Paws with a Cause: Tank's Story

I'm posting early today to tell you about a special guest post over at book reviewer, Jackie Burris's blog. I met Jackie several years ago on Goodreads when I noticed her profile picture of a precious chihuahua. I immediately sent a 'friend request' because honestly, you just can't say no to a cute chihuahua. We've remained friends since and even met once when we were both in the same town for a visit.

So when Jackie put a call out for pet stories, I knew I had a million of them. Rather than recount Tank's rescue story, I told what happened after he had settled in and how he became the most revered member of our family. Story here. Bring a tissue. I think you'll need it.

Tank almost didn't get adopted by us. I was still grieving for Isis, who had been gone a couple of years, and I felt I wasn't ready to add to the family. But Greg had been scanning the rescue sites regularly and had chosen Brutus. He was a big older rottweiler. Since we'd had experience with big dogs, he felt we could offer the best home. 

The rescue site agreed...but then came a strange heavenly intervention. Somehow, a mistake was made on Brutus's application papers and he had already been adopted by someone else. 

Greg was devastated because he'd had his heart set on getting Brutus. The lady at the rescue site apologized profusely and offered another dog, a long, lanky boy called Tank. But she had to warn us. Tank was an escape artist. They would have to examine our fence to make sure he couldn't get out.

We agreed and the lady brought him out to us. When he got out of the van, the whole vehicle lifted up. LOL! The first thing out of Greg's mouth was: "Oh, I see you've brought your horse."

Tank was young and hadn't yet filled out to his adult weight, but he was BIG. Greg fell in love immediately, but I was reluctant until Chelly, my best buddy, sniffed him and wagged her tail. She liked him--a lot. And that was good enough for me.

He settled in beautifully. He and I had only one altercation when he scarfed down a pan of freshly cooked liver off the stove. I'd never had a dog so tall he could counter-surf. But once corrected, Tank never makes the same mistake twice.

In the beginning he was Greg's dog, but then came the night that changed things between me and Tank forever. This is that story. I hope you'll stop by and share your experiences.

Note: That escape artist tag was a misnomer. Tank didn't actually climb the six foot fence to escape. He had noticed a big comfy couch in the breezeway on his way to the dog run. He felt that was a much cozier bed than concrete. 

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Paws with a Cause is a site I've donated to regularly. Jackie will have more information on her blog on how you can too. With so many pets abandoned or mistreated, it's definitely a worthy cause.

Can you see the passage of time on your pets?

Young Tank

Tank 2012