Fur-Ever-After Tails

Once upon a time, there were two souls; one a human, the other a canine.

OK, I admit it. I am a dog lover. Why, you might ask? I don't know, I might answer. Maybe I was a dog in another life, I don't know. I just know that I LOVE dogs. As this tail starts, I found myself dogless. (The reason for that is an entire story in itself!)

For those of you who don't know, a dog LOVER being dogless is akin to a starving person. I was feeling desperate for a dog in my life. I was hungry for that nutrition that keeps me sane, centered, grounded, and allows me to live and grow.

The mechanics of setting up an animal rescue were basically done. The non-profit organization was in place, the location was established, the house was built, and I was preparing to move in. But, I needed a canine companion. Not just a dog, a companion.

I took the time to do my research. My companion would be with other animals, of all sorts. We would be living at, and responsible for, an animal rescue after all. Other animals, yes, but other humans, too. I would be by myself, at least at the beginning, so some protection would help. And BIG. A big dog was what I loved the most. Of course, I wanted my canine companion to come from a rescue.

Great - I had my requirements list. Now, find the kind of dog that would match that list. After much research, I had it narrowed down to 4 basic breeds. A combination of all 4 breeds would have been ideal. A true stretch, yes, but ideal. The next best thing, I knew clearly in my heart was one specific breed. I've known that since the first time I met one of these breeds. A Great Dane.

At this point in the fairy tail, we get to meet the handsome prince. That would make me the beautiful, and YOUNG, princess. Oooh, I like the sound of that!

The scene switches to a warm, sunny morning, on the sidewalk in front of a particular suburban home. Strolling on that sidewalk is a new mother, proudly pushing the pram that cradles her sleeping baby. It's an idyllic scene, for the moment, anyway. Then, our handsome prince happily bounds up to check out the pram.

Chaos follows. New mother sees handsome prince as a beast. New mother screams and tries to scare "beast" away from baby. "Beast" doesn't understand all of this. He's a handsome prince, after all. Owner of that particular suburban home comes running out and saves the day.

Turns out, the home owner had been watching our handsome prince roam the neighborhood for a week. She didn't know what he was eating, she suspected not much since he was quite thin. But, she saw a gentle dog, sweet-natured and just wanting to find someone to love. So she took him into her home. She didn't know what kind of dog he was, she just knew he was large and happy. After 3 days, she finally decided to call the local humane society. She wasn't really a dog person. Besides, he was eating so much!

So off our handsome prince goes to the shelter. He only stayed there for one day - luckily for him. The shelter called the local Great Dane rescue lady. The GD rescue lady knew of someone who wanted a GD.

Always in a fairy tail, the hero and heroine meet. So, I get to meet my handsome prince. Yes, that makes me the heroine. Don't you just love the sound of that?

Two weeks before, I had found the GD rescue lady. We talked for a while. She tried to disuade me. These are giant dogs, did I really understand that? Did I really know how much they ate, how expensive they were to care for, how much training they needed just because of their size, and on and on. She did her job well. Great Danes end up in rescues because humans think they want a big dog, but then discover they can't handle a big dog. She couldn't disuade me. I knew all about these giant dogs and I knew what I was getting myself in for. She finally agreed that I did know and I was prepared. In other words, I passed her test.

At that point, she had no dogs available for adoption, but she would keep my info and let me know when she heard of one.

The call came from her and I was ecstatic! A young male had been found, was I interested in meeting him? Absolutely. Of course. Yes. When? How about that afternoon? I dropped everything, cancelled all my plans, then counted the seconds until the appointed hour arrived.

When I rang the doorbell, I heard loads of comotion, lots of barking and several loud comments that went something like: Everybody back, let me get to the door, move out of the way. When she finally got the door opened, I was greeted by 6, yes, 6 Great Danes all jockeying to get my attention.

What a wonderful site that was. Great Danes of all colors and looks, several different sizes, all crowding around me. I did manage to push my way into the room (and no, I have no idea how). Amid all those giants was a tiny little dachsund! Wow! This dachsund, according to GD rescue lady, ruled the entire collection of Danes! That shows you how gentle these giants are, or how domineering the dachsund is.

Anyway, GD rescue lady moved her dogs outside and left me to meet my handsome prince. And what a handsome prince he was. He had no problem accepting my attention and happily gave me attention in return. We sat on the floor together. He quickly decided I was a pushover (he was right) and proceeded to climb into my lap. I loved it, although I wasn't quite sure how many broken bones I would have as a result.

So, off we went, my handsome prince and his lovely princess.

Usually in fairy tales, the couple get separated, the lovely, young princess is in peril, the prince must save her. Well, our "furry tails" don't have quite the same story lines. My prince and I did have to be separated. He needed to be neutered, so off he went to the vet.

I've been involved with animal rescue, been proudly owned by numerous dogs and cats in my life, been through the world of beloved pets going to the vet and staying overnight more times than I can count. You'd think I would be used to this. But, no, not me, not this time.

Nervous wreck is an understatement for what I was while my handsome prince was undergoing his surgery. I couldn't wait to see him again. I bugged the vet's office with phone calls. How's he doing? Did everything go alright with the surgery? Did he ask for me? Does he miss me? (Yes, I have been called a nut before.)

Just 24 hours after we were separated, we were reunited. The vet joked that he couldn't tell which of us was happier to see the other.

All joking aside, I learned alot about what my handsome prince's life was like before his rescue.

At this point, I was still living in my temporary apartment until I could move to the Center. That meant my handsome prince needed to be walked on a leash for his exercise and "business." Every time I picked up his leash, this great gentle dog cowered. He layed down on the floor, shaking and watching me with fear in his eyes.

Some idiot had tried to beat my handsome prince as a way to train him! It took a lot of patience and a lot of soothing to show him he would never be beaten again. He slowly learned the leash was a source of fun things. A chance to relieve himself, a walk around the neighborhood, a trip to the big open land that was soon to be his home.

When we finally made the move, he discovered the greatest delight. He could sleep wherever he wanted to! For those of you who don't know Great Danes, this is a huge delight. Great Danes are the orginal couch potato. They love nothing more than to have a cushy place to rest. And a dog this size requires alot of space! So my handsome prince rested on the couch and slept in my bed.

I do have a king-sized bed, but we did have to work out his side of the bed versus my side. Until we got that straight, I had many sleepless nights.

Of course, with every fairy tale, the prince and princess end up living happily ever after. This "furry tail" is no different.

Since I was not the lovely and young princess to start out with, nothing changed there, except I got older. My handsome prince aged, too, but he kept those handsome looks and added a few pounds. Typical for a couch potato.

We've lived together for the vast majority of this decade. We've seen many animals come and go at the BuckHawk, and we've shared everything. And I mean everything. He has been my canine companion for 10 years and will be until the end of his life. For he keeps me sane, centered, grounded, and allows me to live and grow.

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Once upon a time, there were two struggling single moms. One with a teenaged daughter, the other with 6 tiny babies...

They lived above me. I saw them often and knew they were looking for me. You see, I needed food while I was pregnant, and they had generously shared some of their own. But my labor started and I had to hide. I had to protect myself and the babies I was about to deliver. I couldn't respond to their calls.

I hoped they would wait for me. That other single mother and her teenaged daughter both sounded so sincere in their concern for me. They had to wait for me, please.

Time passed quickly for me. The babies were born safely - all six of them. Thanks to the other single mom and her daughter I had enough nutrition reserves to make it through the birth and early stages of my babies' lives. They grew well, nursing heartily. The other mom stopped calling for me, but I saw her often, sitting on her little porch sipping her coffee. I sent her mental waves to wait for me. I would be back soon.

We leave our brave mother with her six babies, and turn to our other struggling mom and her teenaged daughter.
"Mom, we haven't seen that fat little cat in several days. Do you think he's hurt?"
"Honey, I don't know. Maybe, someone else is feeding him, too. We'll see if he comes back."

Mom pours herself one more cup of coffee and settles down at the kitchen table. She gazes out the window to a dreary cold day. Was that cat alright, she wondered. He had been a daily fixture in their lives for several weeks, meowing at the front porch when he came for his meals.

They didn't have much money for food, but they had enough to share with this cat. Mom remembered the skinny little grey cat that first arrived. She felt good they had been able to provide enough food to fatten him up. But, wait...was he too fat now? Had he gotten stuck somewhere because of his extra weight? Her worry would have to wait. Her daughter had to get to school, she to work.

The weather was warming up, I was relieved to feel. The cold, rainy days had been hard on me. I had to keep my little ones warm and dry. And I was getting hungry. I knew I had stayed away from the other mom and her daughter for a long time. Would they remember me? Would they still share their food with me?

With my little ones all feed, they had bunched together and fallen asleep. Out my window, I saw the sky lightening. Daylight was arriving. Soon I would hear the very familiar sounds of the other mom and her daughter awakening and preparing for their day. Would the mom sit on her porch this morning? I decided I had to try. I had to leave my little darlings and take care of myself.

I moved slowly - as long as the little ones stayed asleep, they would be safe while I was gone. Making my way quietly from our home, I ventured on to the porch. The other mom wasn't around. I tried my usual call, the one that always brought one or both of them. No response. It took three tries, but then I heard it. The sound of the door opening and there stood the other mom.

She was excited to see me. Whew, she hadn't forgotten about me. She hurried into her house and reappeared with a dish of food. OK, I admit it. I was not the least bit polite as I gulped down the food. Not my proudest moment. I'm a cat afterall, not a pig.

The other mom cooed over me, the sounds of worry over how much weight I'd lost were clear. Through a mouthful of food, I tried to tell her - You have no idea! I don't think she understood.

We switch scenes, again. This does happen in fairy tales, so we have to have it happen with our furry tails.

Picture a warm, sunny morning. The air smells wonderful with the new blossoms of spring. Every thing seems right with the world for our mom and her teenaged daughter. On the little porch, our mom sits quietly, sipping her coffee and enjoying the peaceful moments of this idyllic scene. Little did she know, her life was about to be forever changed.

From around the side of the building came the gentle mewwing sounds she knew so well. The cat was back for his breakfast. She gladly gave up her peace and quiet to prepare his food. Not so much this time, it's not good to have him get so fat again. She set the dish on the ground by the door and resumed her porch seat.

He wallked past his food dish and right up to her. There he gently rubbed the length of his body against her legs and ankles. When that ritual was complete, he sat next her feet, curled his long tail gracefully around himself and mewwed a sound quite unfamiliar to her.

The other mom didn't quite understand what this was all about, but she sensed the need to sit very still. What she saw next was nothing short of a miracle.

As I sat quietly next to the other mom, I sent her strong signals to stay very still. Then I called to them, encouraging them to come meet her.

"Come meet the lady that has provided for me for so long. Come meet the lady I told you about, the one who is safe and loving. You'll love her, too." I told them.

Slowly, they poked their heads from their hiding places. The other mom didn't say anything, but I felt her surprise. I knew she thought of me as a male. I hoped this wouldn't cause her too big a shock. I had no idea how to call 911.

She remained still and watched as each of my little ones stepped forward. Of course, my strongest son was first. He was first with everything. Did I let him get too much of my milk? Well, he led the way and the others followed. They all lined up in front of her, just like I told them. Sometimes children can make you proud. (Not always, just sometimes.)

They each took their turn, sniffed her shoes, rubbed against her legs. The later ones seemed to get rather brave, climbing on her shoes and looking right into her eyes.

This didn't worry me for I knew this lady. I knew her heart. My little ones were safe with her, as was I.

When they had all taken their turn and met her, I called them to follow me. It was time to go home. As we all disappeared around the corner, I took one last look at her. Her smile was huge. Her eyes were grateful. To her, she had just witnessed a miracle. To me, she had just witnessed what I intended. My two worlds had come together.

Our story takes a slight turn for the worse at this point. A well-meaning rescuer collected up our momma cat and all of her kittens, then took them to a local cat shelter. Our momma was spayed. Our other mother and her teenaged daughter discovered what had happened and where the cats were taken.

They made the arrangements and adopted our momma cat and one of her babies.

Many, many years would pass with many, many happy times together. Our momma cat would claim the other mom saved her, but our other mom claimed it was the other way around. They saw each other through the toughest times, and they shared the joy of the happiest times. They got used to new situations, new jobs, new homes, new friends, even several grandchildren for the human mom. And all the while they stay committed to each other, loving each other.

After a long and loving life together our momma cat came to the end of her life. But she looks down from the heavens, watching over the other mother and her daughter along with the tiny kitten who grew into a beautiful and loving cat herself. And our momma cat smiles.