Today’s story is about a foster fail.
I am not sure if it is by chance or coincidence that I was rearranging my books and kept aside a few chosen ones to re-read. One of them is Haatchi & Little B. In short, the story goes like this, Haatchi – a three-legged Anatolian Shepherd dog was left to die at the railway track. He survived but sustained massive injuries losing his hind leg and tail. Eventually the resilient Haatchi went on become a little boy called Owen’s buddy. Suffering from a rare genetic disorder, the Schwartz-Jampel syndrome, Owen felt awkward in a crowd and Haatchi – himself a tripawd – taught him to comfortably stand out.
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Our story is about a beautiful tripawd too
So, what is the connection between this book and today’s story? Our story is also about a beautiful tripawd called Zeus, who was rescued from the streets of Sharjah with serious injuries in his ribs and the pelvic region. Zeus’ microchip helped the recuse organisation reach his humans, who were no longer keen to take him back home. He spent a week at the veterinary hospital and slowly began recovering. Almost fated to live in the kennel, Zeus’ life changed forever when Stella decided to foster him. The grand plan was written differently for Zeus who turned into a foster fail, as Stella could not let him go.
It is true that every story of a foster fail is beautiful, but it comes with its own share of challenges. Stella tells us how Zeus was anxious about everything when he first came to live with them. “He was even scared to walk on the floor, all wobbly as if he would fall. Zeus feared cars – given his horrible experience – and men, especially those carrying equipment. It took a lot of love and patience to make him feel confident again. As Zeus became more confident, he also started showing signs of reactivity.”
Then the foster became forever
That is when Stella decided to work along with an animal behaviouralist to help Zeus calm down yet feel confident. Today, Zeus is one of the happiest pups around. He loves to burst bubble wrap rolls with his paws. And he loves to go to the doggy day care. Zeus loves to snooze, and his proud momma tells us sometimes in the morning, he resembles the endearing Dobby from Harry Porter.
“When I see him run around with so much confidence and ease, it fills me with happiness. I had heard that rescued dogs often add a lot of meaning to their humans’ lives. Today, I know how rewarding it is to give a dog a chance to be happy again, to live a beautiful life. In equal measure, Zeus has enriched our lives. We cannot imagine our life without him anymore.”
To those who are wondering if Zeus misses his missing leg – animals are tremendously resilient by nature that helps them forget about a missing body part. Zeus is equally happy and playful as any other dog. Don’t believe us? Then check out a wonderful video on his Instagram page 😊
