March of 2003 we received two young Scottie rescues, a male and female who were abused and very frightened of men. Zaron of SK9 Scottie Rescue took the male dog Truman, and I took Lilly. I have never seen dogs so afraid of men as these two, although Truman seemed to be coping better than Lilly. Both dogs had been to the vet and checked out ok, but their emotional scars would be with them forever.
Lilly would just sit and shake whenever my hubby Chuck would enter the room and if she had the opportunity, Lilly would take off running. Even when Lilly was in the backyard with the other Scotties if she saw Chuck anywhere outside Lilly was off on a mad dash into the house. The fear in Lillie's eyes was heartbreaking. I wondered what horrible events occurred with men and this little dog.
I speculated could it be that this kind gentle man of mine Chuck, reminded Lilly of someone so evil there were no words to explain? I asked a friend of ours to come over to determine if the overall appearance of Chuck was the issue. I thought maybe because Chuck is dark haired, eyed and medium skin perhaps a lighter haired, eyed and skin toned man may make a difference. Well Harv stopped by and poor little Lilly was just as frightened. Obviously any man would frighten Lilly.
Two months passed and I hoped Lilly would become more comfortable with Chuck but this did not happen. I was very concerned for Lilly as keeping her would only prove to bring her more stress just because there was a man in her life. Finding a good home where there was no man could prove to be just as difficult.
I did have one possible rescue applicant, Kathy. I gave Kathy a call and explained the situation about Lilly. Kathy however now had a wonderful man in her life but thought maybe he could work with Lilly to overcome her fear. I told Kathy I would have to give it more thought and would call her back in a week. The more I studied Lilly the more I realized how she would never have any peace if there was a man around. I called Kathy back and explained my thoughts and Kathy being the wonderful person she is, understood and said, well when the right Scottie for me comes along, we both will know. I thanked Kathy for her gracious understanding and struggled with what to do for Lilly.
Then in May I received a Scottie Rescue application form Priscilla. In her application she spoke of her Scottie Mac who had crossed the bridge just a month or so ago. My heart just ached for this woman. I called Priscilla and talked about Lilly and Priscilla said the probability of another man in her life was most unlikely. There was a cosmic connection between Priscilla and I, and certainly it sounded like a perfect match for Lilly. Here is the rest of Lilly's story as written by Priscilla, April 2004.
This month marks the first anniversary of my Scottie Mr. Macintosh's crossing over the Rainbow Bridge. He was my first Scottish Terrier and taught me the ways of living life as it should be lived. We lived together for 13+ years. When I took him home as puppy that November day I did not know that my life would be changed forever.
For the first 30 days I grieved and wondered how I would go on with my life without him. I made inquiries about another Scottish puppy. I sought counsel from friends and co-workers. I spent hours working on a name for a new puppy and never could decide. It was almost like an exercise in futility.
Little did I know that hundreds of miles away in Ohio a little girl named Lily was waiting for me. One of my friends had told me why get a puppy - why not get a rescue Scotty. This could be a way of honoring Mr. Mac and would help an animal have a great second start at life.
I began filling out applications on the sites of Scotty rescue groups. Meanwhile I had gone to Barnes and Noble and purchased what I thought was an Iowa map in case I went there to pick-up a puppy from a breeder there but instead I bought an Ohio map by mistake. I had planned to exchange the map on the weekend...
On Friday I received a call from Kathleen in Ohio saying she may have just the right Scotty for me and her name was Lily! We chatted and I sent hr more information. She asked the local rescue group to come and meet with me and do an inspection of my residence. A visit by the Queen of England couldn't have caused that much anxiety.
As I am writing this story Lily is snoozing beside my chair. I drove to Ohio where Kathleen and her husband Chuck met me half way where we had a get acquainted picnic lunch in a roadside park. It was such a heartwarming experience as I met all of Kathleen's fur kids. I knew this was all arranged by a higher power when I learned that Lily had arrived at Kathleen's farm on my sons birthday.
All I can say about Lily is that when I look at her all I can think of that song. "This Little Light of Mine, I'm Gonna Let it Shine..."
Thank you Priscilla for writing about you and Lilly.
Truman, Lilly's counterpart, went to a wonderful home where he is treated like royalty and has a Scottie buddy.
Oh to add to this story, we found a special Scottie Rescue Girl for Kathy. This little Scottie was an owner turn in, named Daisy. When I called Kathy and discussed this wee one with her, Kathy said the Scottie sounds just perfect. Kathy asked me the Scotties name and I said Daisy. Kathy was estatic as it turns out her first Scottie she had growing up was named Daisy. Kathy could not wait to tell her mom she was getting a Rescued Scottie named Daisy.
When I took Daisy to her new home, Kathy picked her up in her arms and said, "My Daisy has come home."
All is as it should be; The powers that be have deemed it so!
Kathleen
Rainbow Scottish Terrier Rescue
