“A heart at peace gives life to the body.” ~ Proverbs
14:30
He arrived at the Lincoln No-Kill
Shelter (LiNKS) a picture of health, groomed, shining and a tail that moved
faster than a nail gun; clearly not your average stray. He looked like a guy who could run all day
and still be eager to go again. He
probably began life as a farm or hunting dog. The staff figured he was a recent runaway or
castoff.
Nameless at first, they began calling him Affinity. He seemed to have a natural ability to read
the emotions of other dogs. New arrivals
dealing with fear and anxiety appeared comforted by the handsome hound. He knew just how to handle them.
Thus, placing Affinity in a new home was a cinch. Keeping him there would prove infinitely more
difficult.
His first adoption lasted just 5 days; the next only 2.
The third adopter was genuinely dedicated to making things
work. But the precocious hound had other
plans. Affinity, returned to LiNKS four
times – dropped off once by a good Samaritan, twice by animal control, and finally
by his adopter.
Although it broke his heart, the man feared the dog would
become lost for good, injured, or even killed during one of his disappearances.
So he returned the dog to LiNKS
permanently.
There are many reasons why an otherwise happy dog may run
away. Each new family interested in Affinity
was warned of his Houdini-like escape skills.
Adoptions 5 through 9 ended similarly. By now Affinity had turned escaping into an
art form. There was simply no fence too
high and no screen door too strong to tame his wanderlust. The staff wondered if he was lonely, bored or
suffering from separation anxiety. Maybe
he’d fled in response to fear stimuli like storms, fireworks or construction in
the home.
Regardless, the folks at LiNKS were done placing him for
adoption.
Over time they realized Affinity was desperately trying to
tell them something. As far as he was
concerned, LiNKS was home.
He’d returned to where he belonged. At the dog shelter, he played with dozens of other
dogs every day and got lots of good food and extra love from staff members.
Later the staff discovered that the serum from Affinity’s
blood had healing properties. He donates
blood every two weeks for kittens with eye infections!
There’s a perfect place for every dog in this world. For Affinity, it wasn’t a traditional home, but
a No-Kill shelter helping rescue dogs and amusing rescue workers! A troublesome pooch like him may not have
received so many chances at another facility. Had they given up on him, they never would’ve
discovered his incredible gift for helping other dogs.
Lord, bless Affinity and all the animals on
earth. May they carry out the purpose that
they’ve been given and may each of them help to remind us that they’re Your
creation. Help us to see all animals as
gifts from You and to treat them with respect.
Amen
