Just over a year ago, one of the directors at WCHS (Whitman County Humane Society) asked if I might write and submit a short personal story (300 words) about a rescue animal for a national contest. Winners would get a significant contribution of pet food and toys to their designated home shelter. I’ve got a number of those stories in my head and chose to write one about Teva. It got 3rd place or something and garnered several thousand dollars in good stuff to the shelter.

Thought I’d share my story as Leslie and I face the future without her - even as we remember our deep gratitude for having had her in our lives.

*********** How I Met Teva

I'll never forget the first time I saw her. I was driving through our little college town and there she was - a blue Heeler (Australian Cattledog) wearing a fluorescent “ADOPT ME” vest. She was being walked by a shelter volunteer. I swerved in behind them, jumped out, and shouted, “OK!”. The volunteer was confused. “OK, what?” “OK, I will adopt her!”

I was just coming out of the darkest 2 years of my adult life. My marriage had ended. I'd moved to a small apartment (“no pets allowed”). It was all the right thing to do, but heart-breaking. It was also the first time since graduating vet school (25 years) that I was dog-less. That felt like another giant gaping hole in my life at a time when a dog would have made such a difference.

The shelter had named her Hannah. She and her sister had lived feral outside a small farming community for 2 years before they were captured. The shelter folks originally tried to adopt them out as a pair, but now it was just Hannah. We had a few arranged “doggy dates.” I submitted an application and was interviewed. By then, I was smitten. Coming home, it was rough for a while. 2 e-readers were destroyed on one day when I left her alone. But she got better and better, loved me as much as I loved her, and began to fill that hole in my heart.

We changed her name to Teva, a name that gave her a fresh start and reminded me of floating rivers. We hiked hundreds of miles. We crossed the country twice, once to Boston for the 8 weeks of my cancer treatment. Teva is 16-years-old now and can’t do the long hikes anymore. The clock is ticking, but she’s healthy and happy. Rescue Dog? Yep. We rescued each other. And not a Heeler, but a HEALER.