A Family Comes Together As One

You may not be able to buy love, but you can certainly rescue it.  

It was a cold January night in northeast Ohio.  A winter storm had just rolled through, leaving a veil of ice over everything it touched; a beautiful deception that glistened in the moonlight.  The frigid cold was enough to debilitate even the most seasoned midwesterner, and nothing seemed capable of withstanding the bleak and bitter nights.

In what felt like the arctic tundra, two baby girls found themselves exposed to the wintry elements; they tried desperately to keep each other warm.  It was 6:00 a.m. and the sun hadn’t yet risen. A man, on his way to work, spotted the two girls on the side of the road. And despite already having three dogs at home, something inside him told him he had to help.  They likely wouldn’t survive another freezing night.

Afraid, they did their very best to evade his capture.  But with a little persistence, he eventually herded the girls into his vehicle and instead of continuing to work he drove them right back to his home.  Scared and malnourished, only they knew the true horrors of the journeys they endured. For the first time however, Miley and Jazz were not only finally out of the frigid air, but had names of their own.

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In the very same town, in the not so distant future… the city had succumbed to a violent snow storm.  The billowing winds made the air feel callous, the kind of cold that ascended over everything it touched; leaving fragility in its wake, like an icicle draped upon a ledge.  Another baby girl of just a few weeks old found herself vulnerable to the conditions, dumped outside of a shelter with her litter mates and a recovering momma tied to a pole.  Despite being tethered, the scared momma found her way inside the battered box; her best efforts to keep her babies warm.

The only red-coated girl in the bunch, she watched as her siblings and momma left the shelter on their way to their forever homes.  All alone, it would take another 10 weeks before anyone noticed the sweet, rambunctious girl that remained.

Then one day a family arrived with the intent to meet a different dog, when out of nowhere that same sweet and boisterous puppy came barreling towards them.  Miley, who was typically cautious around new dogs, leaned down to give this cutie a gentle kiss. It was in that moment that they knew. And that red-coated baby was given the name Ginger and was finally home.

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A half a world away, the Asian dog meat industry was running rampant.  Strays and even family pets ripped away from their homes in the dark of night to fall victim to a cruel and barbaric practice.  A true nightmare come to life. Dog meat is considered a delicacy here.

Piper, less than a year old, found herself abandoned in front of a Korean, dog meat, butcher shop… awaiting her impending fate.  Through some miracle, she was saved before she could suffer the same destiny as the dogs before her, though she wasn’t out of the woods yet.  Her little puppy legs were deformed and no one wanted her. She was at risk of euthanasia and her time was quickly running out.

Through the power of social media networking, her little face made its way to a family in the United States.  A fourteen hour flight later, she found herself in Chicago, Illinois. That family then drove over 800 miles and 19 hours to pick her up.  Piper had made it.

Each story, independent from the others, would eventually cross paths; interlacing like blood running through our veins, giving life to each one.

You see, all four dogs came to find the same family; the same saviors.  Four very different dogs with very different journeys, and all had suffered abuse, abandonment and neglect.  And yet they all came together as a family, their experiences shaping and melding what their lives look like today.

It’s hard to envision a home with four dogs, each of whom had to learn what it means to be a part of a proper home.  They’ve all had to overcome their own fears and disquietude; learning to trust not just their surroundings but humanity too.  They’d all been let down by people before.

And it wasn’t just the dogs.  A husband and wife opened up their home and their hearts to four broken little souls, three of whom were pit bulls.  Admittedly so, they had always believed the media hype about this dangerous and aggressive breed. But these four dogs, pit bulls in tow changed the course of this couple’s life forever.  Ginger, Miley, Jazz and how they interacted not only with each other, but with them and tiny, little Piper taught them about the true and gentle nature that pit bull-type dogs possess. They opened up an entirely new world of love and appreciation for a kind of dog that is so often mislabeled and misunderstood.

We can say with almost full certainty, the average person would have turned a blind eye to so many dogs in need; all of whom appeared “damaged.”  But this family never thought twice about doing exactly what needed to be done to save them all. And sure, they’ve faced judgement and discrimination.  But what they’ve learned over the years is that they can only control how people perceive them and their dogs. This family has not only provided a loving and safe environment for all four girls, they’re a walking lesson to everyone around them that even a damaged and broken little soul can learn to love and trust again.  And can even become the very best dogs in the world.

Four very different timelines… and four lives saved.  Today, the entire family is loving life and they couldn’t be happier.

To keep up with Ginger, Miley, Jazz and Piper…. Give them a follow on Instagram at @rescued.snow.angels.