From time to time I run across stories on social media about the power of the human bond with animals that serve as a reminder that rescue dogs and cats have a lot of love to give. Case in point: I recently read and watched the story of New Jersey resident Brian Myers. Brian had rescued a difficult to adopt a German Shephard named Sadie, thinking he was rescuing her. But as the CBS News story so aptly put it, Myers was actually saving his savior. Brian recalled how lucky he was to have Sadie the night he suffered a stroke that dropped him to the floor by his bed. Sadie was right by his side, and as Brian grabbed Sadie's collar, she pulled him across the room to his phone, ultimately saving his life. The story goes on to talk about the loss of human connection that is inherent in the experience of all shelter dogs and how loyal these animals often are to their rescuers.
As I thought about Brian's story, I was reminded of the experience my wife and I have had with animal adoption, and how our two pups have rescued us, not from an illness, but from the loneliness of an empty house with all the children gone, the loss of our first grandchild, and the human isolation that has become the new norm during the past year. Indeed, they have been our rescues to the rescue.
