A New Start for Maurice

Our good friend Maurice came for a week-long visit. He'd decided he wanted a dog in his life again, and wanted us to help him find the right one.

We first contacted the local shelter here and went to look at what they had. One of the adoptables was this female terrier mix rescued from deplorable conditions by the shelter more than two years ago. Dozens of other dogs from the same rescue operation had been placed, but this one had not. She was too shy, or so the shelter personnel thought. They kept her in a small pen with one companion dog. She was kept in a semi-feral state--untrained, unsocialized--by shelter people who didn't know how to handle this situation. They talked babytalk to her, hoping to win her confidence with affection. It didn't work. Seldom does. For two years her life was one of virtual isolation from the world.

We went to see the dog with Maurice, and she bit me on both hands the first time I tried to get a hold on her. She won that round, but I was determined to get this dog into a more balanced state of mind. I begged the shelter supervisor to let me take her home for a day or two so I could work with her. I knew I could give her a better outlook on life if given even an hour with her.

So we took her home for a trial run and a day of intensive doggy school. She responded to my desensitization method immediately, and within ten minutes was walking nicely on a slack leash, even though she'd never before worn a leash.

As Maurice watched from the porch, he was falling in love with her. By the end of the first day it was evident to all of us that this was the dog Maurice had been wanting to fill that void in his life. She was quiet; there was absolutely no more biting. She didn't bark, didn't bolt away, didn't jump on people. All she wanted was to be close to a person who made her feel safe. That person was going to be Maurice.

He signed the adoption papers on her Wednesday night, and departed for home (Vancouver, Washington), anxious to start his new life with his new companion, whom we all agreed seemed like "Nellie." I couldn't help but think of the movie, "Nell," in which Jody Foster played an Appalachian woman who'd raised herself in total isolation in society and had to learn how to function as a "normal" person once she was discovered.

The "Nellie" project, with Maurice, consumed most of my time and energy for five days, but it was one of the most worthwhile accomplishments of the year. Maurice is happier than we've ever seen him. Nellie has become his number one concern, his reason for getting up, and his drive for staying healthy at age 80. The man who once built the Omni Center in Atlanta, along with dozens of luxury hotels and shopping malls throughout the world, has streamlined his life and finally found fulfillment, all in the form of a rescued mutt voted least likely to succeed.