I know it's not Thursday, but this is something I'm thankful for, so this is Thankful Thursday on a Friday!
One month ago today we were all celebrating Dre's release to his family. After 49 days of being retained, 25 of them in the small kennel at the Brighton Animal Shelter, Dre got to feel the welcoming love of ALL of his family. He got to smell the familiar scents of his home and his brother, Machomoto. He got to run in his backyard and play with his toys. He got to go home.
Today, I am thankful that the Judge on the case supported Dre's release and put him where he belongs, with his family. And while there are stipulations to his release that the family must follow, they have him in their arms and they won't be letting go!
Over the course of the trial I've become friends with Mary and Rick, Dre's parents, more Mary than Rick because girls nights out are always a necessity! Mary shared the following with me,
"Dre has been adjusting just fine to being back home; he has been enrolled in regular obedience training in which the trainer had to skip a few lessons because Dre was excelling so fast. We are also in the works of getting his Canine Good Citizen and possibly training him as a Doc Dog.
Macho and Dre have resumed there doggie brotherhood, playing and running in the back yard, chasing their Frisbee's and barking at the birds.
We cannot express how grateful and thankful we are to have had and continue to have as much as support as we do. To this day it still overwhelms me. I will never be able to understand how or why the City of Brighton tried to destroy a perfectly wonderful creature...Its something we may forgive but certainly will NEVER forget."
As you can see from all the pictures here, Dre is still the loving dog he has always been. He still drools (first picture). He gets to sleep with his human sisters (awwww). He hangs with his furry brother (yay!). My personal favorite is the picture of one of Mary's daughters covering him in beanie babies! On her Facebook page, Mary's quote to that picture is, "Apparently Dre has given birth to 500 beanie babies lol." LOL is right!
One thing I can tell everyone who followed this case, Mary and her family are as devoted to Dre as he is to them. This case tore their hearts apart and left them feeling so helpless. Each of you who supported the family and Dre made a big difference to them. I hear the sincerity in Mary's voice when she writes about how grateful and thankful they are. I see the steps she is taking to ensure Dre's safety and the way the family is complete again now. I'm honored to be able to call her my friend and I look forward to watching Dre be a happy dog for the rest of his life. Just as it should be.
So today, on Thankful Thursday (errr, Friday), I am thankful for every devoted, pet loving person out there. We can make a difference. This is proof!
Thanks to PepiSmartDog for hosting the Thankful Thursday blog hop!
