05/27/2026
Where are my shy dog people? Please share if you can't adopt.
"I can’t tell you what made me get in my car that day—
I guess I thought I’d try to make up for it,
When the world decided he shouldn’t be in it.
He sank into the shelter floor,
Hoping it would swallow him whole,
Hoping I would leave him behind.
But I told him I wasn’t leaving without him.
So I carried all 55lbs of him to the car.
On the drive home,
he tried to disappear into the floorboard,
His world was too loud,
So we drove home in silence.
And many nights over the next 9 months,
I went to sleep drying my eyes.
Angry at myself,
For forcing him to go into this world that hurt him.
Each walk was cruelty ,
Each stranger was survival.
And each night I thought,
Maybe they were right,
That euthanasia was kinder.
Instead of teaching him to sit,
I had to teach him just to stand tall,
Like no one had ever hurt him at all.
Instead of learning fetch,
We learned that touch doesn’t mean pain,
That the world doesn’t have to hurt at all.
“The most broken dog I’ve ever met, but let’s try to glue these pieces back together” his trainer said.
Over the next 3 months,
We watched him stand a little taller for a few minutes at a time,
But minutes turned to hours,
And hours turned to days.
Then he took his first walk…with his tail held as high as his head.
I prayed I would know the right moment to take these walls down,
That I spent a year building around him,
To shield his fragile heart.
Then today,
I watched him find joy in a rain puddle,
Dancing in the rain, a new meaning.
So today, I told him he stood taller than all the walls I’ve built.
That we would start searching for his person
Who was somewhere waiting to dance in the rain with their soul dog.
He is still a scared boy, but he's now brave enough to take the next step in his journey to his forever home.
A home with the person who will continue to patiently help him stand tall and find joy in the world.
If you’d like to meet Bear (shelter name Chow Mein), please inquire at the link below."
~ Bear's foster mom Erica
Dekalb County Animal Services
Atlanta, GA
