Echo Update

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It took us two years to find an awesome and loving family for Echo and he was thriving. So when his new owner contacted me close to three months after he had been adopted and told me that due to personal issues they could no longer keep him I was so sad for them and of course for Echo as well.

I was torn between taking Echo back to the doggy day care where he had lived for six months or to my house where he had lived the majority of his two years with us. The doggy day care had been a fabulous place for him for the first several months he moved there. I credit them for getting him to go potty outside (his biggest challenge). But after that time he began to regress and had anxiety issues, even hurting his paw trying to get out of his kennel.

For those of you that don’t know Echo’s story, simply put, Echo was born and lived at an Iams Dog Food testing facility for the first nine years of his life before the facility closed and he came to us. When he arrived he was terrified of the world, withdrawn and very “autistic like.” It was a very long journey for Echo and for myself (I have to admit) because he has been very challenging in many ways, the biggest one being his inability to become housebroken, and believe me I tried everything.

But seeing Echo beside me in the car on the way back from picking him up from his family I just couldn’t bring myself to drop him off at the day care. Echo is now 12-years-old. While I can’t say for sure, I am fairly confident he was happy to see me. I also know that dogs are pack animals and thrive on the same kind of life we do. They need a consistent family and leaders to guide them. Not having that for his entire life is what caused him to be so wrecked in the first place. Even though I never chose to be his family it appeared as if fate, the world, circumstances or whatever you believe brought Echo into my family and I wasn’t about to kick him out.

So I bypassed the doggy day care and Echo came home.

Echo has settled in as if he never left. He has been a busy bee, as you can see by the photos. He has been to the nursing home to visit the residents, spent an afternoon with our youth club kids at our last youth club meeting and tolerates our chaotic family life.

Echo’s housebreaking issues causes friction between my husband and I so to minimize that I have become very strict with Echo. He is crated more often and I am using a bellyband at times, which helps with potential accidents in the house. Echo’s a lot of work for me but I am committed to him.

Echo is the most innocent, non-aggressive, soft soul I think I have ever been blessed to know. He came into my life I think because he knew I’d take care of him and he’d have a family. I have learned so much from him. I have learned what can happen to a dog when they are isolated their whole life, what it can take to fix that and that nothing is perfect. I have learned to appreciate his quiet and subtle positive changes - celebrating a tail wag, a mouth opened in a smile and the feel of his relaxing body.

From a logical standpoint I shouldn’t keep Echo, even if likely he only has a few more years with me. Three good reasons come quickly to me. Quite possibly he will have upcoming medical expenses, surely I don’t need the added work and it doesn’t help my marriage because even with how careful I am trying to be he still has accidents in my house. But also from a logical standpoint, who will adopt a 12-year-old dog that is not housebroken and appears very detached to most everyone? I may have no choice anyway.

So I will ponder this and be grateful for the lessons and love that Echo has given me in soft light and love.

If anyone can or knows someone who could help me put water resistant flooring in my living room that’ll make my decision to let him live here forever that much easier. Echo needs and deserves a family that will love him and where he will feel comforted by the rest of his days.

As I write this Echo is laying down just six feet from me, surrounded by a few of my other dogs. He looks content and relaxed. I sit in awe that I can be that person who can help him feel that way.

Thanks for caring about Echo and keeping him in your thoughts and prayers. I promise you he feels the love.

Sandy Kamen Wisniewski

AEAR Founder and Director