Sayto

August 2007

Its such a scary world.  Humans are not very kind.  I am so hungry and so afraid.  If I can just find something to eat.  Oh no there is a human in a truck parked too close.  What do I do?  Will they beat me - will they hurt me.  I am afraid.  What kind of world is this?  People are so mean I don't know how much longer I can go on I am so hungry so confused.  My mother once told me an ancient story about people - how they were our best friends and we were to take care of them and in turn they would give us good food and a warm place to sleep.  I have seen none of that.  Only cruel evil people.  Oh no the woman is walking towards me.  Can I run, I am too tired to run.  I am afraid.  Will they kill me?  Will she hurt me?  I am so afraid.  I am in a moving thing now in a cage.  Its dark and lonely.  But if I do not make it through this I hope that life will be better for another as I am too tired.  I have no been on this earth very long.  I remember the smell and warmth of my mother and how I ache to be back with her.    If I die maybe the great spirits will take me back to her where I can once again feel all the love I cling to instead of the pain and cruelty that are my life now.  If I just go to sleep maybe this will happen.

We are stopping and people are coming out.  I can hear their strange words.  Not one is speaking mean to me but I am still afraid.  I am lifted out and taken into a room.  Its cool in here.  Oh my goodness they are bringing me food and water.  I am so hungry and so thirsty.  These people are not too bad but still I am afraid. 

I am not alone in this room and do not know what to do.  Its not a bad room but I can't see out.  I don't like being alone.  Maybe if I howl they will bring me more food.  Oh my, my howl is so pitiful it hurts my own ears.  But they are not coming so I keep it up.  The same lady that picked me up they call her Darla.  She says I haunt her heart, whatever that means but still no one will come in to see me.  Why?  I am lonely and afraid.  But at least I am not hungry and thirsty anymore.  The woman has come into my room.  She is  moving very slowly and I am not sure what to make of her.  What is she doing?  Goodness she is laying down in the middle of my room and her eyes are closed she is not looking at me.

I think I better check on her are they going to feed her too?  Is she my new partner in this room?  Is she tired?  I will just slowly walk up on her and see what she is doing.  Well she smells ok.  Kinda nice really.  I will lay down beside her.  This is the woman that they call Darla.  Oh my this feels so good she is petting me.  I could lay here all night and let her.  This must be what my mother would tell me about as a puppy.  How people were nice.

Its too soon and she is leaving me.  I will howl again.  They must like my howl because she comes when she hears it.  Yep here she comes again with a rope in her hand.  Oh no is she going to hurt me this time.  She put the rope around my neck and is leading me somewhere.  I am too afraid not to go with her.  Wow we are in another room and there is a really funny looking dog in here.  He has no nose.  I wonder how it can smell anything.  It is really friendly now.  There is a big soft bed in here and Darla stays in here as well.  I like Darla.  She is very very nice.

She is telling me about my new mom.  Her name is Palena.  She leaned over and blew softly on the end of my nose like my mom did and I could then see Palena.  Everyday now I get a letter from Palena and Darla tells me about it.  I can see her and smell her and know she will be my new mom.  Darla has explained to me that having a mom means getting a lot of attention.  And lots of food and treats.  I am excited.  I will be leaving Georgia this week and going to my new mom.

I do not like this transport.  There are other dogs in here and I am crouching in the back of my crate.  Then after many hours we stop and I can hear them calling for Palena.  They unload the other dogs and I hear them tell Palena that I might be mean.  Me mean?  She said to them no I know him - part of him is already inside my soul - just open the crate and back away.  They are telling her that it is not a good idea that I might run away.  She is very forceful (I like that about her) and says please do as I ask.  For the first time I really see her.  And she me.  Our eyes connect as they open the gate and I can't wait to get out.  I go to rush out of my crate and into her arms.  Everyone was in shock and were saying I don't believe this.  I jumped all over her and she was crying and hugging me.  There had been a leash around my neck and someone grabbed it.  My new mom said leave him alone.  He will not go anywhere and I wasn't.  Palena was everything Darla had told me.  She loved me and I could feel it.  I even rolled over and showed her my tummy for some good rubs.

We are soulmates she says and I believe her.  She sat with me that night and told me how Darla had sent her a letter and asked her if I could come to her.  She said how she had cried when she saw my pictures.  She let me lick the tears away.  She kept hugging me and kissing me.  She told me about how Darla had been haunted by me.  How she just could not let anything happen to me and that Darla loved me just as she did.  That I had two moms.  Here I was so afraid and so alone and now I have two moms.  She told me that in a few days I would have friends and that there was a large yard for me to play in.  I am a very lucky boy.  She told me so.  Told me that I was lucky Darla found me and saw who I was.  She was crying again and without her telling me I knew she was thinking about all of the dogs that are not found - or that do not get a chance to have one mom let alone two.  I simply can only lay my head in her lap and whine with her tears.  Her and I do not need spoken words we know the thoughts of each other.  I a glad to be home.  Glad Darla loved me and found my other mom.  Glad to finally understand all the things my dog mother told me as a pup.

Sayto has been here for months now.  He is a love and my constant companion.  He is still noisy and can howl with the best of them.  He is under the impression he is a lap dog and will not hesitate to get in the recliner with me and lay his head on my shoulder.  He gets on well with the other dogs.  He has some problems walking a straight line.  So he mostly stays in the house being a spoiled brat.  He has new friends and yet no matter what he is doing he hears me he is at my side.  He waits for me to come home from work and then its like he has superglue stuck to him.  I love him dearly for all he is and what he represents.  This gentle giant now weighs 110 pounds and loves life. He will never forget what he has been through as that is what makes him who he is. 

He will never forget Darla nor the life she gave to him.  We both know that had it not been for her he would not be here and everyday we send her our love.

Sayto is what we stand for.  Saving the lives of those that need us most.  Making sure that rescues work together and that we work in partnership with shelters to develop the best of relationships that work best for the animals.  One only has to be around Sayto, who is much like a two year old child, to see that working together can work.

Since Sayto Darla and I have partnered together to save many dogs including Powder a little blind aussie mix pup.  Powder is now one of Saytos housemates and they both share their stories of Darla with me.  Sayto no longer has a look of dear on his face.  In fact he has the silliest smile one can ever imagine.

For more info on Sayto please email  pdorsey@sanctuaryanimalrefuge.org