When Rossi worked at a pet store, she purr-posely broke the rules.
“It hurt seeing caged puppies,” said Rossi, “who had never walked on grass. So after our boss left, the staff took the pups outside for a walk. The pups’ happiness was contagious and it sped
adoptions.”
Rossi, witnessing the horrors of the pet industry through the pet store, encouraged her to enroll in film school and to gear projects towards dog rescue and not buying from stores.
For her second dog, she searched for one with emotional scars. She did not care about the size, age or breed, she wanted one who had lived a hard life, to heal its heart and teach it that life can be beautiful. Rossi found Peanut, a nine-year-old, Dachshund
mix with sad eyes reflecting years of hardships.
The small dog was rescued from “death row” as she had yet another huge belly full of puppies. Peanut had been tied to a fence for eight years, where any roving dog could impregnate her. She had birthed eight large litters. When Peanut was expecting again, her family drove her to a shelter. Once the puppies were weaned, Rossi and her other dog, Teeger, a 10-year-old Chiwennie, adopted an exhausted
Peanut.
“When Peanut arrived,” said Rossi, “she was scared and confused. She did not realize she was finally ‘home’. She kept trying to run away to ‘nowhere’, so I never let her off leash. On car rides, Peanut’s eyes reflected fear, and she’d shake from head to toe thinking that I was driving her back to the shelter.”
Thankfully, after a month of love and routine, Rossi’s magic began working! The dog realized that Rossi was her
“mother” and that Teeger was her brother. Peanut relaxed for the first time in her life.
Teeger loves Peanut and understands that she needs him to teach her how to be a dog. He takes his brother role seriously and shows his sister the ropes by teaching her how to play.
“She was never walked,” said Rossi, “or played with. Today, she LOVES walks but NOT on rainy days! After having so many puppies, her hips give out, so we often use a pet
stroller. She loves the freedom to explore the world rolling along, a few feet higher, safe and in comfort.”
When they bought Peanut her first squeaky toy, she didn’t know what to do with it! She watched Teeger attack and run around the house with the toy.
Then several months later, everything changed. She is happy, her eyes no longer reflect sadness, her tale wags, she is protective of Teeger, shares her bed with him, and washes him
like one of her babies. She plays with toys and when a new one is bought Peanut claims it! She carries a toy everywhere, squeaking it the entire time, and insists on bringing it along on walks.
“When my niece and nephew come over,” said Rossi, “we play Hide and Seek. I always get caught because Peanut follows me, exposing my hiding spot! The children quickly learned to look for Peanut to find me!”
Rossi has friends who purchased
high-priced puppies from breeders/pet stores. Their dogs are so ill-behaved that they are banned from doggy daycares. Her friends cannot believe how well-mannered and loving Peanut is, learning that a rescued pet knows where it has been verses where it is now, and they try to please their rescuer. Adopt, don’t shop! It is rewarding on so many levels.
NOTE: Next weeks Pet Tips 'n' Tales shares Peanuts recent life and death
experience!
