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Wednesday, January 5, 2011

meet the dogs: Casha

It is so important to tell this story the right way, because Casha is so deserving of having people know what she is really like.  Being a big, black, 3 legged pit bull with cropped ears and scars...well, lets just say that sometimes that leads to being feared and misunderstood.  Casha's story starts before any of us know, but we can piece together that she had pups, and probably a lot.  She'd been in fights, scars tell us that.  And, we know for sure, her leg was very badly injured but never received vet care.  How long Casha lived with her injury, we don't know.  But then, on one very fateful day for this special dog, she found herself at the SPCA.


Probably for most dogs, this is a very terrible thing.  Most dogs are leaving their families due to break ups, new babies or moving.  This must be very stressful for the dogs, but for Casha, this is her salvation.  She is at the Victoria SPCA, and the staff there see something very, very special.  She finally receives the vet care she's needed for so long, and although it means loosing her back leg, she must have felt so much better.  She also receives love, and plenty of it.



Of course, the SPCA spayed her, too.  No more babies for this girl!  And then, Casha waits for a home.  She waits and waits and waits.  Everyone LOVES her, but she isn't adopted.  Still, she waits.  For 6 months.  During this time, everyone who meets her falls in love, and the SPCA staff develop a deep, strong bond with this rock-loving dog.  But they know that she deserves more than shelter life, and they wish for her to have her own home.

When she first came into our house as a foster dog,  I was in awe of this stoic creature.  What is it that the SPCA staff saw in her that makes her so special?  In the first few weeks she was with us, she reminds me more of a primate than a canine.  She's smart, almost to the point where you think that perhaps she can understand English fluently.  She's gentle and she's oh so happy!  Every few minutes, she howls with her zest for life and her tail does not stop wagging.  Whatever it is that makes this dog special, I still cannot put my finger on it.  But I feel it, she is just so wonderful.

She has many nicknames, my favorite being Koko, because she looks like the world's most favorite gorilla but is gentle like her too.  She is also commonly called Rashy Roo and Nana.  Koko spends her days sleeping on her fleecy dog bed, chewing bones and howling around the house.  She loves to go to work with Adam (and will literally pout if she can't ) but don't expect her to go out in the rain or the cold.  Casha spent far to long in a backyard in the past, and she's had quite enough of that, thank you very much.  


Here is the important part, and please, even if you don't like the breed and Casha just isn't your thing, listen to this carefully.  First, take a long look at this girl, scars and all.  Look at her cropped ears, her saggy nipples, her scars and the spot where her leg once was....


And now, seeing her physical appearance for all that it is, please remember and truly understand that Casha never once asked to have this life.  She never wanted to look this way or be treated like that.  She was born a soft, warm, wriggly pup just like every other dog out there.  She has been used and abused, neglected and forgotten, and there was nothing that she could do about it.  She followed the only people she had at the time and luckily they led her to the SPCA.

She's the most gentle, sweet girl.  She loves people so much, despite what they've done to her.  Since humans became humans, we've lived with canines and molded them into faithful, trusting companions.  It is a shame when we manipulate that and don't care for our friends.  And Casha is a very, very good friend indeed.

14 comments:

  1. She is such a special girl and and I am so glad she found a home with you :)

    Kari
    http://dogisgodinreverse.com/

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  2. oh casha girl. we love her so much. she really does love life, i just really love her massive head!

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  3. So well-written. She sounds like such an amazing representative of pitbulls. It is incredible how resilient and trusting they can still be after what they have to go through.

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  4. We are SO IN LOVE with Casha... What a beautiful, beautiful dog--inside and out, as they say. You all are very lucky to have each other. We will simply admire from afar. :)

    Cheers!
    JNTR

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  5. Oh Casha, you are such a lovely lady. You remind me a lot of our foster Lollie, with the sagginess, the puppy-having, the scars, and the being tossed away even though you have so much love to give.
    Thanks for writing this beautiful tribute to this beautiful dog, Em.
    XO

    Aleksandra
    follow our foster: loveandaleash.wordpress.com

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  6. Oh my goodness. I swear, your stories of these beloved canines(primate!) get me every time. I am typing this through a windshield of tears.
    I can't think of a better term, but that of a 'god moment', for Casha finding her way to not only the SPCA but to you.

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  7. Casha,

    Your story sounds a lot like mine and I happen to think you are most beautiful. Great story and I'm so glad you found a home.

    Otis (& his siblings)

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  8. i'm enjoying reading these. what a beautifully written post. i read a heartbreaking item in the news today about animal cruelty, and i'm thankful there are people like you to give them another chance at life.

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  9. You summed up the plight of all rescue dogs when you wrote, "...Casha never once asked to have this life." Despite a sometimes atrocious life, it's remarkable that dogs like Casha survive with heart and soul intact. What a great lesson for all of us. Hugs to Casha!

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  10. another beautifully written puppy post... & another stream of happy tears from my eyes.

    Casha is one of those truly beautiful souls. She is a being that despite what life has brutally thrust upon her or ripped from her, she maintains pure joy & love for life.
    Casha you are one special lady pup!

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  11. I will always have a part of me that is a little envious that you have her. I know she was never meant to be with me. She is exactly where she should be and I thank you for that. She is one beautiful dog to me and she represents exactly how I feel about this breed. Casha thanks you too.
    Megan

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  12. <3 LOVE!!!! Seriously I thank the Heaven's for people like you.

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  13. Aroo! You are a beautiful girl and if I weren't already neutered I'd be your boyfriend!

    - Banjo

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