Happy gotcha day!

Today is a special day! Today marks six years since Jessica, one of the founding members of Three Redheads and a Moose, joined my family. And it only seems fair and appropriate to tell a little of her story on the day I use to celebrate her "birthday".

In 2014 I was living in a basement in Indiana, working days, alone at nights with no internet and an insane upstairs neighbor. I begged and pleaded with my SO of the time for a dog to help me deal with the extreme anxiety and loneliness that I was experiencing. We shopped around at the local humane society and only looked at dogs that met his standards and ideals. The first dog we both agreed may be a good fit fell through, so we moved on. At the second shelter every dog I was interested in was shot down over and over, and as we walked up and down the kennels I was feeling more and more bitter. Jessica had her kennel painted in foam from her slobber, and blood from her nails and paw pads rubbed raw. She was nearly skin and bones, despite having nipples that showed the proof of a recent litter, and had a wild look in her eyes. At first thought you probably think oh this poor dog. But you see, Jessica was actually borderline insane. She hated kennel life and because of this would spend ever waking hour running laps and jumping the walls of her kennel and barking until she had no voice. She had a fresh amputation from a happy tail injury she had never let heal, and no amount of food kept weight on her with her antics. She was passed by over and over again because her energy and barking was truly frightening. Jess had been picked up off of the streets of Indianapolis, unchipped. She was never claimed after a stray hold, and her puppies were not found.

Of course this was the dog we brought home. And from the start, Jessica and I did not get along. She would puke all over my lap and seat if I drove her anywhere. She would bolt out of doors, drag me when on a leash, and jumped on people with so much excitement she would knock them down. I could not train her to save my life, she would run from me, ignore me, and instantly shut down. I took her with me to work and watched her harass other dogs because she had zero social manners, and never. stop. running. This dog, I thought, was going to be the end of me. One day, Jessica ran away from me for over three hours in the dead middle of winter and I was enraged. But as the hours ticked by, I realized I missed her so much. I was trying so hard for us to be a team. But what I didnt know, was that Jessica needed me to fix myself before I could fix her.

Fast forward a year. I quit the job that was draining my entire life from me, I made the decision to move back to Kentucky and eventually to leave my at the time husband.... and with each negativity I shed, Jessica flourished......

Jessica has taught me more in our time together than I ever imagined a dog could. She has taught me the importance of letting go, of knowing when to leave a negative situation, how to focus on the kind of energy I am putting out. Shes so fun now, and I can take her anywhere and know she will be a star. She snuggles me, raises kittens, fostered puppies, and is the safest dog in the entire world. She never runs away and her off leash manners are nearly stellar. Some days, as she hops up in bed and snuggles up to be the little spoon, I am blown away that I ever almost gave up on this dog.

So to end my sappy post, here is a VERY small collection of some of my favorite photos of Jessica over the years.