What up my Steemians, Welcome to the d00k13 Digest, Let's just step into it! What does it mean to own a rescue dog? Today I talk about what it means to me to own a rescue dog, how I am ultimately responsible for the outcome of every situation and what results I may be responsible for. Owning a rescue dog does not come without its own set of challenges and no two rescues are alike, each have their own experiences and traumas to work through just like any human that has seen the hand of abuse. I am very proud of how far Jerry has come, he is a very good dog, yet because of his years spent on the streets of mexico he does have a few issues that I must be aware of at all times. Wish I could say I was a professional in the field but that would be an insult to those who rescued him and worked so hard to rehabilitate him. Thank You MexPup founders Karen & Alana, Thank You Carolyn for taking on Jerry's rescue, you have helped to complete our family and know I do not take this responsibility lightly. Click the image above to watch the video with a full explanation of my perspective.

Jerry's Adoption Story

Carolyn had been watching this sweet dog from afar. He seemed to have a wonderful disposition, but no family to love him. He was surviving on his own using the overhang of a home for protection from the rain (which came often these past few months) and the sun (which is particularly strong this time of year). He was losing weight & spirit and she knew she had to do something - she chose to Make a Difference. She picked Jerry up off the street, took him to the vet and started him on his road to recovery. Jerry is a sweet, timid guy. Based on some of his reactions, I would suspect that he has suffered abuse by humans but I also believe that Jerry wants to trust. He closed his eyes and relaxed in my arms after a short period of time. He also busted out his first smile when we gave him a toy - his own green crocodile. I think it's time for someone to open their arms and welcome Jerry into their lives! Jerry was very fortunate to capture the heart of Melissa who was drawn to Jerry by his story and what he had been through. After a tough beginning in Mexico, this sweet boy has made a perfect addition to Melissa’s family and has a wonderful life. He is fortunate enough to have a fur-sister named Meesha (a three legged miniature pinscher terrier). Jerry loves to go on hikes with his family, and has already climbed his first mountain! Jerry has a whole 5 acres all to himself and loves the beach- he is so over excited by the smells he brings Melissa crabs in hopes to contribute to supper that night. Jerry is very happy in his home and it shows. Thanks Melissa for making this sweet boys dream of having a family come true!
_{Write Up Credit MexPup - https://www.facebook.com/pg/MexPup/photos/?tab=album&album_id=290294834322088}

His Life In Our Hands

Jerry is very faithful / loyal / protective so knowing his background of being from the streets of mexico makes me understand how much he values his new life, he will protect us with everything he has to give
He loves to run through the bushes, but this was something that at first he was afraid to do. After much encouragement he will now explore on his own without any fear of what may lurk in the shrubs
Still Jerry does not like to swim, not really sure how well he can swim after all since trying to encourage him to do so seems to be stressful for him and well you cannot force him to do anything without causing further trauma so we let him do it on his terms which may be never
I am a very proud rescue dog owner, no he is not a perfectly behaved dog yet I respect his view on life through understanding where he came from. I do not wish to change him one bit, he has quite the personality and you cannot have a happy dog without respecting their right to have an opinion and express their personality.

His First Doggy Smile

When looking at this picture I feel as if his collar and that toy were his first human gifts, doesn't that smile say a million words? That smile is what sold us, to see a dog in a single moment in time go from being completely miserable to having an ear to ear smile showed us his understanding of the situation and how appreciative he was to have a home. That smile is something I have grown fond of, when ever I am down he lifts my soul with a simple look that brings me back to the moment we adopted him and how happy all of us were to call each other family.

Pictures From Adoption Day

OHH that look, he was such a great companion for our late Meesha(on the right). To think Meesha was a brat and Jerry was the first dog she allowed to get into our car without protest just makes me think that because both were rescues they had some mutual understanding, WE ARE FAMILY NOW and we will not go hungry again!

His first car ride with us the poor little bugger did not know how to stay balanced while taking corners and he ended up stuck upside down behind the front seat while we were on the highway, he has figured it out now but it just goes to show until he came to Canada car rides were not a thing. Now when you pickup your keys he gives you that look, can I come? Car rides are one if his favourite things which is good because I love to drive and having a faithful companion with me makes the drive a lot less mundane.

SHOTGUN!!!

What's That???

CRABS!!!

Jerry did not like the ferry ride home, you can see his ears were back and for most of the ride he was shaking we did not know at this point he was afraid of water or that he could not swim. He has long overcome this fear of the ferry but he is still not over his fear of the water.

We thought maybe dressing him up with something from Mexico would help him feel at home, turns out he loves to wear clothes! He now has his own collection of sweaters for winter, costumes for halloween, and a rain jacket because he hates to be wet. Jerry does not protest one bit rater he seems to walk around proud and shows off the outfits he has on just like a little kid playing dress up. We dressed him up as a fairy for halloween to go with Meesha's Peter Pan outfit(yes I know Meesha is a girl Peter Pan and Jerry was a male fairy lol) he ended up going outside and standing on the porch near the flowers, I felt like he was saying "look I'm a bee now".

His Life Now

Always watching, always alert

So smart that he figured out how to ride in the car with as little effort as possible, SHOTGUN!!! LOCKED AND LOADED

That is as far in as he will go on his own but he did finally step into the water without our influence, thats a huge step and has taken years just happened to be he was wanting to chase the rocks we were trying to skip and I think that spooked him a little.

Loon Lake in Port Alberni, British Columbia, Canada. This is a fishing lake not a swimming lake.

He sleeps in the most interesting positions.

Almost always has his head on something like a pillow and he also loves to be covered in a blanket, I assume our climate is a little cold for him but it may also be a comfort thing making him feel safe.

Conclusion

Jerry's life and wellbeing are in our hands and we share in the feeling of being willing to protect him with our lives in the same way he will protect us with his. We have put ourselves in between situations that could have resulted in a serious altercation with another dog. Both myself and Melissa my fiance have been injured in the process and in one occasion with multiple dogs off leash surrounding us literally had to protect jerry from being attacked using my quick feet to push the other dogs heads down when they were charging him. We love our rescue, adopting a rescue was the best option for us and I hope he is happy with the life he has now because at times it is not easy to maintain requiring consistent attention while being alert of our surroundings. He is a good dog and we are proud of how far he has come which all our friends and family remind us about often. Don't go buy a dog, Save a Life, Rescue a Jerry!