Rescuing an animal can be one of the most rewarding experiences a person can have. My family can attest to this with our two dogs, Cinder and Good Boy.
If you’ve ever worked with me in the Scarborough branch, chances are you’ve heard me talk about my dogs or seen their photos in the entryway. Both Cinder and Good Boy are rescues, and although Good Boy has passed, his life reminds me every day that the hardships one faces are not the only thing that make up who they are.
We originally got Good Boy after our dog Bijou had unexpectedly passed at the age of 2. We weren’t expecting to meet a new family member when we went to the rescue event, but when my brother found him and his foster mom at the back of the store, away from all the other dogs, we knew he was meant to be with us.
The rescue originally named him Milo, but his foster mom called him Boo-Boo, as he looked like the sidekick from Yogi Bear. Nobody in my family thought he did, but he seemed to like the name much better than Milo. He had many name changes throughout his life, going from Eddie to Milo to Boo-Boo to Rory, until his name settled on Good Boy. I like to say he chose his name, as it’s what he responded to the best.
Good Boy had a rough start to his life. He was in a puppy mill for his first 6 years, kept in a cage with no vet care. He developed extreme anxiety and had to have all but one of his teeth pulled. When we brought him home, he couldn’t step onto the wood floor of our kitchen, couldn’t leave his bed, had to be fork-fed wet food by my mom, and he wouldn’t walk around in the grass in our backyard.
He was afraid of all men, except for my Grandpa Gary and my brother Will, and even though he could eat kibble just fine, he didn’t know how to eat from a dog bowl. We took a family vacation to Estes Park, Colorado, and Good Boy came with us. We figured a change of scenery and different smells might help him open up a little bit, but he was never really one for the outdoors, as we would later find.
We did our best to get him used to aspects of a dog’s life, but he had been through so much trauma that we knew humans could only do so much. So, we reached out to the same rescue to see if they had any other dogs that could help Good Boy learn how to, essentially, be a dog.
They had just gotten 22 dogs in, 19 of which were puppies they weren’t expecting to find. We applied for one little brown dog, named Cinder. 24 other people had applied for her, but they chose our family because they knew Good Boy needed a friend.
Almost immediately, the two were inseparable. Cinder would cry if he went anywhere without her, and he would get as close as possible to her so he could make sure she wouldn’t leave him. They were almost always seen together. If Cinder was in the living room, Good Boy was scrambling around the kitchen to try and get to her. He never fully got the hang of the wood floors.
Good Boy had several health issues that later came to light. He had cancerous lumps removed from his jaw on more than one occasion, a twisted back leg from when he was born, and at age 12, he was diagnosed with diabetes. My family couldn’t afford to buy insulin for him, but our vet recommended a special food that could help maintain his blood sugar. He gave a 50 percent chance that it would work. Good Boy pulled through, and he lived for another six years.
In the span of 12 years, Good Boy was able to see the mountains of Colorado, the ocean of Maine, the city of Boston, and the cornfields of Nebraska. Good Boy lived to be 18 years old, passing away on November 5, 2024.
Cinder was lost without him. He was her best friend, and it has been hard to go on without him, but Cinder is getting older too. She is 13 years old now and older than Good Boy was when he became diabetic. Cinder has had several teeth removed due to periodontal disease, which is prevalent in Yorkies, but it can also happen with age in any dog.
Both of my dogs are rescues, and both have lived over a decade. If you hesitate to adopt a senior dog, or any pet, because they could have health issues, behavioral issues, or you may have less time with them, remember each animal is an individual, unique living being who deserve homes where they can be safe and live their days in comfort.
We adopted Good Boy as a senior, and he lived a long, fulfilling 12 years with us. He had trauma that never really left him, but he also had a family that would never even think about leaving him.
