It's really neat to me how you just never know when the simple things in life will take on a much larger meaning. You know the times I'm talking about, those random acts of kindness you witness, those miracles that you hear about, all the things that you experience that reawaken something great or kindle your spirit. I had one of these events happen to me last week and in the form of a very unexpected package.
I have been looking for a small dog since before Christmas. The girls and I frequent the beach, parks and go on lots of little walks together. I wanted so bad to have a little companion to take with us on our adventures. Every day I have searched for a dog, every animal shelter, humane society, and rescue within driving distance and even Craig's List. I filled out application after application, made so many inquiries but every time I got excited I would either be denied or find the dog wasn't kid friendly. I was starting to give up and then came Polly.
I found Polly on petfinder.com and thought she was cute so I filled out an application even though her rescue was in Castro Valley. The application clearly said they only adopt out locally (which we weren't) and not typically to families with small kids (which we obviously have). I filled out an application, hoped for the best but expected the worst. The next day the rescue contacted me and we made arrangements to meet at a pet food store in Castro Valley. Morgan has been anti- dog so I enlisted my best friend Emily to make the long drive to see Polly.
Now, it's important to note that I am one of the most directionally challenged people you will ever meet. Considering Emily was with me and we managed to get lost 2 times, I'm going to say she's probably a little challenged in this way too. We finally managed to make it to the pet store, a mere 15 minutes late. We walked in and were immediately greeted by this lady and this little, ragged, ugly dog. It took a minute for it to register that this little, ugly, ragged dog was Polly. If there were any way that I could have pretended not to be me, to pretend I wasn't there to see a dog, I probably would have and would have calmly and quietly backed out the door, got into my car and drove straight back. But, alas that wasn't a possibility so I was stuck, now I realize I was anything but.
Polly was a little shy a first but she was so sweet and gentle with the girls. Piper is typically scared of dogs but she loved Polly. It didn't take much for me to see that this little dog had already won the hearts of the girls and so I began to let her win over mine as well. According to the rescue Polly had been surrendered to the Oakland shelter last June due to her owners having to many animals. Not sure if this means "hoarder"? She sat there until the middle of August when the rescue felt sorry for her and took her. A lady in Santa Cruz wanted to adopt her from the rescue but the adoption only lasted 6 hours. She couldnt handle her shyness. Her loss our gain!
I cant believe how absolutely perfect this dog is for us. She loves the girls and the girls love her. She could care less about the cats, she has no interest in people food, cat food or what lurks in the litter box. She only needs to go to the bathroom twice a day and is just as happy out running around as she is laying in your lap. She's perfect. Here's where the life lesson comes in- if I would have simply judged Polly based on her appearance she never would have had a chance. Myself and more importantly my girls would have missed out on the companionship of a great dog just based on her looks. This is a pretty important lesson. We should all try to remember not to judge a book by its cover, or a person by their appearance. It's also important to note that we should try to encourage and help each other. Each person you come in contact with on a daily basis is carrying around their own "Oakland Shelter" perhaps the way you treat them could make their day a little brighter and their life a little nicer. Bottom line, we should all look out to each other, encourage each other and accept each other. By doing so you might just find your own "Polly" right under your nose.
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