Patience is a Virtue (DRC cross-post)

[Amy, Cubbie & Ollie]

 

As a child, there was nothing quite as exciting as being handed a wrapped present.  Christmas or Birthday, it didn’t matter.  The gift was for you and there was something special inside.  You couldn’t open that box fast enough.

 

Adopting a doodle has been a similarly exciting experience but I have learned that you have to be patient to get to the wonderful gift that is inside. 

 

In June 2011, we adopted Ollie from DRC.  He was a rehome and while he was a nice dog, he came with his fair share of issues.  To stick with the gift analogy, he appeared to be a nicely wrapped package, but when we got him home and took that wrapping off, we found that the box had some bent corners and a lot of tape holding it tightly closed.   And while we were very anxious to be able to open that box and see the wonderful personality that was hidden inside, we had to stay patient and wait. 

 

We had to deal with the issues between Cubbie and Ollie and with the fact that Ollie was afraid of my husband for at least the first 2 weeks.  He couldn’t really walk on a leash, was very nervous in the car, and was pretty much afraid of everyone and everything.  We weren’t able to get too close to him and he would quickly snatch a treat and run away.  Ollie eventually warmed up to my husband and while still timid and unsure, we could tell that Ollie realized that this is his home.  We wondered whether this was his true personality or if there was something even more special yet to come. 

 

Love, patience, and training have helped immensely and the terrified dog that we brought home with us almost a year ago is mostly just a distant memory.   There are still some issues that need to be addressed and some new issues that have appeared (like the fact that he always runs up into Cubbie’s face and grabs one of Cubbie’s ears when he gets excited about going for a walk or a ride which tends not to make Cubbie too happy, but we are working on it).  Ollie is still very frightened of my brother (we are guessing that he somehow reminds him of something negative about his past) but has begun to allow strangers approach him while out in public which was something that we never really thought he would do. 

 

Somehow without us even realizing it, the tape that had been holding that present tightly inside that banged up box had slowly begun to fall away until all that was left was the present that had been trapped inside: a happy, crazy, loving doodle named Ollie.  He can now be found charging across the floor like a tank while chasing after a ball, gazing out the window at the world as it goes by, following us around the house with a toy hanging gently from his mouth, wrestling with Cubbie, or climbing up on your lap to shower you with Ollie Kisses.  So thank you DRC for giving us the wonderful gift that is Ollie and for trusting that we had the patience to slowly unwrap that present to discover the treasure that was inside.

[Bonnie and Kona]

What a beautiful tribute to your sweet boy. I'm sorry I missed this when you posted it, but I had to chime in with my gratitude for your loving remarks about Ollie. I fear most of us have bent corners and are wrapped up with tape. I'm glad you had the patience to discover the true gift that he is.

[Amy, Cubbie & Ollie]

Donna, I just love that quote.  Thank you!

[Donna K & Quincy]

I replied to this yesterday but it disappeared into cyberspace so I'll try again.

This quote is from an unknown author but was surely meant for you.

Patience is waiting, not passively waiting, that is laziness, but to keep going when the going is hard and slow - that is patience.”

Ollie is a very lucky doodle to have found you and your family.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Rescues make one feel grateful - they teach us patience and grace.  Thank you for posting.

[Anna and Achilles]

Beautiful!

[Michelle Motorola]

that is a beautiful story, im so happy that it worked out :)

[Carol and Banjo]

What a beautiful, uplifting blog, told so perfectly with the printed word and with photos!   You're very special Amy...thanks to you Ollie has a whole new life.   How wonderful!

[Amy, Cubbie & Ollie]

Eric, I'm sure you did a wonderful job preparing Stella for her new home!  He new family must be so excited.

 

Allyson, most of my pictures of Ollie are of him holding something in his mouth.  I need to work on getting some toy free pictures.   :)

 

Thanks Maryann. 

[Maryann,Roo and Tigger]

What a wonderful story and so well told.  Seems like Ollie was well worth the patience and training.  Thank you for taking and loving and training a rescue.  As with children love, while wonderful is not enough.  There must be guidance and rules for children and puppies to mature and become that wonderful present.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

I think Ollie hit the goldmine with you, Amy!  Thanks for being so patient with him.  And what an adorable photo at the end!