Not This One

I use to work in a Dog refuge, and we had all kinds of dog brought in, rescued from the street. Some had a difficult previous life, some a ‘not too bad’ life, some actually had a good life and maybe their owner passed on and there was no one to look after them. Turnaround for dog was quite interesting and never followed any defined pattern, it was more of a random walk. We get to know all the dogs, some were incredibly lovely despite the life they have lived, some were not particularly nice, others were wary of people and kept to themselves. Their motto was ‘feed me and leave me alone’.

There was Mifu a light brown Labrador Retriever, easy going, peaceful and playful, she had a massive heart, complimented by her looks, a stunning dog with beautiful soulful eyes that spoke volume. Sometimes she lacked confidence other times she was boisterous, her parent died in an accident shortly after she was born. Her first carer was abusive and treated her roughly, she still had scars on her though they have healed pretty well. Her personality was a bit restrained and atimes she was unsure of herself. But she was so easy to teach, an eager dog , keen to please and willing to learn. So appreciative and would reward each session of play with a unique dance, wagging of tail and spinning on the floor. I would take Mifu home if I could but I couldn’t.

Lots of people will come in to the shelter wanting to adopt a dog, Mifu had a run that made no sense to me. They would come in, stop at Mifu’s pen, stare at her, play with her, she will get all excited thinking she has met her new owner, but ‘No’ not to be, the person will move on and pick another dog. Sometimes potential owners will come in that want Mifu but not meeting our criteria we couldn’t release her to them. It was heartbreaking seeing her rejected one after the other. Someone would walk in, all the staff will think ‘yes’ this is the day, it is this one then it will turned out that it’s a ‘no’, not this one. I was counting, some will spend a few minutes, others an hour or so checking her out, appearing very keen, saying all the right things but nothing will come out of it. Today the 11th person to show interest in Mifu walked in, a man named Tigg, he really wanted a dog, always liked dogs, his last dog went wild, attacked him and destroyed his things, so he was rightfully cautious, we tried to reassure him that Mifu was a peaceful and loving dog. For 12 weeks he kept coming to the refuge regularly and spent a bit of time with Mifu, he wanted to be sure. He will skip a week or so but he kept coming back. We were all hopeful and excited, he was an expressionless man, so quite difficult to figure out was going on in his mind. But given he kept coming back we thought this was the one. Mifu was growing fond of him and always happy to see him. Tigg was saying all the right things, asking all the right questions about process and procedures. We were all sure that it was just a matter of time and all the paper work will be sorted out and Mifu will be in a happy home. Last minute Tigg developed cold feet and just never came back to the Shelter again, nobody knew what happened, Mifu was devastated, all the staff at the shelter were disappointed and crushed for Mifu.

One Sunny spring day, walked in Danny, a dog lover, done all his work, knew all the procedure, had his place all ready . All arrangements for a dog had been done, house all sorted out, vehicle kitted out, house stock up with dog food and toys. Holiday arrangements all in place for Mifu to be cared for when he travelled, this was interest no 12, Mifu had calmed down by this time, she had been disappointed many times. Though still keen, her confidence had build up, she was confident in her skin, no longer over excited, more relaxed, dignified in her appearance and approach. There was a connection and willingness, after a long wait, Mifu and Danny went home together. Mifu was happily settled with a caring dog lover.

So much to learn from the story of Mifu, so many times we go from one rejection to another, problems to problems, trial to trials, tribulations to tribulations with no apparent reason. People tell us to go and wash in a river to cleanse the failures and rejection away, others tell us ‘there is a force of darkness’, spiritual attack, suppressive pressure etc surrounding us or we are just accident or rejection prone. We go after this and after that. We are hopeful and believe it is this one, but it turns out not to be and then we think it is the next or the next one and the one after but again it is not. Yet another rejection letter, failed projects after failed project, another car accident, another failed relationship, another planning refusal, another builder has done a runner, we came down another wall, nothing is working, we can’t see any result for all our efforts in the gym, all our tradings have gone awry, family have turned sour, our health is struggling, life makes no sense etc. We are on the 11th run and we are ready to pack it in but just when we felt it was over, that it can’t improve or turn around, when we heard so many ‘No’s, when our hearts have sank over and over, when we have lost it all too many times. When we have heard ‘Not this one’ 11 times, let’s please keep faith and hope, for on the 12th round our Danny will arrive and it will be a ‘Yes, this is the one I want!’

Wait for Danny!