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Finn had been rehomed twice and needed to be rehomed again. My daughter met him and then arranged for me to meet him. Our other rescue, Sammy, had died right after my daughter got married.

We had bonded over Sammy. That is a story in and of itself, of rescuing him from neighbors who let him run on a busy street.

Finn, meanwhile, had extreme separation anxiety. He would act out when I left, by jumping on the countertop and breaking whatever might fall to the floor, like olive oil bottles and drinking glasses. He would also bust out of the screen doors to welcome us when we got home.

I would only leave him for an hour or two to get groceries because I was so concerned about his safety and what he might do.

Gradually with much patience and attention, I would just talk to Finn and let him know I was only going to be gone for a little bit, but I would be back. I would never leave him. He was my forever dog, and I was his forever person. He seemed to understand this and stopped acting out. He would go under the bed when I left and return when I came home. 

During the time he was acting out, I contacted the first owner and asked about him, just to get to know him and his background. She told me just to rehome him and not feel guilty about it, but I told her I would not do that to him. He’d already been through too much.

He's been the best dog. He's therapeutic for me, and I couldn’t imagine that I could love him like I do. I didn’t want to replace what I had with Sammy, but Finn isn’t a replacement. He is just what we both needed at the right time.

Story submitted by Kimberly Phoenix.

This story was originally shared on The Animal Rescue Site. Share your very own rescue story here!