♡The Animal Pad: Rescued Shelter Dogs♡: Lonely Lori

There's a sense of calm in my home now...and I don't like it!

Today four of my babies left on transport to begin their journey 'home'. It's always an emotionally draining experience for me. I love all of my rescues, I consider them my dogs. I always want to keep them, but for each dog I keep, it's one less dog I can save. It's bittersweet. Each dog has an impact on my life, and every single one of them remind me why I do this and why I love this. In the trying times I'm at the shelter, and my heart is breaking because I have to "pick" who gets to live, and even in the times people forget how damaging words spoke in anger can truly be (those things I plan to discuss further once I've actually slept).

Florence hit me the hardest. She's had such a terrible life, probably never knowing anything but cruelty....torture. Yet she's so trusting, she has no fear of dogs or humans, she's just full of love and life. I'd wondered if the most recent head injury she had worked in her favor, possibly giving her amnesia which would explain why she was so outgoing. Many of my rescues would duck or cower when you go to pet them, but not her. She was so trusting it's like she had no reflexes or something. When I think I'm having a 'bad day', or find myself putting up walls because I don't want to risk being hurt by someone, I will remember her and think twice about my actions/reactions. Maybe it wasn't amnesia, maybe she just knew that I came to save her, and the others in her life thereafter also meant well for her.

As usual, I'm rambling. I have a tendency to do that when I'm tired. Since I haven't slept at all, it's not pretty!

OK...I'll shut up now and get to the fun stuff. Pictures of Christie and I (and a special appearance by my #1 helper who happens to be my wonderful son, Gaige).

Before I post them, I want to say THANK YOU to everyone who helped make these rescues possible. If I weren't typing this with one arm and one eye open, I'd list off all of your names. I'll get pictures of the other dogs uploaded after I've had some sleep. Christie needed pictures of her HAPPY posted, no-one has seen that gorgeous smile of hers. So I had to post those now. I'm uploading a whole lot of pictures, and not checking them first to see if I look like shit or not. I'm too tired to edit anything anyway.

Christie & Lori Saying Goodbye Before Transport, 3/20/12

HI MOM!!