Mouse is a small little thing with wiry hair. It can be said that she isnโt the most attractive dog around. In fact, one could say she is a little ugly.
This may seem a harsh thing, but even Brooke, Mouseโs owner, believes this:
โRule of thumb: Pick the ugliest one you can. They have the largest heart and bring you the most joy. Mouse isnโt the most beautiful thing on the planet; but my god, sheโs a hootโ
Brooke is a huge proponent of rescuing dogs. She would always have at least six or seven dogs in her home at a time.
She and her family would go to the euthanasia room, and pick dogs sick or well. If it was well, they would rehabilitate it. If it was sick, they would feed it a lavish meal and then humanely take it to her vet and make it feel loved in its last twenty-four hours.ย Over the course of eight years, she took home over a hundred dogs.
โIt was a lesson for my children and it really teaches them they can save a life. I never kept my kids from it. I never hid them from the reality that people dump dogs off. With little or no regard of what’s going to happen to that dog’s life.โ
Brooke says now she usually has two dogs, but Mouse likes to be alone.
She tried to have another dog, but it is difficult. Mouse doesn’t play with other dogs. Just humans.
โShe’s all I need, and I think Iโm constantly all she needs. Sheโs just misunderstood.โ
Brooke has had Mouse for nine years now.
Her family had to put down their dog,ย Brillow, their first rescue. Brillow was seventeen, and could barely see or hear. She was a significant dog in the familyโs life.
โThe kids were like we won’t be sad if we get another dog,โ Brooke chuckles. โI told my son, โWeโll do a shelter run. If we’re gonna keep a dog, it has to be super special, and healthy. Itโll have to be ugly. That’s how they’re so much cuter.โโ
โMy son was 12, and we had gone to about three shelters. And he said, โSheโs not here.โ We left the shelter and we were walking to our car and walking around the area. You never know who youโll find.โ
โI think my son must have heard a rumbling and a whimpering. He said โMamaโฆ I hear something.โโ
โI donโt.โ
โI think it’s from that dumpster.โ
โWell, I am not gonna dumpster dive.โ
โBut I am.โ
Brookeโs son jumped into the dumpster and when he emerged he was sobbing. Brooke asked her son what was wrong.
He replied, โThere’s a little dog in here. She has puppies and they are all dead.โ
Over the phone I could hear Brooke tearing up. Brooke went on, โThis protective lioness who is postpartumโฆ You don’t think twice. You just grab the dog and you take her with you. We took her to our vet, and she checked out.โ
โGoshโฆ this is so personalโฆ She had a yeast infection. There’s nothing like having to douche your dog after you take her home.โ
Brooke laughs, โWe just took her into our lives though.โ
Mouseโs transition into the home wasnโt exactly calm.
โShe tried to kill one of our other dogs. She was such a street dog. We had this Yorkie. We heard curdling screams and we walked into our bedroom. And the light blue paint on the walls was splattered with blood.โ
A dog they had had for six years was injured. They took the dog, Jo, to the vet, and Jo healed. Now Mouse couldn’t be left alone. She was trying to establish a hierarchy.
The family had to make a tough decision.
โHereโs this dog that we just found in a dumpster, for a week and a half, and now were gonna get rid of a dog weโve loved for six years. Mouse or Jo.
The kids made the decision.
โWeโre keeping Mouse!โ
Brookeโs sister, who also rescued dogs, took Jo, and Mouse stayed with the family.
โI think my younger son had connected with her on a level that has never diminished to this day. There’s nothing like the bond these two have because of how they met. I take no credit for saving her life. That’s all for my son.โ
Brooke believes that there is no need to ever buy a dog. To her, itโs not a purchase.
โWhen you rescue a dog you donโt think about the money. It doesn’t end after the adoption fee.โ
โIf youโre contemplating rescue, it is the most gracious, generous thing you can do. These animals give back fifty times, a hundred times more than you do. There are so many dogsโฆ In my opinion, if more people did it weโd have a kinder society. It helps you sleep at night because you can go, โHuh. I save a life today.โ
With the holiday season upon us, we have to take the time to look outwardsย and see what good we can do for others. From helping four-legged creatures to our fellow two-legged ones, we have to be mindful of our efforts. For one to receive, someone has to give.
Just know, a pup will always give back way more than it receives.
