Hazel's Story

It was a hectic, stressful morning, and, as we loaded up the car to bring our two foster dogs to an adoption event, we had no idea that our lives were about to change that day. One of our foster dogs, Jackpot, was just a four month-old puppy – a Jack Russell Terrier/Pitbull mix. He was a great puppy, very well-mannered, mostly white, and adorable. We didn’t expect to be bringing him back home that day without a potential adoption in the works.

The event was crowded. The store traffic was heavy and we had plenty of dogs for people to meet and consider making a part of their family. As the hours went by and the dogs patiently waited in their crates, I noticed one little puppy who was not in a crate. She was on a leash and volunteers kept passing her off to other volunteers. Someone handed her off to me and said, “Here, take this puppy!” I grabbed her leash and she began to jump up on my legs and nip at me. She was only three months-old and had very sharp puppy teeth. She would grab the leash in her mouth and attempt to play “tug” with me. She was not a very well-mannered puppy at all.

I thought that this puppy could benefit from Jackpot’s example, since he was such a model pup, so I decided to take them for a walk together. After a short wrestling match, I finally got both puppies under control, on leashes, and proceeded to take them for a walk outside. By the time I returned to the area of the store, where the event was taking place, the two puppies were walking, side by side, like little soldiers. Jackpot and his protégé were perfect little angels and I thought to myself, “Damn, I’m GOOD.” 

I put Jackpot and his new friend in a crate together, where they cuddled up and took a nap. As the day went on, I studied this puppy. There was something special about her. Maybe it was because I always seem to fall in love with the troublemakers. Maybe it was that I enjoy a good “project”. At the moment, I couldn’t figure it out, but I had a strong desire to take this puppy home with us.

We went to the event that day with the hopes of finding homes for two dogs. We ended up leaving with three dogs. Sometimes, that’s the way it goes when you foster dogs for a rescue. That’s okay. Everything we do is for the good of the dogs. We sacrifice so they can have what they need. They are like our children and we wouldn’t have it any other way. We eat, sleep, and breathe “dog rescue”. It’s what we were put on this planet to do and the Universe only gives us exactly what we can handle. The Universe sent us this puppy for a reason.

This puppy needed a name. We watched her, learned about her personality, and consulted with friends. Her most striking feature, the one that set her apart from any other puppy we’d ever seen, was her eyes. She has the most mesmerizing, hazel eyes. So we named her Hazel and it fits her perfectly.

Over the next week, Hazel and Jackpot were like two peas in a pod. They bonded instantly. They played, ran around, and swam in the doggie pool together. They went EVERYWHERE together! They were amazing to watch! Hazel seemed to be a different dog than she was at the adoption event. She still had some issues to work on, like her food-aggression, and leash manners, but we were prepared and working on those issues. We knew Jackpot was a good example and were confident that Hazel was thriving in our home environment.

Then Jackpot got adopted. We were thrilled for him and his new family. Our goal, as fosters, had been met, and the home Jackpot went to is perfect for him! His new parents adore him and he adores them. Another life saved and time to move on – to save anther one.

In our experience as fosters, two puppies are always easier than one. So, we had a spot open to help another puppy! The next day, we brought home Vinny – a five month-old, brindle pitbull. Vinny is twice Hazel’s size, very mellow, and just does his own thing. He’s the perfect dog for any family. But, not perfect for Hazel. It was shortly after we brought Vinny home that we began to notice something different about her. Hazel, as it turns out, is blind.

Hazel, without Jackpot - who was acting as her seeing-eye dog, suffers from food aggression, separation anxiety, again hates her leash, again is jumpy and nippy, and runs in to everything! It took Jackpot’s absence for us to figure out that Hazel is blind. Needless to say, I cried for her.

I also fell in love with her. She’s remarkable. Over the next few days, I worked even harder on her training. At one point, I decided, since she’s such a tactile learner, that I would bring her a pile of toys out to the yard and let her play with them. Hazel proceeded to take one toy at a time and place each of them by any hazard she found – the edge of the deck, the corner of the fence – anything she could run in to. Then, after she’d “mapped out” her safe zone in the yard, she ran laps inside her little area. She did this all on her own and I was enthralled with her intelligence and survival skills!

Hazel relies on her senses of hearing, smelling and feeling to navigate this world. If you pick her up, she panics, since she can’t see where you’re taking her. If you touch her unexpectedly, or try to put a leash, collar, or harness on her, she panics and bites you. Don’t get me started on the drying her off after a bath episode! Hazel is living her life in panic/survival mode. But she inspires me with her resourcefulness and tenacity.

 My life changed the day I met Hazel. She breaks my heart every single day with her disability. Then she mends it with her perseverance. I love Hazel and I am so honored to have her in my life.