The First Meeting

Shy. Timid. Only wanted pets.

But first I have to say that Rusty was very much the opposite of the other Golden Retriever, Honey, that was up for adoption at the White River Humane Society in Bedford, Indiana. Honey was bubbly, bouncy and a bit of a handful (read, I'm sure the previous owners didn't have the time nor the energy to care for Honey, but still, why would you get a dog if you didn't have time for it?). She jumped on me, jumped on the counter, jumped on her new owners and was a purebred Golden Retriever. VERY golden. VERY, VERY golden.

While I was filling out the paperwork, a helper brought Rusty around to the front to meet me outside.

And then there's Rusty.

Rusty met me outside. Immediately I got down on his level and he came running to me, laying down on the ground waiting for pets. He was scared. He was shaking. He was ready for a good home.

He was underweight, malnourished is not even close. He was 15 pounds underweight. He was was so scared that he wouldn't even eat treats in the car (he didn't want to get in the car, I had to pick up his rear end and shove him in, poor dog).

At this point, I wasn't even sure of what kind of dog we would be dealing with.

Neglected? Yes.

Absused? Yes.

Malnourished? Yes.

Other health problems? At that point it was unknown.

I had to be prepared for the worst...