Her Name is Misty

Written by Jules:

This morning, I went to Oberlin with my sister to visit a favorite store of mine, Bead Paradise, before we headed to Wellington to hit a wonderful little coffee shop for lunch. My sister was hoping to get ideas for Christmas at the bead store, which is an amazing place - there is so much there that one can become totally overwhelmed and decisions can be difficult at best. After our trip there, we went into a little flower shop so that my sister could look for a card. It was in this little store that I made an encounter that has stayed with me all day, and probably will forever.

I wasn't particularly interested in looking around the store, as my funds were limited and there was nothing I needed, but I soon noticed in the back of the store a small collie dog. The dog was sleeping and not paying much attention to us. Within a few feet of where I was standing, there was another collie. I was not sure if she was friendly. I called to her and after a few attempts, she rose from her position and came to me reluctantly. She let me pet her, but what I noticed right off was a distant, far away feeling from this beautiful dog. She was aloof, a bit afraid. I kept talking to her and she looked at me, but she did not react much. She reminded me of how my calico cat Ginger behaved when she first came to live with us.

Ginger had been a shelter cat, having lived in a cage for at least six months before finally ending up with Erieshores, who put her in a foster home where she lived during the week with a family and other homeless cats. On Saturdays, Ginger and other Erieshores cats went to Petsmart where the hope was someone would adopt her. On a Saturday in late January 2002, I was at Petsmart, and happened to see Ginger. It was 3 months after my calico cat Lily had passed. They looked so much alike. Ginger became a member of our family one week later.

The dog at the flower store, I learned from the lady who owned her, had lived in a kennel for 7 years - her entire life. She lived in a cage and was kept for breeding purposes. At some point, her vocal cords had been snipped to prevent her from barking. The beautiful collie's name was Misty. Her owner told me that Misty has had very little socialization. When they adopted her, she wanted only to go into a cage they kept in their house. They soon realized they couldn't let her stay at home during their work hours so they brought her to the store. They have had her for three months. Misty does not wag her tail. She does not seem to be able to react back to affection or attention. But after three months, her new owners feel she has made some progress. They were told it could take as long as a year to help her acclimate to a loving home and respond back. After sitting on the floor in this flower shop, petting Misty and talking quietly to her, my heart broke. I could have cried.

I do know, though, that on the one day a week my son has his guitar lesson, and my husband and I go for burritos at Agave Burrito Bar, we are also going to visit Misty in that flower shop to see how she is doing and to get to know her a little better. I want to see light in this beautiful dog's eyes and not the fear and emptiness I saw today. With the owners who have her now, I believe strongly that in time, just like my cat Ginger, that Misty will come around. She has a chance now. She has a chance to know a life with caring and loving people.

President-Elect Barack Obama's election night speech in which he told his daughters that they had earned a new puppy and that puppy would be going with them to the White House, has captured the attention of the media, but especially the attention of those who work with or are committed to animals in shelters. The family hopes to adopt a shelter dog. And I hope they do too. It will send a message out that it is absolutely THE RIGHT THING TO DO and perhaps can help other dogs like Misty and cats like Ginger get good homes with people who will love them.

"Dogs are our link to paradise. They don't know evil or jealousy or discontent. To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing nothing was not boring - it was peace." - Milan Kundera