excerpt from section ii for shayna memorial

8/12/2019 Excerpt From Section II for Shayna Memorial

1/16

An excerpt of

Section II: Beginning my new life in Charlottesville, and searching for my first dog

from the boo

Saved By Shayna: Life Lessons From A Miracle Dog

!c" Copyright #$%& by 'on S(t)* All rights reserved*

+earn abo(t Shayna and the boo at shaynathemiracledog*com

B(y the boo atAma)on*com

Info:ons(t)-yahoo*com

.xcerpt of Section II from Saved By Shayna: Life Lessons From A Miracle Dog,!c" Copyright #$%& by'on S(t)* All rights reserved*

/age %
http://shaynathemiracledog.com/book/about-book/http://www.amazon.com/Saved-Shayna-Life-Lessons-Miracle-ebook/dp/B00HB7STKI/ref=la_B00HBCSF4S_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1387061296&sr=1-1mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.amazon.com/Saved-Shayna-Life-Lessons-Miracle-ebook/dp/B00HB7STKI/ref=la_B00HBCSF4S_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1387061296&sr=1-1mailto:[email protected]://shaynathemiracledog.com/book/about-book/


2/16

How I defined what I (thought I) was looking for in my first dog

When I began searching for my first dog, the most important criteria I sought was aconnection of a sense that there is a spiritual compatibility between us.

As a graphic designer and visual thinker, though, I suppose it was inevitable that ever

since I started thinking about getting my first dog, a pretty clear picture formed in my mindof the general characteristics that I thought I! was looking for"

A brightly#colored male puppy that would grow into a relatively large dog

Athletic, en$oys the outdoors

%ased on my interaction with dogs in the past, the ones I really seemed to adore morethan others were pure or mi&ed breeds of the 'erman (hepard, )ab, and 'olden *etriever

varieties.

%uying a dog from a breeder was, to me, out of the +uestion. I knew that animalshelters had lots of dogs available, and my conscience wouldnt allow me to look elsewhere.

I was far more interested in what I could discover about individual dogs, so long as theymatched the general characteristics I was seeking. What I didnt count on was how longand frustrating this search would be, or how much soul#searching it would re+uire.

A deeper definition: A friend, with the potential for love

A scene from one of my favorite movies by -ameron -rowe, Say Anything/0/1trailer! comes to mind about now"

2iane"I just cant have any social life right now.

)loyd"Don't worry about it. Were just having coffee. Well be anti

social.2iane"!e friends"

)loyd"#eah. With $otential.

2iane"%riends& with $otential.

I3ve known lots of people with dogs. (ome were members of the family, but barely1they slept in the basement or outside, they romped with the kids, but were generally keptout of sight much of the time, and almost always when guests were present.

4or others, such as friends I had on ranches in Ari5ona, their dogs did practical tasks,and were work companions, as well as friends.

%ut as I began my +uest, there was one person from my distant past who stood outand served as a role model for me" my friend 6evin 2i7ia55a, who I met in /08 while livingin 7hoeni&. 9o visit 6evin was to also visit his beloved dogs *ainbow, an Australian(hepard, :amaica, a *ottweiler, and a few other strays that he found or who found him!.


/age #
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Say_Anything...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFV7FnbhBRYhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Say_Anything...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFV7FnbhBRY


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Wherever he was in his house, thats where they were usually found as opposed to in hisbig backyard!. And often, as he drove around town, *ainbow and :amaica were with him.It became impossible to imagine 6evin without his beloved dogs.

!ut what really stood out to e was the unista(able love that they shared)the wayhe looked at them and them, at him, as their beloved father and very best friend, rolled upinto one. 9here was also a sense of total trust the kind of trust that I knew must be

earned, on both sides.

Another good e&ample of what I was looking for or rather, was hoping to earn! wascaptured in a picture of ;ary -hapin -arpenter.


4/16

After taking inventory of myself, however, and $udging how well Id fulfilled otherpromises Id made since becoming a functional adult to my employers and clients,to myfriends, to 7atricia, and to my mother I came to believe that although I was in deep griefand mourning, I had the raw makings of a good dog owner. Sure/ I said to myself, Icould wait another five/ ten or twenty years 5 but for what" 6ntil I' absolutely certainthat I could be a good dog owner" 4ow can one ever be absolutely certain about such a

thing"I decided it was time to roll the dice.

#ou cant connect the dots loo(ing forward7 you can only connectthe loo(ing bac(wards. So you have to trust that the dots willsoehow connect in your future. #ou have to trust in soething 5your gut/ destiny/ life/ (ara/ whatever. -his a$$roach has never lete down/ and it has ade all the difference in y life.

# (teve :obs

9his was obviously a different kind of gamble, and a high#stakes one, because if Ifailed at this, I would not be the only one to pay the price" whatever precious little puppy I

chose would also pay the price. And while I could of course give him@her up to a shelter,that puppy would likely feel as my first childhood dog didB What did I do wrong/ todeserve this fate" And I could not do that. 7eriod.

,89ead thefull versionof y :ife !efore Shayna/ for details about these issues.3

"he search began: I became a regular at the local #A$%#A

4or an hour or so each day, five, si& or even seven days a week, I was at the -A(7-A,looking at all the puppies. As my search wore on, I reali5ed what +uiet heroes itsemployees and volunteers really are. 9he ones with whom I interacted the most primarily (haye and 6im worked their hearts out every day to give rescued animals acomfortable temporary home, medical attention, and help match them with appropriateadopters. Is there any more noble work than thatC

I soon discovered the simple $oy of visiting an animal shelter when its not $am#packedwith people, such as on weekday mornings, when I was able to interview puppies to myhearts content. And I discovered the magic that is inherent in puppies" their sparklingeyes, their breath, their desire to play, their budding personalities the good, the bad, andotherwise!, that draws me to them like a magnet.

9he first value I received from my interaction with so many puppies was how, throughthem, I was able to start seeing the world anew, through their completely honest, mostly!unin$ured, optimistic eyes. 9hrough the e+uivalent of a childs eyes1 eyes that I once had,

but which were difficult to see out of, through the tears that defined so much of mychildhood and which still clouded my vision, periodically.

As I would take each pup for a walk, I could see that to them, most everything in theworld was brand new, absolutely fascinating, and worth stopping to e&amine, and sniff, in


/age 0
http://www.jonsutz.com/about/client-employer-raves/http://www.jonsutz.com/about/client-employer-raves/http://www.shaynathemiracledog.com/MyLifeBeforeShaynahttp://www.jonsutz.com/about/client-employer-raves/http://www.shaynathemiracledog.com/MyLifeBeforeShayna


5/16

detail. 9he gum wrapper on the ground1 the piece of string in a bush1 the little flowerseedling $ust budding up through the crack in the sidewalk1 the sticky puddle of long#agospilled soda on the concrete. I e&pand on this theme in :ife :esson ;2) A $u$$y canreintroduce you to the world... and yourself!.

;y first inclination, upon the endless interruptions of our walks, was for efficiency1 totell the pup,


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been foreseen with a little research, or wasnt willing to do the re+uisite work to correctbehavioral problems. ;any of these dogs were either returned, or donated to anothershelter, or given away. (ome ended up being euthani5ed, through no fault of their own, butbecause the wrong person adopted them, and didnt assume full responsibility for caringfor them, through thick and thin.

9o me, the thought of giving my dog away because I failed him was unthinkable

unless it was a dangerous situation that I had sincerely tried to rectify, but failed. I couldnever knowingly inflict that kind of mental trauma on a dog1 of handing him off like a usedsuitcase to another person, because he didnt fit my lifestyle anymore. 9he dog I ended upadopting would be not $ust a part of my family, but my entirelocal family, until one or theother of us was no more.

(ome may ask, Dont you thin( you ay have overthought all of this/ just a bit" Iean/ its just a dog that were tal(ing about. ;y answer is" @o/on both counts.

4irst, this was going to be one of the most conse+uential decisions Id ever made, withimplications that could stretch for many years. (econd, while some may view a dog asbeing $ust a dumb animal, I knew that most arent1 they are sensitive, loving, emotional

creatures who deserve the very best we can give them, especially if we make thecommitment to take them into our homes, and become part of our families.

>ot everyone sees this issue as I do, I know. %ut at that point in my life, with all thecrushing pain I was e&periencing, and the residue and legacy of my childhood bubbling upat unpredictable times, I wanted desperately to believe in soething. In anything. In e.

4or that moment, the only thing I could believe in was my capacity to live up to thecommitments I would make to my first dog.

(o I went back to the -A(7-A, day after day, week after week, with hope in my heart.


/age 2


7/16

&!II" B.3I44I43 56 4.7 +I8., A49 S.AC;I43 8


8/16

An internal conflict emerged: Am I being a selfish elitist?

As my search wore on, and weeks turned into months, several +uestions emerged inmy mind, which really shook me to my core"

Who a I to judge which $u$$y is the right one for e 5 and how

will I (now" Against what standard can this answer be easured/ so I(now it's valid"

Should I go with $ure i$ulse/ or stic( to y original criteria 5 of abrightlycolored ale olden 9etriever/ :ab/ or eran She$ard/ ori> thereof" Why a I being so su$erficial" Arent I a utt/ a i> of

Austrian/ 9ussian and *olish ancestry/ and a bit of an oddloo(ingcharacter/ who's always resented being judged on that basis" #et now/arent I doing the e>act sae thing/ at least in $art/ to the dogs Iencounter"

A I being a selfish elitist for wanting to wait for a dog that eetsthe $hysical criteria that I envision" Dont every one of these $u$$ies

5 each beautiful in its own way 5 deserve a loving/ Bforever hoe 5right now/ today"

And who a I to say/ @o/ youre not good enough/ or what Iloo(ing for"

9hat last +uestion really got me, every time. ?very one of those $u$$ies deserved anindividual, couple or family who would love and nurture them, and provide them withtraining, compassion and encouragement. ?very one of thedeserved this the beautifulones, the odd#looking ones, the purebreds and the Dein5#8Fs1 the ones with behavioralissues, whether overly#dominant, spastic, or withdrawn and frightened. ?very one ofthe deserved to leave the -A(7-A destined not $ust for a new place to lay their head, but

a real/ honest#to#goodness hoe,where theyll feel loved, valued and protected.I started to feel terrible guilt. Who wasIto decide which puppy gets a home with me,

and which doesntC 9o decide which will have the chance to en$oy the great life that I willwork hard to give him or her, and which will be made to take a chance with someone else with absolutely no choice in the matterC

Ges, I know, were only talking about a dog here, not a person. %ut again to me,this was not like making a commitment to make payments on a vehicle1 this was a living,sentient creature, to whom I would be making a lifetime commitment.

I knew that the fastest, easiest way to end my frustration and guilt would have been tosimply take the first puppy of any kind, for which I felt some affection, and hope for the

best.

9he only deal#breaker that I anticipated was e&cessive barking. 4irst, because Icouldnt handle it, and second, because I was living in a pretty small apartment at the time,

with lots of other people in close pro&imity. While I assumed that problem could be worked


/age ?


9/16

out by an e&perienced trainer, I didnt feel it would be right for me to bring such a puppyinto that environment, and make my neighbors suffer and hate me!, until the problem wasresolved.


10/16

and reconsider, or start visiting other (7-As in -entral Eirginia, or start looking online.

And then, $ust when I was about to give up...

...it ha$$ened.

*


/age %$


11/16

!II" B.3I44I43 56 4.7 +I8., A49 S.AC;I43 8


12/16


13/16

April 2002: The face, and the aura,

that stole my heart.

9he first thing I detected was how bright her aura was" she seemed to radiatehappiness, curiosity and fun. 9he second thing I noticed was that there was no $umping, nobarking, no howling, which were strong negatives to me. (he $ust sat there, slowly waggingher tail, smiling. If I had to assign words to her at this point, it was as if she was saying,4i there. What do you want"

As I looked at her, I remember thinking, Wow/ what a great s$irit this dog sees to

have. In a way, (hayna sort of reminded me of 7atricia a beautiful, +uiet, proud,independent creature, dark hair, big bright eyes, not highly influenced by first impressionsin both cases, this worked to my advantage!.

After $ust staring at each other and smiling for a few moments, I looked at her intakeformwhich was affi&ed to the front of her cage!, to learn something about her. It said thatshe and her twin sister had been rescued the day beforeB from in a stor drain1 thatthey3d been seen for days/and that no other dog ,was3 $resent.,8Another woowoo7 arch EF ha$$ens to be the birthday of the first girl I ever loved/ described earlier/who I et in 200G.3 I thought"

A stor drain/ in arch/ in


14/16

puppy I thought I was looking for.

9he world seemed brand new again.

*or only the second time in my life, I felt the +arth move under my feet

(o I went into her cage, picked her up, and held her in front of me, eye to eye. We $ust

looked at each other. Der, with her puppy smile1 me, with a look likeK I dont know what Ilooked like, but it felt very special.

(hayna leaned over and began to lick my face.


15/16

And then I began openly crying. Dard, heavy tears.

I think it was because the more she looked at me, and the more I breathed in heraura, and the connection I felt with her, the more it seemed that after all the pain, shameand humiliation that the universe had dealt to me... after all the broken dreams and wastedefforts and disappointments and betrayals that had seemed to define so much of my life... itfelt like in this one moment, the cosmos handed me a winning lottery ticket, in the form of

the real, true, perfect first dog for me. I seem to remember that at that moment, Irecalled these lyrics from one of my favorite %onnie *aitt songs listen here!"

When he loo(s in her eyes/ he sees only the truth/

telling hi he's been living a lie/

+ver and over/ li(e a line in a song/

about all the love he let $ass hi by...

I put down a deposit for the shelter to hold (hayna for me, right then and there.

ot because she fit any of the physical criteria I was looking for +uite the contrary but because I felt more comfortable and compatible with her than with any of the otherpuppies Id encountered, and because I felt something more" agic. 9he kind of magicthat Id only felt once before in my life back in //?, when I met what I thought was thegirl of my dreams, and felt the Jarth move under my feet for the first time.


16/16

4or the first time in recent memory, with thee&ception of my move to -harlottesville, I hadsomething to look forward to something that Isensed would be one of the most positive thingsthat ever happened to me. And as I write these

words, with (hayna laying peacefully by my side,

eleven years later, time has actually proven thissupposition to be wrong. (he turned out to be themost positive thing that ever happened to me, andthe greatest gift I ever received.

,At right) arch 0/ EG2/ driving with aradiant s$irit over y right shoulder/ guidingy way/ with love.3


/age %2

excerpt from section ii for shayna memorial

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