A Dog Named Bo...........a fairy 'tail' ending

Rick was the first one that Bo learned to trust. (our son is learning disabled and I have a feeling that Bo picked right up on that) I had yet to win him over. One morning I brought donuts to the crew and apparently in the process, discovered Bo's one weakness. He absolutely loves donuts or at least the smell of them. When I pulled one out for him to try, he literally started jumping straight up and down! (for all you dog lovers, I assure you that I don't make a habit of giving him donuts) And for the first time, a tail wag emerged.

Next up, would he let me touch him? I gently touched his shoulder and started rubbing it - a lot of serious swallowing followed. It was obvious that someone had abused him and he did not trust people putting their hands on him. Nothing like a good challenge and each day I made an effort to let him know that we don't do things like that to our dogs. The trust slowly came for all of us - my husband was the last one that Bo brought into his small world.

Not knowing about his health, we decided he needed vaccinations. Now, this isn't the kind of dog that you can just waltz into any vet's office with. So, we found one out in the desert that seemed a perfect match. We did take precautions and placed a muzzle on him and of course he was terrified the whole time. He was updated with all the necessary shots and given a new med for parasites since he had feasted on the wildlife up here.

Construction came to a close and Bo became a member of our family. Not knowing a dog's history and what he is really capable of can be scary. Trust was a two way street.

Bo has come to love the three of us dearly and would protect us with his life. By day, he is the "keeper" of his property - by night he is a "wuss" that sleeps in the laundry room and insists on being covered up with his blankie.

One day a visitor stopped by and asked if Bo was a Lousiana Catahoula Leopard dog. A what? We always thought he was a mix with some Lab/Shepherd and whatever in him. Reading about this breed and seeing pictures looked mighty convincing - especially their behavior. Apparently, their play can get out of hand very quickly and you must take care. Yep, that sounded like Bo.

I'm afraid that he'll always be "under construction" - my greatest wish for him is that one day he'll forget the abuse that he suffered.

Each morning at 5:30 he leaves his "bedroom" with a bounce in his step all the while his tail is wagging. I'm sure he says to himself daily, "I'm a lucky dog!" He now has meaning in his life and in the process has taught us great lessons in trust.

Indeed, a fairy "tail" ending.