Slippers discovered his inner happy mutt after he was adopted by Stacey and her family. What a difference love makes! Read their beautiful story.
We Love Slippy!
We were looking for a new dog, well, actually, a new family member. Our dog Scruff (also adopted mid-career) had passed away at 16 years old, and we were finally ready to commit again. We were looking for a running partner who would also be gentle with our 3-year old daughter, co-exist well with our two cats and come to work with me. Also must love car rides and hanging out at the barn while I take care of my horse. A big order.
We searched all the shelter and animal rescue websites, met dogs, but none of them seemed just right. Then I saw a photo of a very handsome Pointer mix on the Muttville website. He was sitting in a car and was wearing a tweed cap set at a jaunty angle. We had to meet him!
On June 2, 2013, my husband, daughter and I drove up to San Francisco to meet Billy, at the Maddie’s Adoption fair weekend. I was so nervous, I felt like I was on a first date. I think it was the prospect of actually meeting the right dog and knowing that I was going to commit my heart to a dog again. After Scruff, this was a big deal and one that I didn’t take lightly. We saw Billy coming down the sidewalk with a Muttville volunteer. I knew it was him. He was thin and kind of dingy looking, his head hung low and his eyes were sad, kind of vacant. But he was determined to trot along and be a part of the festivities. We took him for a walk and he was extremely gentle with our daughter. We adopted him that day and I promised him he would be safe forever. He had been picked up as a stray and a lot of kind people had helped him along the way to make it to Muttville. I knew Billy was not going to be a running partner, but that wasn’t important all of a sudden. I knew that he belonged with us.
Billy was quickly renamed Slippers by our daughter. She announced it after he came home with us and it kind of fit him. His other nicknames include Slip, Slippy, Pickles, Doggy, Boojie, and our daughter’s favorite, ‘Meat Nose’. He was fairly shut down when we arrived, but gradually he seemed to understand that he was staying and we were his family. He attached to me right away and hasn’t let go yet. He’s rarely more than a couple of feet away from me in the house and if I sit down, he does his best to lay on top of my feet. We have been helping him with his separation anxiety and he’s able to stay at home for a few hours successfully, so he’s doing quite well, thanks to his Kong and relaxing music. Luckily, he can come to work with me and we are together most of the time.
Another amazing thing about Slip is how gentle and tolerant he is with our daughter. She is 4 now and grew up with our other big dog, so has learned the ways of big dogs with wagging tails and how to pet gently. But she’s still a young kid which involves lots of running, shrieking and random chaos. Slip takes it all in stride, in fact, sees it as his job to monitor all of her playing out in the yard, helping out with bedtime routine, stretching out next to her to watch Sesame Street and supervising all meals to help with clean-up. He’s also teaching her how to walk a dog although she has not yet mastered picking up dog poop.
Slip participated in a race in Carmel (got a medal and a dog cookie!), walked on the beach for what seemed the first time ever (his toes were splayed and his legs stiff as if he thought he might fall through the sand) and has a regular gig as Massage Demo Dog for the BodyWork for Shelter Dogs class that I teach at the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter.
Slippy’s progress from thin, shut-down, confused dog to who he is today is remarkable. Dogs can be so incredibly resilient and forgiving. He had a tumor removed and a large pink skin tag taken off that was hanging from his belly (several passersby told me my dog had laid in gum…) We had a couple of bad teeth removed, which seemed to make him a lot more comfortable. He LOVES his massages and falls asleep within the first few minutes. After struggling for months with digestive issues, Slip is now recovered and glows with health. He dropped his dingy wiry coat and grew in a brilliant thick, soft white coat. He’s stronger, has muscle tone and loves to go on his daily walks. He wags his tail, especially around mealtimes and when he sits for food, his face lights up as if it’s the first time he has smiled.
He is almost totally silent. He will make a very quiet whining noise when he sees a dog or person who he wants to go greet, but otherwise seems to have no voice. He has only barked 3 times in almost a year since he’s been with us, and each time was at the UPS driver coming to the back door. His reaction was fierce with a huge big defensive bark. Apparently the FedEx guy is ok, but UPS is a threat.
He’s made me cry, or at least teary. His moments of realization or courage or trying something new, usually something that seems to come so naturally to dogs that live in homes, have really touched me. They are fleeting and might seem insignificant to an outsider, but they are huge to Slip and to us. The first time he grabbed his stuffed alligator and stiffly bounced around the living with it was a big deal. He was self-conscious and looked like he instinctively knew to do this, or maybe thought it was what I wanted, but wasn’t sure exactly how to do it. It was adorable. The first time he barked at the UPS guy was so out of character and so surprising to all of us, even the cats were staring at him with huge eyes. I was teary-eyed while I praised him and reassured him that we were safe. I was so proud of him.
Slip’s past is a mystery and he seems to shut down in busy, populated areas. Luckily we live in the mountains so most of his time is spent in quiet areas. Although he appears to show little emotion or excitement much of the time, he is extremely friendly and interested in meeting others when we are out and about. He is friends with every dog on our street, even has diffused the “drama queens” who want to make a big deal out of meeting each other. Dogs relax in his presence. He also loves meeting new people, especially if he sees a group of people gathered – he must go over to the group and stand among them. He’s very polite, as always, but he acts like it’s really important that he go over to say hi. Once they greet him, he’s happy to move on. Our two indoor cats own him. They steal his beds, make him wait in line at the water bowl and rub their bodies all over him, while he stands there waiting for them to finish. He’s such a sweet dog.
LIKES
Napping, especially with a body part touching mom
Snoring
Walks off leash
Friends Daisy, Keenu, Albus and Ruger
Wiping his mouth on the couch after eating
His Kong full of something yummy
Wearing his fleece jackets after his bath
SPECIAL SKILLS
Getting the last bit out of a stuff Kong
Eeyore imitations
Mopping the floor
Being adorable
Thanks to everyone who posted wonderful comments on our Facebook page.
4/16/14
Are you the proud parent of a Muttville dog? Send us your story! Include three of your favorite photos and send it to success_stories@muttville.org with the subject line 'Success Story'.
