Once upon a time - though not all that long ago - there arrived at our rescue a dog who looked more like a ghost than anything alive. He was called Promise. Not because he promised anything (he was too poorly to talk), but because we promised him that, if he stayed, we’d do everything we could to give him a life worth wagging a tail about.
He didn’t wag. He couldn’t stand. He flopped, like a furry dishcloth with ears.
Now, Promise is a Cocker Spaniel, but only if someone accidentally washed one on the wrong setting. He’s miniature, teeny-tiny, like a pocket-sized mop with big eyes and no clue where his feet were supposed to go. And back then? He couldn’t even eat without help. We weren’t sure he’d make it. In truth, nobody thought he would - except us.
But dogs are built of quiet miracles.
Each day, Promise tried. First he blinked more. Then he twitched a paw. Then, astonishingly, he followed me with the stubborn determination of someone who’s just remembered what love feels like. And one day, he stood up.
Another day, he ran. (Well, it was more of a chaotic, sideways gallop, like someone dropped a jelly in a wind tunnel - but still, it was beautiful.)
Then came the lead. Oh, the lead. You’ve never seen such confusion and joy in one wiggly body. But he learnt. Because Promise is a learner. A trier. A scrappy little survivor who just wants to be beside you, preferably under your feet, preferably while you’re carrying hot tea.
He doesn’t need another dog, but he’d enjoy one. He loves people. Loves kindness. Loves, well… life. Now that he has one.
And yet - he waits. Still.
Three months of fighting, healing, learning, growing, and still, nobody picks him. People say they want a special dog. One who’ll love them forever. One who’ll never forget what they’ve done for him.
Well - here he is. His name is Promise. And we’re keeping ours.
Now will you help us keep another? Share him. Talk about him. Think of him. Because this little ghost of a dog has already come back from the dead. All he needs now is somewhere to live.
For real.