Belle & Isaac

Belle passed away on May 17th 2010. She leaves behind Tess, Bella Luna and of course brother Isaac, and her berift family who will miss her always.

Rest in peace, Belle.

If you're reading this, and you're not a "dog person" (but you probably are, or you wouldn't be reading this) you might think to yourself 'What a strange title. How can dogs be orphaned? They aren't human children.' And yet, orphans are exactly what Belle and Isaac were.

For the first five years of their lives, Belle and Isaac, siblings, lived happily and comfortable with their best friend, a human man who loved them dearly. This man thought the world of his two border collie dogs. He wasn't the sort of man who thought dogs should live in the house, but they had a large yard to play in, a comfortable doghouse to sleep in and every day he played with them, spent time with them and doted on them in the best way he knew how. He was an older man, in a rural area, from a different generation who thought dogs belonged outside and didn't need socializing or training. Belle and Isaac knew nothing different and they were happy, in good shape, groomed regularly and they knew their person loved them.

Then their world came crashing down. Lights, sirens, strangers rushed to the house in the night. The dogs cowered in the corner of the yard while people they didn't know removed their "dad" from the home on a stretcher. The lights and the strangers went away and everything became eerily quiet.

They never saw the old man again.

The old man they knew as "dad" was rushed to the hopsital. He spent a month or more there and then he passed away.

Like small children, Belle and Isaac could not understand what happened. They did not have the ability to comprehend that their dad had gotten sick and died. They were alone and they were confused. No one could explain to them what had happened. They wandered their yard depressed and scared and not a person on earth could make them understand why.

Sadly, their dad had no family other than them. No one missed him or noticed he was gone. It was the neighbors who looked in on Belle and Isaac and recognized that the dogs were growing thinner. There was no food. So the neighbors filled their bowls. There was no water, so they ran the hose. They talked amongst themselves and made inquiries and learned the old man was dying, and then, that he had passed away. But there was no one to tell about Belle and Isaac, hiding in their dog house, growing thin, their fur matting, nails growing and twisting under their feet; unable to trust the kind people who fed them every few days, these two siblings grew more fearful, more withdrawn.

The weather grew colder and the dogs long winter coats became matted and dirtier. Finally a neighbor could stand it no more and called a local dog pound about the dogs. The Dog Pound visited and said "these dogs are afraid, they are sick and no one will ever want them. We'll have to put them to sleep." But a volunteer at the Dog Pound felt differently - in her heart, she knew these dogs were orphaned and all they needed were new parents. So she called TDBCR.

BELLE AND ISAAC IN THEIR YARD, ORPHANED

When we met Belle and Isaac, our eyes filled with tears. Not just from the stench of their dirty coats, or from the smell of urine that had seeped into Belle's coat because of an untreated bladder infection. Not because they raked at our bodies with their long nails as they stiffed armed us while we lifted their terrified, thin and dirty bodies in and out of the car. We fought back tears because these dogs were so afraid of human contact, so terrified at being removed from the only home they had ever known. We cried because they were in such rough shape, because they had been alone and afraid for 6 long months in their yard. We cried because we could not tell them that we wanted to make their lives better for them. They could not understand.

Weeks passed. Belle and Isaac were scrubbed and clipped, brushed and bathed. They submitted, but they were almost comatose with fear. Isaac would lie next to his foster mum on the sofa because he craved touch, but he could not relax even with the gentle hands that stroked him and told him he was loved and he was safe. Belle was afraid of the hardwood floor - she had never seen such a thing, or walked on such a thing, and she often became stranded, helpless, on throw rugs - unable to run away, unwilling to stay trapped. Every day their foster mum soothed and stroked, talked quietly to them and tried to help them.

Gradually Belle stopped hiding behind the bookcases. Isaac began to tentatively chase a ball. Their coats became lustrous and thick and they gained the weight they needed. They also began to gain back some of the confidence they'd had before they were orphaned. But it took such a long time, every day was two steps forward and one step back, their progress measured in increments. It was time for them to find a new home, but we could not seperate them. They had lost everything, and they could not lose each other too.

DOESN'T ANYONE WANT TWO DOGS?

It would appear that nobody did. "I'd love to adopt Belle" the application would say, or "Isaac looks like a real sweet dog. But I don't have room for two dogs." Or someone would write and say "their story has really touched me, I would love to give them a home. I've got a condo downtown." Belle and Isaac, still traumatized by all that happened to them, and all that they had lost, still had not adjusted to living in the house all the time. They often crept into the backyard and spent hours or days out there, more comfortable in the sort of environment they had always known than curled up on a sofa. They would not be walked on a leash and they did not want to leave the yard. All they wanted was something that approximated "home" and we could not find anyone to provide it for them.

Then we met Val. Val is a long time border collie owner, always welcoming rescue dogs into her life. When we met Val, her elderly rescued border collie Zeke was in the last days of his life. The day we sent a volunteer to do a home visit was the last day that Zeke walked the acres of her small farm with her. He died shortly afterward and Val's home was empty with only her other dog Tess to do the daily chores with her. She could offer Belle and Isaac regular freedom on her farm - the ability to come and go from the house as they pleased, warm places inside to curl up, daily companionship from her and her husband as they tended to the ducks and the flowers and the vegetables.

It was times for Belle and Isaac to go Home.

On December 17th, Valerie sent us this update a little more than a month after she generously welcomed these two orphaned, damaged dogs into her home and in her heart:

This is my first attempt at sending an update on Belle and Isaac to all of you at TDBCR. I also wish to thank you for trusting us to take good care of them. I wrote Sheena that I was really impressed with the caliber of people in TDBCR, and how you all really put the dogsfirst. So, thank you for the work you all did on their behalf, and I am sure that if they could talk, Belle and Isaac would be wishing you the best of the season, with some waggs of appreciation.

Their first day here (on the farm)was controlled - in and out of the house, and around the yard and fields on a leash. Betti was right, they do not do leashes well at all. I thought I would give them time to feel more secure here and then go one on one to get some basic work done.

The second day, I let them loose in the fenced orchard and then bingo! They took a moment to realize they were loose and could run free. They spent the following weekend outside where we were working, just running. I think they got rid of most of their heebeejeebees and they have been gaining confidence daily. I have learned that they do not like brooms (when I sweep the floor I try to avoid them) and come evening they WANT to be inside, Belle especially. I wonder if where they came from, having been on their own for a number of months, if they had a few frights with wildlife like cougars or coyotes? Time ought to heal those experiences for them.

They are very good in the house and have sorted out which corner they like best. Bella under the telephone table (which was where our old Zeke liked to be) and Isaac has a choice of two baskets. They stay close when we are outside and I found that if one is missing for a moment, I just call, and they come a-running.

They have tolerated being combed and de-tangled so they are fluffing up nicely. Our other dog Tess has been herded incessantly by Isaac, and they are working out a routine. Tess retrieves and Isaac keeps watch (at a distance) The odd time he has moved in for nip and Tess has reacted. When she reacts, she is suddenly wearing two dogs around her neck because Belle dives in. For the last few days, there have been no squabbles, so I think they are working it out better now. It hard to believe we have had them for a month!

So, thanks again for trusting us to care for them. And all the best of the season to TDBCR and all its members.

Val.