It started as a simple Christmas message…sent out to our tiny mailing list of supporters, with the idea of lifting up their hearts at the end of the year by sharing a story filled with hope. At the last moment, a few clicks added to the recipients list a couple of favorite websites in the dog loving community.
The thinking was, perhaps we can spread the word a little further, if this little story is read by even a few more animal advocates out there, it will hopefully serve to encourage them in their difficult but so important work. Bill Foundation is just a small grassroots rescue, but we believe we are part of a much larger movement, a very special community that is tackling the devastating problem of animal abandonment in this country the only way we can: dog by dog.
When we heard that Life With Dogs was going to share the story of Arnold and Dearheart, we were delighted. We were also totally unprepared for the incredible reaction that followed.
An avalanche of response: posts of support, thousands of links sharing the story, advice and questions, people from all over the world reached out to say that Arnold and Dearheart were in their thoughts.
What is is it that makes them so special? We think it is simply the magic of love. It’s a powerful thing, opening your heart to the possibilities. When nothing else would work for Arnold, when everything had been tried, Dearheart held the key to his heart. There’s a lesson for all of us in that. Canine or human, love is a universal miracle. A language we all understand and would like to believe in, after all.
For the volunteers at Bill Foundation it has been incredible validation to have this support from everyone.
Our work is difficult, often heartbreaking. The wins, no matter how small, are cherished. We were hit by a wave of requests from people to take their dogs after the story of Arnold and Dearheart broke, but we like to think that for every person that reached out to ask us to help them give up their dog, another person decided to do everything they could to keep theirs. And most important of all, people were choosing to do something better than simply leave their four legged family members behind, like Arnold’s people did to him.
The sad fact is, we can’t help most of these people, because we haven’t got the resources right now. And we can’t send Arnold and Dearheart across the country to a place where we aren’t able to do a home check and follow our normal placement procedures.
But we can still all join together in the rescue community for greater good.
If people want to support these two special boys they can contribute to the foster costs that we are committed to carrying while we continue the search for their perfect home. Fostering dogs runs us hundreds of dollars a month, per dog. We currently are housing nearly fifty dogs waiting for adoption, so our costs in supporting them is thousands a month, despite the fosters that donate their homes, and the cage free kennels that give us enormous rescue discounts.
And if we cannot afford the fosters, we cannot afford to rescue more dogs from the shelters, it’s that simple. So support for our fosters is crucial. Your donations will save lives.
In the meantime, we know that everyone is wondering how Arnold and Dearheart are doing. The answer is, they are just fabulous! They continue to wait for their forever home. They are blissfully unaware of the fuss surrounding them… well, Dearheart is a bit of a diva, he seems to be enjoying things a bit more than usual! 😉
Arnold continues to melt our hearts with his gentle demeanor, and his resiliency as he blossoms, regaining his dogginess and sense of self, each day taking steps away from the trauma that so badly shook his soul, faithfully following the petite paw prints of his very best friend, Dearheart into the sunshine.
We send our heartfelt thanks to Life with Dogs and all the other outlets that helped to spread the word about these two very special dogs. We hope that you will keep them in your thoughts, as a reminder that love comes in all shapes and sizes, sometimes when you least expect it.
