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| Name: |
Callie
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Age: |
Four years old
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| Gender: |
Female |
Breed: |
Collie, Kuvasz mix |
| Home: |
Caswell County, North Carolina, USA |
My
partner and I are the proud furparents of five wonderful rescues and
are fostering a lovely eldergirl. All but one of them came from pretty
difficult situations. I'd like to tell you the story of the girl who had
the longest to go.
Callie aka Callalily came to us nearly three years ago on a "last
chance". She was literally skin and bones. You could stand back across
the room and count her ribs. Callie was near-starved, had no undercoat
and had lost most of her top-coat. She didn't just smell toxic from
starvation; she smelled almost like death.
Though it was clear she had a collie face, it took a while to figure out
what else she might be. We couldn't get a clear line on her nature
because she was so fearful. She wanted to trust so badly, but had
suffered so much in her young life (as we were soon to find out), she
just couldn't bring herself to it. It took almost two months to get
enough confidence from her to get the nasty collar she came with off to
give her a pretty "necklace" of her very, very own, complete with her
very own "charm" (a tag from the vet).
You couldn't undress around her. If you took your belt off to put your
jeans in the hamper, she would cry and run. We would have to seek her
out to comfort her, not understanding what was wrong. She couldn't take
loud noises of any kind. For nearly a year, I couldn't figure out why
she flipped out when I pulled the cord to start the lawnmower or the
garden tiller. Then one day it it broke my heart when it occurred to me:
someone had held that beautiful baby by her collar and beaten her with a
belt. She was only a puppy when we got her. I couldn't imagine what else
she had suffered -- I didn't want to. We had to comfort her often and
encourage her past her fears. There were days when I wondered if she
would ever be whole.
It took two full years of love, cuddles, patience, and gentle guidance
to win her heart. There was no rushing it -- she had to come to us.
These days, though she's the most affectionate, loving, loyal creature.
She loves company and begs for pets. She loves living in the country and
going for rides to town to show off how calm and pretty she has become.
She is fun, funny, dear and sweet.
Because of the ill treatment she got in her puppyhood, her eyes never
developed well. Her vision isn't very good, but with her sisters' help,
she does just fine. She is confident and loves taking care of her
sisters. Callie also takes her day-job of guarding the gardens against
marauding deer, squirrels. and bunnies very seriously. (So she
believes!) At night, she chooses a comfy spot either in her own bed at
the foot of ours in winter or a nice, cool spot just outside the bedroom
door in summer, always close to her furparents. She's the first to greet
me when I come up the drive and rushes inside for her cookie -- "payday"
for taking care of the gardens (again, so she thinks -- we just love to
see the joy on their faces!).
What was so unappreciated by someone else we are so very, very grateful
to have gracing our lives. Gifts from heaven come in often unexpected
ways.
Callie just turned four years old this month. When we adopted her, we
were told she was three then, but it turned out she was only about six
months. She still didn't have all her grownup teeth. We had to revise
their estimate as she started growing again once we got some nutrition
in her. She's a big girl now :)
I'm someone who is slow to anger, but the thought of someone mistreating
a good, kind, and sweet puppy that way still makes my blood boil.
It took two years of love, but right about her third birthday she
positively bloomed! She is now confident in every situation, loves
attention and affection, and isn't bothered by much of anything at all.
She even tolerates thunderstorms and isn't afraid of the lawn equipment.
She loves to go to the tobacco store, especially when the manager's
little girls are around. They're all so gentle with one another and
Callie loves being the center of attention.
We're almost certain she's half Kuvasz. She has the soft, lovely fur and
guarding instincts of a Kuvasz (and the regal attitude LOL). She has the
Collie sweetness and love of being the center of attention. A winning
combination in a farm-princess. She takes her job of keeping marauding
squirrels, deer, and mice out of the garden very seriously :)
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