BOSTON TERRIER NETWORK: Every once in a while we are told on the news how a dog was saved by the owner, only to have the dog save the owner. We are amazed at the strange consequence this appears to be. This story is from someone who experienced this first hand.

 So begins my story of how I saved a little Boston Terrier only to have her save me the following year...
For several months, I had been having a re-occurring nightmare, and in this dream I could see this Boston Terrier cringing in fear as someone was striking it and hitting it in the face.

I've been told many times in my lifetime, that God brings certain people into your life for a purpose. I also know that in Hebrews 13:2 it says,"Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unaware."   Well I guess angels can appear in all sorts of forms and ways, and my particular angel happened to have four legs and to be a Boston Terrier.

This dream was so real and vivid, I would wake up, go to our front room and not be able to go back to sleep. The dog in my dream had unusual markings and a half white face. Now my first Boston Terrier, Cooter, had a half white face and I thought that I was remembering her, as she had passed some 6 years earlier.

I would eventually go back to sleep but a few nights later, the dream would return. In my dream, the dog was terrified of whomever was beating it and I always felt helpless and unable to help this dog.

It was in late March 2013, I was sitting at home late one evening, watching television, as my husband Jim had already turned in for the evening. My cell phone rang and I recognized the number of a good friend, Lorelei, who is probably as crazy about Boston Terriers as I am.

Our conversation began with her telling me that she had been contacted earlier that day regarding a stray Boston Terrier that had been found East of our town and that she was now sitting there looking at the dog at her house. She told me right away that the dog was in pretty bad shape. She was malnourished, dirty, had hookworms, tapeworms, whip worms and Giardia. She had not been tested for heartworms yet, but possibly had that as well.

Our local vet had checked her out and he said that if left in her current environment she would not have lived another week. She was well on her way to crossing the Rainbow Bridge.

My friend wanted to know if I would help her with this dog and her vet bills, as it was probably going to get pretty expensive before she would be back to good health. I agreed to help and asked her to send me a photo of this dog.

A few minutes later, my cell phone buzzed, showing I had a message from this lady and when I opened the message, there was a photo of a starved Boston Terrier that you could count every rib. She looked like her head was too big for her little body. In her eyes you could see the fear and pain. This dog had given up and her spirit was broken. I immediately called my friend back and told her, "Yes, let's do whatever it takes to save this girl."

I didn't hear anything for a couple of days, and then one afternoon, my phone rang and it was Lorelei.

She started off the conversation telling me that the dog was doing better, but she had to watch her close, as she would eat and eat. Seems like you could not fill her up. She stated that this dog was sweet but had showed aggression towards Lorelie's own Boston Terrier, Max, and she could not let them play together because she was afraid she would hurt Max. Max tended to be a bit aggressive also, so she knew if given a chance, they would fight each other.

She went on to tell me that she needed a big favor, it seems before she rescued this dog, she had already made plans to go somewhere on spring break. She said the dog was slowly warming up to her, and she was afraid if the dog was taken to a kennel to be boarded, she would probably be stuck in a cage and have very little one-on-one attention. She asked, could I possibly keep her while she went on vacation. Without even hesitating, I said yes, that would not be a problem and she agreed to bring her over the next evening.

The next evening, I went to the front door and was met by Lorelie holding a small air kennel and inside was a scared, angry dog that snarled and showed her teeth. I really think she would have bitten me if she could. Life had beaten her so far down that she trusted no one and I felt that up until this point, this dog fought for every thing it had.

My dog Beans, ran up when she realized there was another dog in the house and if this dog could have gotten out of the air kennel, she would have hurt Beans. She growled, showed her teeth and lunged at the front of the carrier trying to get to Beans.

My husband, was leery of me keeping the dog and cautioned me to not let her out unless Beans was safely locked in our bedroom. He told me, that given a chance he thought the dog would hurt someone.

Now Beans has been with us since she was eight weeks old, and has never been mistreated a day of her life. She loves everyone she meets and is always friendly to other dogs, cats and even rabbits. I could see this was going to be a challenge, getting Beans and this new dog to accept each other.

After everyone went to bed, I slipped into the den and laid down on the floor next to her air kennel and started talking to her. At first she stayed at the rear of her kennel, growled and showed her teeth, but after about 30 minutes she calmed down and actually let me reach in and pet her.

She was trembling with fear and my heart just broke, I gently coaxed her out into the den and she came over and curled up beside me. I slept that night, on the floor of the den, with her curled up beside me. You could tell, she was not used to having anyone treat her kind.

The next morning I had Jim go to the storage unit we rent and get the large wire crate that we had used when Beans was a puppy. I lined it with old quilts and finally she had room to stretch out when she laid down.

That evening, when I came home from work, I slowly walked into the den and when she saw me, she did that cute little Boston butt wiggle and let me pet her. A bond was slowly forming between us.

Details

Written by Shelia Schwindel

BOSTON TERRIER NETWORK: This is Part Two of Two.  In Part One we were introduced to how Lucie was rescued and adopted. Now we will learn how saving Lucie's life resulted in this Boston saving her owner.

One evening, I was sitting on the couch, and Lucie was laying on my lap. She rolled over and looked up at me, and it suddenly dawned on me. She was the dog in my dreams that was being mistreated. Same half white face, same thin dog. Coincidence...I dont think so. I cannot expain it, but I can tell you this, since we rescued her, I've never had that nightmare since.

Lucie settled in and we started working on some of her bad habits. She would charge the fence anytime she saw a walker or jogger coming down the street. She absolutly hates the UPS truck, the school bus and motorcycles. But she has learned that when I say "NO LUCIE" to stop and come back to me.

 This past April, I started having health issues with high blood pressure and headaches. My Dr. put me on a drug called Toporol and it seemed to help. On May 5th, I had a meeting with some classmates, to finalize the plans on our 40th high school reunion. While having our meal, I developed a dry hacking cough and had to get up and leave. It persisted into the evening and finally at midnight I gave in and took some cough medicine to be able to sleep.

Beans always sleeps in bed with us, and Lucie has a giant Temperpedic dog bed in the corner of our

bedroom. She never disturbs us during the 

night to go outside. Once she goes to bed, she sleeps all night long.

At around 2:00 A:M, I was awakened by Lucie, furiously licking my left hand that was hanging off of the bed. Half awake and confused, I swung my legs over the side of the bed to sit up. I went to breath in and I could not get my breath. I panicked and could feel myself slipping into unconsciousness.

I managed to hit my husband and get him awake. He got me up on my feet and I was then able to gasp small amounts of air. I told him, "I need help" and he ran next door to our neighbor, who happens to be our doctor.

I was transported to the hospital by ambulance and when I arrived at the hospital, the on-duty emergency room Doctor told my family I was suffering from total lung failure and I had to go to surgery immediatly to have an air tube put in. There was no time to waste, I was slowly suffocating.

The last thing I remembered was being wheeled past my son and husband, standing there with tears in their eyes. I wasnt afraid to die, I had accepted Christ as my Savior four years earlier and I knew I was secure in my salvation, but I remembered how sad I was for them. I knew how hard it would be on both of them without me.

I was put on life support and did not wake up for two days. I had a trachea tube in and could not talk. They kept me sedated so I wouldn't pull the tubes out.

On Thursday afternoon I started tripping the ventilator and they removed the tubes that had been breathing for me. I asked the pulmonologist what happened. He said I had a one in a million reaction to the drug Toporol and it caused my lungs to swell shut. He called it Brachial edema and said it can be fatal.

I told him how I was awakened by Lucie licking my hand, and he said I should go buy that dog a big T-bone steak, because without her waking me up I probably would have laid there and suffocated. He said I was probably gasping in my sleep and it alerted her that I was in distress. He said he had heard other stories where dogs sense a problem before people do.

So I feel like by me saving Lucie in 2013 she in turn saved me this year. She lives a very pampered life with me, my husband and her Dog sister, Beans. Do I believe that God put her in my life for a reason? That's the ony explanation I can come up with. She is a hero and has a furever home with us as long as she lives. So yes, I think Angels can appear in many forms. Mine just happened to be a scared, homeless Boston Terrier that now holds a special place in my heart and in my home.

Details

Written by Shelia Schwindel

just have to tell you what happened to me and my family not too long ago... It started out so innocent and normal but then things took several unexpected turns. We, my husband and I, had agreed to get a second dog, so I started asking our friends...

Someone suggested I adopt one of THEM. I immediately listed all of the very good reasons why I was not the person. Why we were not the family, our house was not the right house!  I had a long long list..... of why I, er why our family would not be the right home.....

OKAY, to tell the truth, I was just plain scared....of what a decision like this would do to my ideas of a perfect pet. That I could not do it, that something bad would happen...

Sure, I was looking for a new fur-friend. Yes!  I knew I wanted a happy young dog...  someone for the kids to play with too. I saw one I thought would be a great match that stirred my interest, on the local rescue's website a friend had recommended. I had asked our local rescue to keep an eye out for the perfect pet. We had already had the house visit and put in our application. Both had been accepted. I just knew it would not be long and the perfect pet would find us....

BUT.... WHAT WENT WRONG!

Am I alone in this!  You have an idea of just what would fit in your family? You usually are basing this on what your last pet was, a current pet, and how it fit into your family lifestyle.  You really are looking forward to having this new pet delightfully tucked into your arms as you watch TV.  You can visualize it following your husband around the house or playing with the kids. Romping through the house with Mason (our current Boston Terrier) playing chase or keep-a-way with a toy. You imagine taking long slow walks around the neighborhood with this beautiful new

dog. You can just see it pushing its nose into a pile of leaves, finding something delighted in smelling something, with its tail just a wagging. (or not, Mason only had a curl for a tail, but whatever). You look up just as your neighbor comes bustling across her yard, to greet you and see this new addition to your family.  Smiling at the picture in you mind, you greet your neighbor proud of her reaction.    BUT WAIT..... the picture bursts, and you are frowning...

If you really consider adopting this dog the rescue suggested... What will happen to your vision of playing ball in the backyard, of long fun walks, of cuddling on the couch, of the kids tumbling gleefully with your new pet on the floor at your feet as you read the newspaper?  

What do you believe about blindness? Do you believe that blind dogs need help? Are blind dogs limited in certain ways? Can blind dogs know as much as sighted dogs? Can they be competitive? Is blindness a tragedy? Do blind dogs need compassion? Can blind dogs go on walks, play ball, tumble on the floor with the kids, or even curl up on the couch with you? How on earth could they even get up on the couch?
I couldn’t possibly take home a blind dog. I already had Mason, a handsome mature male Boston who seemed very happy being an ‘only’ pet. Sure at first we thought how nice it would be for him to have a playmate. But what good would bringing home a helpless blind dog do for him, how could he play with it? Besides, any dog I might consider taking would have to be a female; in my admittedly biased experience.

Darn it!, The rescue has just called back they "have the perfect dog for us, healthy, young, spayed female, playful, totally vetted. Only thing, was IT WAS BLIND!" How could they do this to me....  I mean to us.  I am calling my Vet! he will give me the reinforcement I need to say NO WAY!
I put down the phone.... Well of all the nerve! How could he have possibly agreed with them?
Our veterinarian told me there is no reason a blind dog can’t live a happy normal life because their primary sense is not their eyes. Such a dog would just rely more on her sense of smell,  and hearing. She would only need my help to write the map of her living space. He told me that even the kids could help and it would be a great experience for them too.  Easy for him to say.  IF we were to even consider this, what would by husband say!
 I will put an end to this. Right now... I am going to let them (the rescue) bring over that blind dog, and prove that we are not going to be able to be a home for a BLIND dog... then we can get to the serious issue of finding the right dog... HMM!