has turned into the biggest snuggler and somehow convinced us that it is an excellent idea for him to sleep in bed with us every night. He is also an incredible watchdog who can smell the arrival of brown delivery trucks from about 2 miles away.
Our serendipitous shelter adoption has turned into one of the most rewarding and joyful experiences because we were committed to making it work no matter what, and there were plenty of challenges, which I omitted in this summary. Do you have a heart dog in your life?