My Rescue Dog
by Anna R. (doglady)

I’ve seen a lot of people have rescue dogs on this site, and so do I. My dog Jake followed me and my mom home one day 12 years ago. We were on a walk and he came bounding out of some woods. He followed us along on our walk and all the way back home. His hair was awfully matted and he had ticks and burs, but we cleaned him up (it took a while!) and took him to our vet. The vet said he was about a year, and now he’s almost 13 and we still have him!

We think he must have been abused, because he always flinches if you come near him with something in your hand, even a spoon and especially something like a tennis racket. When we first got him, he used to run in circles chasing his tail and barking and growling at it. That sounds funny, but it was really pretty pitiful. For a long time, we thought he couldn’t bark, but it turned out he had just lost his voice for a while. Also, he used to wander off on his own a lot, but he always came back in a short time. I guess it’s hard to get used to staying in one place if you’ve been wandering around a lot.

He’s a pretty dog, a mixed breed, and he’s very peaceful and quiet, except when motorcycles or the UPS truck drive by. We’re so glad he decided to stay with us!