I’m writing this from my dining room table trying to re-cap the weekend. So much has happened, but the good news is that we have a new edition to the family- Duke Jenkins! All 8.5 lbs of this little guy is completely healthy, so we thank you for all your prayers.
Saturday was one of the toughest days I’ve had in a while. It was finally time to take our little dog to the Humane Society to be euthanized. We adopted our little guy approximately four years ago, and within that time there were a total of four different incidents that involved biting, not including the times he had bit Kay and I. We exhausted all of our efforts as we sought the help of professionals and changed a lot of our daily routines in order to cater to the needs of our little four-legged guy.
I can remember the day that we spotted him at the Riverside shelter. Kay and I were eager to adopt, so we were on a mission to find the right puppy. As Kay and I were making our rounds through the never-ending corridor of kennels, we saw Walter make his way over to us and lay his chin on the concrete step as other dogs were jumping and screeching all over. Those manipulative hazel eyes stared into the depths of our soul! We took him outside for some “meet and greet” time and we knew he was the one.
Wally and I would often go for walks/ runs and I knew that God had brought this little companion into our lives for a special reason. So many things were revealed to me as we trained and ran with this little dog on a regular basis. He used to stray while we ran at night, so I would give him a little tug to redirect him into safety. He would test my patience and I would do my best to give him grace for chewing up our guest’s shoes, socks, and other articles of clothing. I know that God brought Walter into our life for a special reason and throughout his time with us, I can look back and just thank the Lord for four years of companionship that he provided to us.
After his last biting incident, Kay and I discussed our options and after tons of calls we realized that no adoption agencies would qualify him for their programs due to his serious history of biting. We would not post his information in the classifieds since we were fearful that another new owner could potentially be bit. Now with little Duke in the family, we are unable to risk the chance of another attack so I did one of the hardest things I’ve EVER had to do in my life.
He smiled at me as I loaded him in the truck and we drove to Ramona Humane Society in San Jacinto. As we pulled in the drive way he was panting and was smiling, as if to say “Where are we going now, Dad?” I put on his leash and with tears in my eyes we entered into the front lobby. With a shaky voice, I informed the woman at the front desk that I needed to surrender my little guy. I filled out the paperwork and a volunteer asked me if I was ready.
I knelt down to say my good byes, but as the volunteer was trying to pull him to the kennel, he kept crying and was fighting with everything in him to come back to me. I walked him back to the quarantine kennel myself, took off his collar, told him I loved him, and cried like a baby as I shut the kennel door behind me. He was crying hysterically as I walked away.
I was completely heart broken. As I made my way home through the canyon I looked at my passenger seat and sitting there were his collar, his leash, and his intake paperwork. I just betrayed my best friend. I remember praying as tears were rolling down my cheek just asking for God to give Walter and myself peace. I prayed that God would take away his fear and anxiety of being in that scary kennel before being euthanized. I began to give thanks for the four years that God gave us with Walter. We had learned so much from him and my mourning turned into thanksgiving. God gave us that little puppy at a time in our lives when we needed him more than he needed us.
I know that Walter is in a better place where he can run for days without tiring. A place where he has no more anger or aggression and his heart is at peace. Today Kay and I were at Petco to pick up more supplies for our other pup and I saw a dog at the adoption booth that looked exactly like Walter, but I knew it wasn’t him. With a peaceful heart I just thanked God for Walter. Animals are very special and God has given us domain over these cute little critters; their unconditional love comes from the one who made them…
God Bless and have a great weekend.
In His Love,
Garrett Castro
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