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Big Heart first
learned about Terra when a woman walked
into a business in Vancouver, pulling a suitcase on wheels. She asked if
they “take dogs” and the owner said no. When she unzipped the suitcase,
a 35 pound white Eskimo fell out and an overwhelming stench of urine and
feces wafted up. Her coat was tangled with mats, her muscles were
atrophied, and she looked unbearably sad. Poor Terra had been locked in
a bathroom her whole life with her muzzle wrapped in wire.
A note from Terra: I thought I’d check in with all of the nice people at Big Heart Rescue who got me out of the suitcase! I wasn’t in great shape then and felt pretty bad when they picked me up. But things started to look up when they cleaned my teeth and shaved off the mats and let me move in with a really nice lady named Cricket. She showed me a bunch of new things like grass, other dogs, and toys. She knew I was something special because the first time I met her, I looked at her eyes and wagged my tail. She said most abused dogs don’t do that. Then I got to move in with my family, and I’ve got to say, life is grand! A groomer came over and shaved all of the old hair and I grew a gorgeous, soft white coat. People come up to me all of the time and tell me that I’m beautiful! Some people even think my scars are tattoos! I love to curl my tail up over my back the proud Eskie way and prance along next to my Mom.
Now I hang out with my doggie buddies—Ari and Winnie—and we chase each other all over the house and the back yard. It took a while before I got strong because I’d never been able to run or jump. In the beginning, I fell down a lot when I tried to run (thank goodness for carpet!). I had to build up some muscles and get coordinated. My Mom just told me that the recipe was time, exercise, and love, and it seems to have done the trick. Every day, my Mom takes the three of us for a hike in the woods or along the river. In the woods, I get to sniff where the deer have been and splash in the creek. Now I can even run as fast as Ari and jump over downed trees. That’s a blast! I especially love running up and down the beach, and I jump up and down and bark whenever Ari goes for a swim. So far, I’ve only gone in up to my chest, but one of these days, I’ll join him in the deeper water. My Mom also takes me out in the car when she runs errands. I just curl up in a white ball and go right to sleep. The car is the calmest place in the world for me. Sad to say, because I was shut up for most of my life, I didn’t learn doggie and people manners, so I had some catching up to do. The first few days, I was afraid I wouldn’t get enough food, so I growled and tried to stand guard over my food bowl. Well, I found out that wasn’t okay, but I like how I learned it. My mom started to just put a tiny bit of food in my bowl, and she dribbled the rest in with her hand while I was eating. Having a hand so close to my face when I was eating kind of made me nervous at first, but pretty soon I got used to it. Now I really look forward to it, because every once in a while she puts her hand by my bowl and drops in a treat (cheese, bacon, or other yummy stuff). I also had to learn not to get in fights with the other dogs over bones or toys. There are enough to go around, but it took me a while to realize that. I’m an Eskie so I also like to bark (especially since my mouth was wired shut so I didn’t get to for a long time). I’ve learned that barking is okay when someone comes to the door or when I’m out in the woods. But I can’t bark in the backyard because it bothers the neighbours. But boy, I love to bark! I also like to howl when the phone rings. Winnie does that, too. Now my days are chock full of really great things. I get to go for runs, ride in the car, chew on knuckle bones, visit pet shops and dog parks, get yummy food to eat, and even go to obedience class. When I curl up at night in my fluffy bed, I felt so safe and relaxed. I know I can look forward to sun drenched days and lots of love. So thanks Big Heart Rescue folks. You’re the best!
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