As my boxfit class wrapped up, I gathered all my boxing gear and headed out the door.
Destination: the Toronto Humane Society.
Ginger Spice volunteers at the Toronto Humane Society so she works with a lot of the dogs with socializing them and helping them work on their behavioral problems. She's kind of like a dog whisper there because she's real good at what she does and loves what she does. The dogs definitely connect with her and today I got to see just how they do show when I decided to surprise her there. They were having a bake sale today, a fundraiser for the Humane Society. Baked goods for both four-legged and two-legged friends (dogs and people) were being sold.
It was great to surprise Ginger Spice where she is most in her element -- surrounded by furry little dogs and oh-so-cute puppies. I greeted her with a big hug and then got to watch as she interacted with the puppies. She got right into the cage and sat down with them. They totally took to her.
I'm not one for babies, not two-legged babies and not really four-legged ones either, so my interest wondered and consequently I found myself wondering the different corridors of the Humane Socitey, searching out the bigger dogs.
That's when I first laid eyes on Crescenda.
Crescenda is a beautiful 1.5yr old golden retriever mix who had transferred from another shelter. I had been stopping at every single cage, acknowledging each dog in each of the cages and then I came across her. For the most part, the other dogs were somewhat responsive to me approaching their cage. Some barked while others waged their tales and others stood up to check me out. But Crescenda, she just stayed laying on the ground. She wasn't even on her blanket and she didn't even bother to so much as acknowledge me with the raise of her head or even just her eyes. She could seriously care less that I was there. I felt so nonexistent to her and it made me sad not because I wanted her to show me attention but because her lack of response showed a lack of hope of getting out of here and that broke my heart. I got teary eyed standing there looking at her, so helpless and so hopeless, and so I knelt down by her cage. I stayed there for some time starring at her and then I started to talk to her. I told her about my dogs in Korea and how I missed them so much. I told her about my old neighbor's dog Taffy and how my mom and I used to wake up early to walk her. How she too, just like Crescenda, was a gold retriever and how I always thought this particular breed of dog was totally representative of what it meant to be "man's best friend" because Taffy was so incredibly faithful to us. When we walked her she always listened so attentively and she use to get crazy happy at the sight of my mom's bathroom light turning on in the morning because Taffy knew it meant it was walk time soon.
It wasn't until I went to walk away that Crescenda acknowledged me; she barked. I took a step back and smiled at her. I continued on my way down the line of dog cages but it seemed like every time I went to talk to one of the other dogs she would bark again. It was just one bark, as if to say "hey you" or "come back". It got to the point where I was convinced it was a "come back" and so I went back to see her. I went back several times actually but I knew it was when I said out loud her name that I had just thrown myself into trouble. I had fallen for this beautiful girl and her beautiful golden fur and I think it's safe to say that she liked me too. No sooner did she say my name but then I knew I had become somewhat attached to her but the big deal breaker was when she stood up and I could see how skinny she was. She was one stressed dog but when I reached my hand through her cage and she started to lick it, she was one happy dog, and for a moment I seriously wondered what it'd be like to take this beautiful girl to my apartment and give her a home with me.
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