My Lab/Border Collie...Tootsie

Midsummer of 2006 when I adopted her...She was just barely a year old. She was a "quick pick" from a dozen of kennels of large to small breed @ Petsmart Store. All of these"four-legged" dogs were all barking for attention to be picked at that time except Tootsie. I saw her wagging her tail, (still in a cage) not demanding I thought; so, I asked if I could take her for a walk around the store.
That "walk" translated to bringing her home that afternoon with the help of my son, Josh who actually encouraged me to adopt her.  His perspective reverberated wisdom: Josh said:" Mom, just pick Tootsie for his chance to be adopted is very slim."
 I look around  while"prospective owners" were all keenly interested to non-black dogs. Nobody even has gazed to Tootsie's corner. They all passed by-not a single step closer to her cage.
And I'm so happy they didn't take a closer look at my beautiful dog because she's mine with a story to tell..                                  

Hi...I'm Tootsie!
I remember walking endlessly under the rain looking scruffy, mischievous,and tired, scavenging for food for weeks and for a 7 month-old dog I should be indoors with a blanket and a Purina food to devour. So I thought and dreamed...
I believe I'm also a part of God's creation. Remember when Noah secured all the animals in pairs in the Ark? So, something to that reference happened. I was picked up by a Samaritan in a station wagon  and drove me to the Second Chance Shelter for dogs in the area. And I never knew how luck and blessings meshed because that's the beginning of all the good things to come. I am now in the best care and love of my "mom." Because of her, others look up to me now like I'm somebody special.

Being aware of Tootsie's lacking trust despite of everyday assurances of affection and providing good shelter is still an ongoing issue. But I know I'm gaining grounds to where one day all of her harsh beatings in the past( before Second Chance Shelter) while waiting for a home, be completely vanished. To this day, she's still very anti-social. She reverses to squirm when patted unannounced; still puts her kernels of dry food  in a corner where it's safe for her to eat them. She easily gets irritated and doesn't know how to play with toys. Instead, she chews on my outside corner plastic "sidings," paper towels and weeds/grass. I tried putting her on classes training for overcoming fears but that also didn't work. But despite of the irrelevance of her ways, she gets me to come home and assure her that she'll never be on the street again. Tootsie is here to stay with me for life...