dorkus_molorkus
Well-Known Member
I have a story to tell. It happens to be true, I am living it & the ending has not quite been yet written.
But it is still worth telling.
About 3 or so years ago I adopted a severely psychologically damaged 2yr old Rottweiler named Arnold. He was so unpredictable I was told I should put him down with in the 1st month of owning him.
I refused & I persevered. The key to bonding with a new dog, especially a troublesome dog is walking. A tired dog is a happy dog, and a tired dog is too pooped to make trouble.
So side by side on a short lead, Arnold & I laid down some serious miles sometimes several times a day.
Arnold is very wary and suspicious of strangers in general & of strange males in particular. He still is today despite all his progress.
But one day way back then, as we were laying down some miles, we happened upon a little, slightly dishevelled man who standing at his car. He waved and commented on how nice of a dog Arnold was. I stopped about 8ft away and we started to chat a bit.
Unusually, Arnold wanted to go over to him. So he dragged me that 8 feet. I asked the man if it was ok & he put his hand out for the dog. Arnold almost leapt into his arms.
A beautiful friendship was born.
We would often bump into this fellow as we went on our walks. Arnold would spot him from quite away & would excitedly drag me to his car. On one occasion he leapt into his lap in the driver seat.
This fellow was homeless, he was living in his car & by the looks had been for a long time. I made polite enquiries about his situation and whether he needed any assistance at all. All of which he politely declined.
After a year or more, I stopped seeing him around. I kept looking for him, but I didn’t see him for months.
Then one day, just as I was about to pick my wife up from work, I see him.
I stop and we chat. I asked him what was happening and that I hadn’t seen him for awhile. He pointed over to a carpark & said he was living there in his car. He could no longer drive it as it was now unregistered & he was too sick to drive anywhere anymore. I asked about what his sickness was and he said he was dying of cancer & wasn’t having anymore treatment.
I shit you not, all of a sudden there were 2 voices in my head, one was very loud and the other a little muffled and muted.
The loud voice was very clear & it was not mine, ‘you can change this mans life. Be my instrument in this, give this man a loving home, do all you can for him & let him know he is loved.’
It was a command, but it was also a choice.
The other voice, the muffled voice was me, telling Glenn ‘that it all ends today, all you have to do is take my hand & come with me.’ As I reached out to him, he took my hand and hugged me with all the strength his poor sick hobo ass could muster.
'A loving home.’
So for the last 16 months Glenn has been living in a bedsit in an outbuilding (shed) at our house. Him and Arnold are totally inseparable. Arnold frets & gets very anxious when Glenn so much as goes to the toilet. (my 2 other dogs love him too)
We don’t talk about how Glenn came to be in our lives. We told some friends & family initially, but their reactions were negative & so judgmental that we don’t really speak about how Glenn came to us anymore.
Besides its irrelevant.
This journey has been a trial. Glenn has chronic alcohol issues & severe mental health problems. He hasn’t left the house for months due his anxiety issues & physical symptoms. He refuses all medical treatment. He will not even see a doctor for any reason. I have been drunkenly abused by him more times than I can count & he has packed his bags to leave in a huff just as many times.
Always over silly things.
Mental illness has no rhyme or reason.
But he has told me he loves me & my wife many, many times more. He has thanked us many many more times than that. I have not even told him this story yet. However the time is coming though & I hope it will bring him some comfort when he needs it the most.
My wife & I do all his shopping & help out with his food as much as possible. I was cooking him all his meals, but having cancer means his appetite is all over the place so its difficult. He just eats whatever takes his fancy which is not very much, but we go and fetch whatever he fancies.
His pain is being managed by tincture I make for him.
My wife after many months successfully convinced him to contact his family after 7 long years. everyone pretty well keeps their distance but they do live interstate. I get the impression they are glad someone else is doing what they couldn’t or wouldn’t do.
We are getting to the thin edge of the wedge in regards to his health.
He refuse to acknowledge the end is near & that we will soon be unable to provide care for him. Between the alcoholism, his mental illness & the cancer he is in a bad way.
I feel we are only weeks away from where he needs to go into care. He can barely walk & had recently had some falls. As far as he is concerned that’s the cancer and nothing to do with the 3 litres of cheap white wine a day and god knows how many cigarettes.
We have all the necessary legal documents to be able to direct his medical needs. I fear I will have to commit him into care against his will, his denial is that strong.
I feel his level of alcoholism is so extreme that to take it away from him when he goes into some sort of care will condemn him to a screaming horrible death. How can I do such a thing?
For those inclined for prayer, please pray for Glenn. And please pray for me to know the right thing to do at the right time. Know that I will not waiver, I will not shirk the task I willingly took.
This is hard & Im a little frightened of whats coming. But so is Glenn.
I tell this story here today for all the people that say how wonderful people my wife & I are for doing what we have done. And that they themselves could never do such a thing.
We are no more wonderful that anyone else & I have not posted this for anyones praise or accolades. I believe that true charity should only be between you & God, but I feel there is merit in telling this story.
All I did was listen to what the universe asked me to do and by doing so, I have been blessed by many things as a result. I would not change a thing, even now with the toughest road just ahead of us & we will be there until the end.
I contend that many of you would do the same whether you realise it or not.
All you have to do is listen when it comes, & have the courage to act.
But it is still worth telling.
About 3 or so years ago I adopted a severely psychologically damaged 2yr old Rottweiler named Arnold. He was so unpredictable I was told I should put him down with in the 1st month of owning him.
I refused & I persevered. The key to bonding with a new dog, especially a troublesome dog is walking. A tired dog is a happy dog, and a tired dog is too pooped to make trouble.
So side by side on a short lead, Arnold & I laid down some serious miles sometimes several times a day.
Arnold is very wary and suspicious of strangers in general & of strange males in particular. He still is today despite all his progress.
But one day way back then, as we were laying down some miles, we happened upon a little, slightly dishevelled man who standing at his car. He waved and commented on how nice of a dog Arnold was. I stopped about 8ft away and we started to chat a bit.
Unusually, Arnold wanted to go over to him. So he dragged me that 8 feet. I asked the man if it was ok & he put his hand out for the dog. Arnold almost leapt into his arms.
A beautiful friendship was born.
We would often bump into this fellow as we went on our walks. Arnold would spot him from quite away & would excitedly drag me to his car. On one occasion he leapt into his lap in the driver seat.
This fellow was homeless, he was living in his car & by the looks had been for a long time. I made polite enquiries about his situation and whether he needed any assistance at all. All of which he politely declined.
After a year or more, I stopped seeing him around. I kept looking for him, but I didn’t see him for months.
Then one day, just as I was about to pick my wife up from work, I see him.
I stop and we chat. I asked him what was happening and that I hadn’t seen him for awhile. He pointed over to a carpark & said he was living there in his car. He could no longer drive it as it was now unregistered & he was too sick to drive anywhere anymore. I asked about what his sickness was and he said he was dying of cancer & wasn’t having anymore treatment.
I shit you not, all of a sudden there were 2 voices in my head, one was very loud and the other a little muffled and muted.
The loud voice was very clear & it was not mine, ‘you can change this mans life. Be my instrument in this, give this man a loving home, do all you can for him & let him know he is loved.’
It was a command, but it was also a choice.
The other voice, the muffled voice was me, telling Glenn ‘that it all ends today, all you have to do is take my hand & come with me.’ As I reached out to him, he took my hand and hugged me with all the strength his poor sick hobo ass could muster.
'A loving home.’
So for the last 16 months Glenn has been living in a bedsit in an outbuilding (shed) at our house. Him and Arnold are totally inseparable. Arnold frets & gets very anxious when Glenn so much as goes to the toilet. (my 2 other dogs love him too)
We don’t talk about how Glenn came to be in our lives. We told some friends & family initially, but their reactions were negative & so judgmental that we don’t really speak about how Glenn came to us anymore.
Besides its irrelevant.
This journey has been a trial. Glenn has chronic alcohol issues & severe mental health problems. He hasn’t left the house for months due his anxiety issues & physical symptoms. He refuses all medical treatment. He will not even see a doctor for any reason. I have been drunkenly abused by him more times than I can count & he has packed his bags to leave in a huff just as many times.
Always over silly things.
Mental illness has no rhyme or reason.
But he has told me he loves me & my wife many, many times more. He has thanked us many many more times than that. I have not even told him this story yet. However the time is coming though & I hope it will bring him some comfort when he needs it the most.
My wife & I do all his shopping & help out with his food as much as possible. I was cooking him all his meals, but having cancer means his appetite is all over the place so its difficult. He just eats whatever takes his fancy which is not very much, but we go and fetch whatever he fancies.
His pain is being managed by tincture I make for him.
My wife after many months successfully convinced him to contact his family after 7 long years. everyone pretty well keeps their distance but they do live interstate. I get the impression they are glad someone else is doing what they couldn’t or wouldn’t do.
We are getting to the thin edge of the wedge in regards to his health.
He refuse to acknowledge the end is near & that we will soon be unable to provide care for him. Between the alcoholism, his mental illness & the cancer he is in a bad way.
I feel we are only weeks away from where he needs to go into care. He can barely walk & had recently had some falls. As far as he is concerned that’s the cancer and nothing to do with the 3 litres of cheap white wine a day and god knows how many cigarettes.
We have all the necessary legal documents to be able to direct his medical needs. I fear I will have to commit him into care against his will, his denial is that strong.
I feel his level of alcoholism is so extreme that to take it away from him when he goes into some sort of care will condemn him to a screaming horrible death. How can I do such a thing?
For those inclined for prayer, please pray for Glenn. And please pray for me to know the right thing to do at the right time. Know that I will not waiver, I will not shirk the task I willingly took.
This is hard & Im a little frightened of whats coming. But so is Glenn.
I tell this story here today for all the people that say how wonderful people my wife & I are for doing what we have done. And that they themselves could never do such a thing.
We are no more wonderful that anyone else & I have not posted this for anyones praise or accolades. I believe that true charity should only be between you & God, but I feel there is merit in telling this story.
All I did was listen to what the universe asked me to do and by doing so, I have been blessed by many things as a result. I would not change a thing, even now with the toughest road just ahead of us & we will be there until the end.
I contend that many of you would do the same whether you realise it or not.
All you have to do is listen when it comes, & have the courage to act.
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