Faith and Hope

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My name is Hope. Aka “Tootsie.” Otherwise known as the “Come Back Kid,” “Braveheart,” “Too-Smart-For-My-Own-Good,” and “Houdini.” The latter being how I found myself back behind bars.

Faith Tootsie Resting_2

I’m here with my sister, Faith. Aka “Adorable,” “Sweetness,” “Girl-With-The-Green-Eyes,” and “Tag-Along,” – meaning I’ll follow my sister’s lead wherever it takes me, which is how she, too, became incarcerated.

Dog Tired Faith Tootsie

We spent the last week visiting with the gardener lady and her big dogs. She felt like our Aunt Jody could use a well-deserved break. We think Aunt Jody was secretly betting that we’d be back in 24 hours! LOL. It’s not that we are bad pups. It’s just that we are a lot of work.

Faith-Tootsie-Adorable_Web

So who better to take care of us for a while than a gardener: already a believer in what faith and hope can do when paired with effort. Where others see a blank slate of dirt, a gardener sees a landscape transformed – trusting in the potential.

While all puppies are work, we were born with this extra special thing called Megaesophagus. It means that the tube that sends food down has a tendency to return it if we don’t eat upright and stay that way for a while after each meal.

Gravity is our friend, so we eat in a Hello Kitty® chair. Humiliating, right?

Tootsie Chair_2

Couldn’t they make a Hello Puppy chair?

Faith_Chair

But we know the drill, to the point of seating ourselves. Just watch this:

And when we get bigger, we’ll eat and rest in a real dog, specially made, Bailey Chair. There are lots of dogs like us. They make us extra adorable so people will overlook our special needs.

After we eat, we sit upright on the gardener’s lap or standing between her knees while everything makes its way to our tummies. We watch the birds and squirrels in the garden or all the moving pictures on this big black box. We have developed a fondness for The Food Network, TLC, and movie classics. I’m sure we could grow to love sports, too – but that’s not her thing.

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We play hard. Really hard. With each other –

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And our friends.

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But when we’re done, we curl up and snuggle. Sister love.

Faith Tootsie Snuggle
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All of this to show that we can fit into someone’s life and home without too much trouble. We hope that our special someone will see it that way.

Faith_Anna

We’re going back to Aunt Jody tomorrow. The gardener’s big dog has some medical stuff to do and would prefer to do it in “peace and quiet” – whatever that is.

And Aunt Jody will be on the lookout for special people for us. It’s easier to win your heart when our cute faces are in yours.

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So do us a favor? Don’t mention the chewed wall, great toilet paper rolling contest, or how we like to dump our water bucket to make giant puddles. Let’s just say we are cute, cuddly, and endearing – and leave it at that! Oh, and if you have a spare hacksaw – send it our way??

Faith Tootsie Sleeping

Sincerely,
Faith and Hope (aka Tootsie)

****UPDATE!****

As they have grown, Aunt Jody has been working with the girls and figured out how to feed them differently so they can be as close to “normal” dogs as possible, now. No more special chairs! The key is in getting them to “graze” on their meals instead of wolfing them down. And they are doing great. So great, in fact, that Hope found her way home!

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This means that sweet Faith is all by her lonesome. She is hoping that she, too, can find her someone special – preferably someone that either works from home, or is home often. We’re putting the word out and hoping you will share. Let’s get this adorable girl with the gorgeous green eyes a home of her own!

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“Once you choose hope, anything’s possible.” ~ Christopher Reeve

Published by

Ogee

I am a nascent gardener, rescuer, and photographer, chronicling the journey of the dogs at Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue and Sanctuary near Sacramento, CA - and the Memorial Garden we have devoted to them.

16 thoughts on “Faith and Hope”

  1. Smiled all the way through this. Such a great post! Hilarious how calm the big dogs are in the second video, and Faith and Hope are clamoring for attention in the background. Gorgeous eyes Faith has!

    1. Yes…they’ll give me their devoted attention for a full 15-seconds knowing there are cookies in my pocket! They actually have been very patient hosts. Proud of those big dogs!

  2. What a wonderful narrator you are for these two irresistible rascals who ALSO have special needs!! Behind literal bars until they learn about the behavioral boundaries that will help them make more friends

  3. Thanks for this great story about these hilarious and precious pups! Those beautiful Goldens are soooo patient (or almost deaf?) 😀

    1. Thanks Will. I’m on the look for contraband coming from Chicago. Something tells me that Penny is plotting a breakout already!

  4. Faith and Hope are just adorable. I hope they find a special someone who will completely overlook their special needs. I think they’ll steal hearts and be found irresistible! 🙂

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