**SIGH** Where to even begin…

Brooke is my inspiration. I saw her picture and instantly knew she belonged with me. She came to me with so many labels, baggage, and history at such a young age.

Within in 1st year, she belonged to a little girl, then on to a rescue. The foster moved out of state with her and told no one when she went missing. She was roaming the streets of Castle Rock, Co. Adopted out to a family that couldn’t handle her. An interpreter that works with deaf dogs evaluated her and though she was deemed too aloof to adopt out this woman fought for her. She got Dalmatian Rescue of Colorado, Inc. involved and they started to network her. She came with the “no catsâ€� label which made finding a foster challenging. She ended up staying at Best Friends Pet Hotel in Wheat Ridge. She had a few behavioral quirks and was not a fan of strange men, this put her in danger. The rescue was spending a lot of money to pay for her boarding. This all was happening in the 1st year and a half of her life.

The rescue posted her on FB pleading for a foster or adopter, I had just learned of their page and was casually scrolling. We had lost a dog 2 months earlier. I was ready again, but I was constantly surrounded by dogs as an LHS volunteer, working at the crematorium, and having my pet sitting… I was immersed in therapy sessions with animals. “Heâ€� wasn’t ready. I convinced him to meet her and to consider just fostering her.

I had fallen in love at 1st sight with her picture but meeting her was a whole other level. So, the middle of April 2011 she came home to me, it was 6 months before he gave the ok to adopt her. She was tenacious and stubborn. She would walk away, not run, but walk and look back to see if we were coming for her when she escaped. She was focused and determined during our training sessions. She was independent and aloof. You could not cuddle with her, you had to treat her like a cat almost… let her come to you. Speaking of cats, while she chased the resident cat a bit she never went after her aggressively. Aimee, the feline dog trainer, taught her cat manners. This was inspirational.

I always refer to her as my inspiration. She broke through so many labels, I was in awe of her. I then began to notice, so many of the dogs at Longmont Humane that were there for a while had labels on them as well. It sparked an idea. I began bringing home the dogs with labels. While we didn’t erase all of them, we did get rid of some and modified others. We got a real-life home evaluation of these dogs and their lives changed. They began getting adopted. One boy connected hard with both Brooke and I. While he only got a “C� in cat manners his child rating changed. We learned he wasn’t a resource guarder in general but just rawhide (the product the shelter used to test guarding behavior). He also learned all of Brooke’s hand signals in days. I also taught him to jump all 50 lbs. of himself up into my arms. All this led to him getting a wonderful family. There were so many other foster dogs that ended up getting adopted shortly after their stay with us. She taught so many dogs, including Wilbur, how to dog. She could play tug of war with adults, big dogs, small dogs and children and she’d adjust and even let the little ones win. She was amazing with all animals. The insight from Brooke, Aimee, and myself saved lives. And it all started with Brooke inspiring me to do this program.

She was diagnosed with spondylitis in 2020. The medication certainly helped with not just the nerve symptoms but also the anxiety, as she had always been a bit neurotic. Then it stopped working. She started having more bad days than good. She started acting confused. She couldn’t navigate the doggy door anymore and would bark at it. She developed a growth on her leg. The mass just kept growing. I decided at 12.5 years old I didn’t want to put her through anesthesia. With every single other pet, it was always a dramatic event that led to the decision. This was a hard one I struggled with for a while.

Those good days she’d have, she’d be all peppy when we’d come home, those good days were hard since I had already made the decision. Making me question everything. But the days she struggled walking and getting on the couch, those were painful to watch but comforting at the same time. I am not waiting too long, and I am not jumping the gun I’d tell myself.

Yesterday afternoon, Dr. Lester came over and helped this most beautiful soul leave us. The way I often feel misunderstood connected so deeply with her being misunderstood. Affectionate even if not with touch. The love of sleeping in and wrapping up in a blanket. Quiet, calm and quiet, just observing. Sometimes a good stretch and change in perspective are all that are needed.

Brookie was allergic to poultry but for her last day, she got to get a chicken nugget happy meal. She got to go for a drive which she always loved. Ain’t no one like my pretty blue-eyed girl. There will never be another like her. She was so gentle and loving in her own independent way.