I’d Been Waiting for Rusty
Our first two alpacas were scheduled to be delivered soon. I wasn’t sure how we would keep them safe from predators. Our fences were new and strong, but I knew I needed to find some livestock guard dogs.
Enter Beverly Coate. This wonderful old country woman had been raising and breeding Great Pyrenees for dozens of years. Since I was 8 months pregnant at the time, I told Beverly I didn’t really want a puppy. Instead I was looking for some dogs that were already trained and ready to work.
“Well”, she said, “I’ve got two rescue dogs…” Red flags went up in my head. Rescue equalled untrustworthy to me. Not what I wanted guarding my precious, expensive investments. But I listened to her story.
Rusty and Joy were two dogs she had rescued. They had been found wandering on somebody’s front porch out in the middle of nowhere. They tried to find their owners, but had no luck. Beverly kept them, and after a while she gave them a chance to guard her sheep and goats. “They came to me already knowing how to work. They are really good guard dogs.”
Beverly told me that I could return Joy and Rusty to her if they didn’t work out. I trusted her judgment and agreed to take Joy and Rusty to guard our herd.
It was the week of Christmas. Super cold temperatures were causing air traffic delays all across the country. The morning Joy and Rusty were supposed to be flying in from Oklahoma, I mentioned to my husband, “Beverly says that Rusty has a habit of putting his paws up on your shoulder. She says that he knows not to, so if you just tell him to get down – he will.”
“Can’t we get one without that option?” Steve asked, thinking about his very pregnant wife getting knocked down by this huge 100+lb. dog.
“No, we’re getting Rusty,” I said with conviction.
The dogs’ plane had been delayed by several hours due to the frigid temperatures at the Dallas airport. When they finally arrived at the airport it was close to midnight. It was pitch black outside. We had to meet them at a remote part of the airport since they were “cargo”.
By this time, the poor dogs had been in their crates so long that they had gone to the bathroom in them and were dying to get out. They rushed out of the crates and were wildly excited to see us. They fell in love with us immediately as we freed them from those cages! We clipped on their leads and went outside to let them relieve themselves.
Steve walked one dog, and I walked the other. In all the commotion of getting them out of their crates and with it being so dark, we couldn’t tell which of these big white dogs was which. As we walked along, the air was crisp and cold. The stark white of the dogs’ coats contrasted sharply with the black of the night. The stars were shining brightly overhead, and there was a sense of peacefulness. The kind that can only be felt on a winter night where nature is still, as you walk with a friend without speaking.
The silence was broken when I said, “I wonder which one is Joy and which one is Rusty?”
At that moment, the dog I was walking turned towards me. Very gently, he lightly put one paw up on my left shoulder, then the other paw came to rest on my other shoulder. The weight upon me was no more than that of a butterfly resting upon me. I looked into his eyes. Mine were filled with tears as I said, “Oh, Rusty, it’s YOU!”
Since that night, I have known that Rusty was meant to be my dog. I don’t know where he came from, though I have fantasized about it countless times. But I know he is a treasured soul and over the years our bond has only gotten stronger. Rusty is an amazing guard dog with a ferocious bark and a steadfast heart. He is protective of me and my alpacas. He would lay down his life for any of us, of that I am sure.
Thank you, God, for helping Rusty and me to find each other.
If you liked this post, you might also like Beloved’s story.
January 26th, 2009 at 7:35 am
Awww! This story made me happy in *so* many ways. I grew up with a great pyrenees (I miss him still), and your pictures and descriptions are wonderful. Also, I’m so glad that you adopted rescue dogs. (While our family Pyr wasn’t a rescue, many of our family dogs have been, including my best girl.) And, of course, it’s *always* so wonderful to read about a dog finding his human!
Eilonwys last blog post..Time Just Keeps on Slippin’
January 26th, 2009 at 7:48 am
Touching story, hope he will still be your companion for a long time!
January 26th, 2009 at 11:39 am
that is the sweetest story– you have me all teary eyed!
Jennis last blog post..This is my simple religion
January 26th, 2009 at 3:07 pm
A very sweet tribute to Ol’ Rusty!!
January 27th, 2009 at 2:24 am
GP’s are the best. We love ours.
d.a. (dasparky)s last blog post..A Duck in a Truck
January 27th, 2009 at 6:23 am
I’m a sucker for dog stories, but Rusty sounds like a real winner. That was a wonderful tribute to him. Thank you for sharing it.
January 28th, 2009 at 8:02 am
mine filled with tears too… when he put a paw on your shoulder….what a beautiful dog….
July 10th, 2009 at 4:26 am
A great Pet blog you have here. Now frankly I am not much into pets, I am trying to train my Little Pomerian House Breaking… and Not really sure how to train her. She looks cute but she going down on the bed is worse.!
September 20th, 2009 at 11:40 am
This is the sweetest story ever. Dogs are amazing creatures, and you obviously have 2 of them!
MsVennie´s last blog ..Escaping In Dresses
September 20th, 2009 at 1:00 pm
That is such a great story! How blessed you are to have Rusty (and Joy) in your life.
We are pretty committed to adopting rescue animals in my family – sometimes, they come with surprises, but we have had two wonderful dogs and three wonderful cats we adopted. (one dog and two cats are still with us)
Kate´s last blog ..Right now…
September 20th, 2009 at 1:47 pm
Great story Katy. You gotta love a dog that will smile for the camera!
:O)
January 21st, 2010 at 9:58 pm
Oh, I love this story. I have a Pyr that tries hard to guard us from squirrels and birds, but would sell us out for a pat and a cookie. I did Pyr rescue for many years and once that giant paw hits you, there is no going back.
Kim´s last blog ..Mini Memory Board 5×7 – Chocolate Marshamllow
June 12th, 2010 at 1:00 pm
Oh, Katy, I had the exact same connection with my rescue Pyr – Judah. I’ve only had him since late January, after I lost 2 sheep to coyotes. He’s young, but he’s great at his job – very ferocious at the fence to strangers and predator-wannabes. But to me he is a huge marshmallow and we are in love. I’ve never had this happen with a dog – even my rescued Corgi, that I took through obedience, CGC and some herding isn’t as bonded to me as this new Pyr. I’m still very amazed. And grateful.
Cindy Telisak´s last blog ..Gathering the Goodies
June 12th, 2010 at 4:33 pm
What a wonderful tribute.
June 12th, 2010 at 8:27 pm
Lookit that sweet boy xoxo
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June 13th, 2010 at 7:54 am
There is something about a dog that loves you. People forget the names of people they once dated or the people that used to live next door, but they never forget their dogs. I recently re-watched “Old Yeller” and while I’ve matured a bit since I first saw it, I discovered I am quite capable of dissolving into tears over a dog that isn’t even real.
Your Rusty has been with you through thick and thin and there would never be a good time for him to head into the “eternal field” where dogs play and chase and guard and love forever. He is going into that forever and leaving you behind, but he will always be with you and I am convinced that our own personal Heaven, or whatever exists in the hereafter, is populated with good friends and those we love and the species is immaterial.