On a day of the year known to all Americans, that will always be remembered and will always be sorrowful was the day my dog came home. On September 11th of 2023, my mom rushed to the adoption center where our first dog waited. Unintentionally, this same day was the beginning of my new job and the Leominster floods.
It all began with a little small dog that was recommended to our family by the employees at the center. As soon as the little guy walked into the room, we knew he wasn’t the one. A few seconds later, we definitely knew this dog was not for us. The dog lunged at my mom and drew blood from her hand, which ended up in an accident report and a few bandages.
A few moments later, my mom saw the dog that would later enter our home. We were told this dog had “behavioral issues” and would not be a good candidate for a beginner dog. She persisted and met with the dog in a room. Immediately, this cute, golden, underweight puppy ran up to her and rubbed against her leg.
“Behavioral issues” turned out not so bad. Sweet and shy, this dog clung to my mom and she knew then that we were going to take her home. The chaos didn’t end with the bandages it carried on into the drive home.
An hour and a half drive awaited my mother and our new founded dog if only it went smoothly. Laid out in the trunk were blankets and toys for this golden puppy to relax with for the long drive home. The relaxing was cut short when the keys were left in the locked car and the dog was stuck in the trunk.
My mom rushed back into the center, asking for help. Then the firetruck appeared by her car. After about 90 minutes locked in the car, the doors finally opened, and our golden girl was shaking. In all the chaos, we forgot to get the free pet insurance for the first 30 days, and let’s just say that was a big mistake…
The long drive home was extended even longer due to the rushing Leominster floods. This drive stretched to four hours of honking, waiting, and hoping our dog would make it. By the time our puppy reached the house for the first time, the back seats were covered in throw-up and other waste. From this experience, our dog shakes, shivers, and throws up whenever we take a ride.
After a day of school and work, I waited on my living room floor for my puppy to arrive. They didn’t enter the house until it was dark, and at the time, my father was stuck in the same Leominster traffic. As soon as I heard the garage door open, I lept from the ground and raced to the outside.
There she was, my dog, the one I saved for and the one I spent hours convincing my dad to get. A dream I’ve wished upon for years was finally coming true. The journey was rough, but it was far from over.
After an hour of playing and adjusting our dog to the new house, I set up a bed in the dining room where her crate lay. I wasn’t going to leave her alone quite yet. I got up every few hours to take her outside throughout the night, and at around 11 PM, my father arrived home.
Exhausted and burnt out, he made his greetings but went off to bed, so there we were – me and her. I knew that this was only the first night, but I could not shake this extreme feeling of excitement. I had to go to school and work the next day but could not wait to be home again.
A few days later, everything was running smoothly. We discussed her name over dinner, probably going through hundreds of candidates until we found one that felt right- Gracie. Unfortunately, we began noticing small differences in how Gracie acted.
She was tired, not eating, would no longer chase the cats, and barely left the couch. We didn’t know what was wrong; all we knew was that she needed to eat something. I sat there on the floor with her, feeding her little bits of food ranging from plain boiled chicken and white rice, her dog food, and even some fruits. She was already underweight when we received her and knew she could not afford to stop eating.
We took her to the vet in the upcoming days and was given antibiotics for her to take, which would last about a month. It was a whole other process to get Gracie to eat those. We were then told she needed to spend an overnight at an animal hospital. There aren’t any super close to us, so it was another long drive.
We paid for Gracie’s overnight and drove the next day to pick her up. Finally, life had come back to her face, and I could see her spark again. We were on a strict routine of little outside time besides bathroom breaks and continuously trying to get her to drink water any way we could. Eventually, she gained some weight and was back to endlessly chasing our cats around the house.
I slowly moved my bed further away from her crate until I slept in another room. It was a difficult change at first, with her constant barks keeping the house awake, but eventually, we got to where we are now. Yes, Gracie is still a whiny diva, but she is active and healthy now. Even though our story was a rough one, I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
