Puppy Rescue Mission: Tonights story is about Courage. This dog was a few minutes from being euthanized...the Soldier intervened just in time. It takes Courage to save Courage. We truly are proud of this soldier and so is his family.... The Story of Courage: My Courage ---It has only been a month since I arrived at my deployment base. It’s the same thing I have done before time and time again. But this time its different. I have a wife and 2 young kids waiting at home for me, which makes it harder to be here and away from home. Life is pretty bland and repetitious here, not really anything to look forward to each day, or anything to be happy or smile about. Then one day a young pup started to come around the building where I work. I would see him in passing; he would give me a glance and keep walking. You could see in his eyes that his spirit was bent but not broken. The wag of his tail told me that he still had a spark of life, love and hope in him. As the days passed I would see him off and on, and with each passing we became closer. I couldn’t ignore the look in his eyes, he wanted someone to acknowledge him, and show they cared, and I think he knew I was the one that would do that. I have a soft spot for animals, dogs in particular, and he tugged on that spot as hard as he could. We became acquaintances, and then friends. The name Courage was the name he was given. It just seemed right. Fitting. He was something for me to look forward to when walking to work in the morning, or lunch in the afternoon. I would look for him daily. If I had food I would offer it to him, and he gladly accepted it. Seeing him made me feel a little more at peace each day. I have dogs at home, so he was a kind and gentle reminder of that. Made me feel like I had a little piece of home with me, in a way only a dog owner could understand. He showed up at an event we were having. He was timid around everyone, but very sweet. As others approached him to say HI he would put his paw out in a way that said please don’t hurt me. I think maybe he was abused before or met up with some unforgiving people at some point. It just takes one look in his eyes, and one loving heart to see that this dog is asking for help, and wants to be loved. He wants a home to sleep in, and a loving family to keep him safe. And I had to make that happen for him. I sent pictures of him to my wife, and she too instantly knew that we had to help this dog, and he needed to go home to a better life. This dream we had for him was almost ripped away in just a moment. That morning, I walked to work again as I always do. I couldn’t find Courage anywhere. I took some back out of the chow hall to give him a little snack. When I couldn’t find him I didn’t think much of it, he was a stray and they tend to wander. I went to lunch with a fellow soldier, and as we were walking out I saw a group of the base animal control guys circled around a little lifeless body on the ground. I went over to see what was going on and there was Courage lying on the ground. Seeing guns in their hands, I panicked and asked what did they do. They said don’t worry we just tranquilized him to take him to the base vet. They proceeded to tell me that once there they would euthanized him as they do with most of the others that are caught. I instantly said no you aren’t! I proceeded to explain his story and that my wife and I were working with a U.S. based organization to send Courage home to the United States. I wanted to be sure that nothing happened to Courage so I made a point to tell them that I would be going with them to the vet. Once we arrived we walked inside and laid Courage on the table (he was still sleeping). The vet tech walked into the room with a needle in hand, and we asked what she was doing. She told us she would be the administering the euthanisation shot. I said, “you will not touch this dog, he is mine”. Again I had to explain the story, and she was happy to help. In just a matter of a few short weeks Courage has captured my heart. Although I may have saved his life, he saved my sanity and turned a horrible place to be into a more bearable experience. Without Courage, and the happy moments he gave that I looked forward to each day, I would be in a slump. Although I am happy to report that Courage is in safe hands now, I will be sad to not see him on my daily walks. His happy wagging tail, and loving eyes. But my heart is full knowing that hopefully he will soon be on his way to a better life and loving family. Puppy Rescue Mission has been a Godsend. They people I have come in contact are amazing, loving and caring people. They have been so helpful, and have been so quick to move to help Courage. This has been an amazing experience for me, one that I will never forget, and I will now have the courage to push forward through this deployment until I can be home with my family again. Thank you Courage for what you have given me, now it’s my turn to give back to you. Courage youcaring/nonprofits/courage-of-kuwait/160347
Posted on: Mon, 07 Apr 2014 15:16:48 +0000
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