Compassion Without Borders Blog
Lessons From My Scruffy Faced Savior
On June 11th of this year, I said goodbye to Manolito, the love of my life. Manny was rescued from the Refugio Franciscano in Mexico City - one of the world's largest shelters with over 2,000 animals. He had been left hogtied on the side of the road and was ultimately brought to the shelter.
Manolito was reportedly very withdrawn when he first entered the shelter, having been extremely traumatized by being tied up and abandoned. He remained in the shelter for the next several years surviving amongst the crowd.
When I first began rescuing dogs from the Refugio, back in 2002, I didn’t even notice Manolito. With hundreds upon hundreds of homeless canines surrounding you all at once, it is easy to overlook some – especially those that are more mild mannered, as Manny was.
We began snapping photos of little, adoptable dogs we felt would be good for the rescue to share with our partner organizations back in California. We must have taken 200 pictures at that time. When I sat down to start sorting through them, I started to notice a big, scruffy white dog in the corner of practically every one. Who was that dog? I hadn’t ever noticed him…what was he doing in each photo?
At the Refugio, approximately half of the dogs run loose and are free to wander where they please on the property. I had been volunteering daily for about a year at this time and had a solid crew of about 50 dogs or so who followed me faithfully throughout my daily routine. I had thought I knew each one personally. Apparently, my most loyal follower had yet to introduce himself.
The next time I entered the Refugio I scanned the dogs to look for my secret admirer. Sure enough, within 10 minutes he showed up and just quietly set his sights on me and began to follow my every movement. He never once pushed his way to the front, or jumped on me or demanded my attention. He just followed. And watched. And carefully maneuvered his way through the dogs to maintain his constant close proximity.
From the very first instant I set eyes on him, I was in love. I decided then and there that he would be in the very first batch of rescue dogs to go to California to be adopted out.
Manny turned out to be one of the sweetest, most gentle, genuine souls I have ever met. He never did make it to our official rescue…because I simply could not give him up. And he lived by my side for the next 10 years, fueling my passion to help animals and providing me with unconditional love and support whenever I needed it most.
While Manny is now gone, the love I have for him remains vibrant and alive and continues to give me strength. The lessons this dog taught me -- love, patience, strength, resilience and kindness, are present in my every action and serve as the undercurrent that enables me to dedicate myself so fully to the work we do.
So, as the year comes to the end and I find myself filled with pride and gratitude for the amazing amount of work for the animals CWOB has accomplished over the past 12 months- I send a special thank you to Manolito, the inspiration behind it all.
Happy Holidays Manny, my love, I miss you more than words can tell
Recent Posts
- The Ripple Effect
- Insanity versus Passion: How many ways can you rescue a dog?
- Cursing the Darkness
- Lessons From My Scruffy Faced Savior
- When the Impossible is Your Only Possibility
- Sometimes Hope Ain’t easy
- Up, down and sideways
- Inmates and Tarantulas…all in a day’s work!
- Behind the camera at Celebrate Your Pet
- The Circle of Compassion Widens
Archive
Compassion Without Borders Blog
Lessons From My Scruffy Faced Savior
On June 11th of this year, I said goodbye to Manolito, the love of my life. Manny was rescued from the Refugio Franciscano in Mexico City - one of the world's largest shelters with over 2,000 animals. He had been left hogtied on the side of the road and was ultimately brought to the shelter.
Manolito was reportedly very withdrawn when he first entered the shelter, having been extremely traumatized by being tied up and abandoned. He remained in the shelter for the next several years surviving amongst the crowd.
When I first began rescuing dogs from the Refugio, back in 2002, I didn’t even notice Manolito. With hundreds upon hundreds of homeless canines surrounding you all at once, it is easy to overlook some – especially those that are more mild mannered, as Manny was.
We began snapping photos of little, adoptable dogs we felt would be good for the rescue to share with our partner organizations back in California. We must have taken 200 pictures at that time. When I sat down to start sorting through them, I started to notice a big, scruffy white dog in the corner of practically every one. Who was that dog? I hadn’t ever noticed him…what was he doing in each photo?
At the Refugio, approximately half of the dogs run loose and are free to wander where they please on the property. I had been volunteering daily for about a year at this time and had a solid crew of about 50 dogs or so who followed me faithfully throughout my daily routine. I had thought I knew each one personally. Apparently, my most loyal follower had yet to introduce himself.
The next time I entered the Refugio I scanned the dogs to look for my secret admirer. Sure enough, within 10 minutes he showed up and just quietly set his sights on me and began to follow my every movement. He never once pushed his way to the front, or jumped on me or demanded my attention. He just followed. And watched. And carefully maneuvered his way through the dogs to maintain his constant close proximity.
From the very first instant I set eyes on him, I was in love. I decided then and there that he would be in the very first batch of rescue dogs to go to California to be adopted out.
Manny turned out to be one of the sweetest, most gentle, genuine souls I have ever met. He never did make it to our official rescue…because I simply could not give him up. And he lived by my side for the next 10 years, fueling my passion to help animals and providing me with unconditional love and support whenever I needed it most.
While Manny is now gone, the love I have for him remains vibrant and alive and continues to give me strength. The lessons this dog taught me -- love, patience, strength, resilience and kindness, are present in my every action and serve as the undercurrent that enables me to dedicate myself so fully to the work we do.
So, as the year comes to the end and I find myself filled with pride and gratitude for the amazing amount of work for the animals CWOB has accomplished over the past 12 months- I send a special thank you to Manolito, the inspiration behind it all.
Happy Holidays Manny, my love, I miss you more than words can tell
Recent Posts
- The Ripple Effect
- Insanity versus Passion: How many ways can you rescue a dog?
- Cursing the Darkness
- Lessons From My Scruffy Faced Savior
- When the Impossible is Your Only Possibility
- Sometimes Hope Ain’t easy
- Up, down and sideways
- Inmates and Tarantulas…all in a day’s work!
- Behind the camera at Celebrate Your Pet
- The Circle of Compassion Widens
Archive
