Sailor

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SAILOR The Diamond in the Ruff

Rounding the corner of the L.A. Animal Shelter, at the end of a line of husky/lab/shepherd mixes I said, "Now, there is a dog you could call Spot.", in response to the abundant ticking sprinkled upon the dog in the next cage. Not to be lead by the obvious, the dog that could potentially have been called "Spot", "Freckles", or "Speckles" was named Sailor. He came home the next day.

Sailor's exuberance for all things in life made for some behaviours that needed to be modified. He was so desperate to please that with positive clicker training his manners improved at a great rate. Sailor came to live in a small home that started to do dog rescue. Bringing in mostly dachshunds but also other pups in need. Most of these dogs had special needs. Paralysed, broken bones, ill, blind. Where Sailor's tendency to bowl people over in his desperate need to be with them and love them often left him a little too rough he was the exact opposite with these special needs dogs. He displayed a gentle touch that shocked us all. He was the Mother Hen. He nurtured, cleaned, licked, and guided these new additions to the home. He would lay on the floor and let the paralysed dachshunds try to crawl over him, so they could play. He licked at old wounds and incisions. He stood between the walls and the new blind dog (though she would walk under him and still bump into the wall). He exhibited a constant caring and need to watch over these little dogs. He is their Guardian Angel.

He is also a Hero for one of my dachshunds. Early one morning just before dawn, the usually silent Sailor started hammering into the furniture and slamming against the walls. I came downstairs to see what Sailor's problem was and he simply stood at the bottom of the stairs intensely staring at me. Unsettled I went down to make sure everything was all right. I found one of my dachshunds had burrowed his way into a situation in which he was suffocating. He was no longer breathing. A couple of minutes more and he would have died. Sailor saved his life.

Sailor has a soul that is so wonderful, and so full of love that words just are not adequate. He is a guardian angel, hero, and my blessing. I am told quite often "I would love to have a dog like Sailor". I respond "You too, could have a Sailor". Go to your local shelter or rescue. There you will find dozens of diamonds in the 'rough'. Sailor teaches everyone he meets the truest meaning of love, loyalty, generosity, and joy. He has also changed the views of people that used to think that a dog from s shelter was a 'problem dog'. Any dog you get from anywhere, needs positive guidance to learn how to fit in. Humans don’t come into this world knowing everything, we all need a little patience to be shown the way.

So remember, "you too can have a Sailor" or through a donation help another Sailor be given a chance to find his way home and be a blessing. !

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