Rescue Cairn - Jip

[kintra]

Ginny contacted me a week or so ago about a Cairn being surrendered in my area. After many phone calls, we found this guy a ride all the way to the Chicago area! His adventure started off Thursday evening when the lady surrendering him dropped him off in my dorm's parking lot. He's very timid and shy, but an absolutely sweetheart. I drove him to my house 20 minutes away and my dad and I sat on the lawn with him for awhile to give him some extra love. Then it was off to a Border Terier friend's house a few hours away where he was being transported to the Clinton, IA dog show to be picked up by a good Pug friend of mine. Jip will hang out with them until Ginny can get him. He came out of his shell at the Border lady's house and explored her entire (large!) dog yard. We let one of her older Borders out to play and Jip LOVED it and was having a blast. By the time my dad and I felt comfortable leaving, he was playing like crazy in the yard with 3 Borders and have the time of his life. So far, everybody who has met him has mentioned how attached they've gotten to him (myself included). Ginny, you're lucky to have this little man!

Since I had him in the yard for a little while, I took some pictures. (His coat is a little crazy, but I didn't want to take a stripping knife to him while he was still getting used to everything. I finger plucked him in the yard for awhile to try to tidy up his jacket and top of his head.)

Jip got lots of belly rubs on the front lawn with my dad (the lady who surrendered him said he had some guy issues, but he loved cuddling with dad)

[jimnconnie]

Good job, helping this precious boy get to his new forever home. He looks like a real sweetie! Thanks for caring, and Happy Easter to you and your family.

Jim

[Puddlesmama]

He is beautiful! So glad to see this boy in good, safe hands!

[Angieh]

What a nice story! I love hearing stories about rescue Cairns finding good homes.

[Nikki]

what a cutie! glad you were able to help him! :]

[Malcolm's Dad]

aww, what a good looking boy. Bless you for helping him out.

[oscar's mom]

That was a wonderful story.

[Hawkeye]

He's very cute. Another happy ending...thanks for taking care of him.

[Autumn & Lola]

He's adorable. What a lovely rescue story!

[little feet zip]

Thank you for the huge effort you put into getting this pup to his new home. Allways lifts the heart to hear these good stories.

Rich

[beccadiane374]

Fantastic story...Jip is a doll...he looks like a real heart stealer!

[ginnyaiken]

I'm finally home and with internet access. Dh and I had made plans a long time ago to spend Easter with family in Cleveland--one of our 4 sons goes to school there and another one, who's in school in southeastern PA wanted to spend his break with his big brother. Then I came across Jip. Of course, when I saw his picture, I fell in love. What's not to love about this little boy? The post I read hinted at an odd situation, and sure enough, Jip's life has been strange and tough up til now. He's just turned 5 yrs old, and he was retired from breeding about a month ago. Since we'd already rescued Gidget (our Cairn girl) from one of the worse of the worst Amish puppy millers, I knew we could welcome him into our family. After an almost superhuman effort on Jip's Auntie Riley's part--or maybe she's his Fairy Godmother Riley (I told her last night she could choose)--we set up transportation for the little guy to come across Iowa, Illinois, and to our home in Indiana. Dh picked him up last night, and our boy is here, with me in my office, inspecting everything, while his sisters watch him with "That stuff's boring. Come play" looks on their faces. Every few minutes, thoug, he comes to take my hand and ask for scritches and to kiss me. What a total love bug! Jip is sweet and super, super smart. Hey, he's a Cairn, right? And he and our two girls, Gidget and our Golden, are getting along as though they'd been siblings forever.

Our lives have been nothing short of hellish the last three years--dh had to have a shoulder reconstructed, then heart surgery, nearly died from a prescription heart med, both my parents had brain hemorrhages (one due to an accident, the other after a stroke), dh's job was eliminated, and while he was hired right away, his new job was 11 1/2 hrs away. I stayed behind with our youngest son who was a high school senior. He didn't handle the disruption of our family well. While I was alone, I was forced to watch my academically brilliant, athletically gifted son self-destruct. I was unable to do anything to help him because of PA's laws regarding mental health, etc.: he was 18 and in PA, you become fully in control of your mental health care at age 14. I spent months curled into a hurting ball in the corner of our family room couch, crying and unable to fuction. If it hadn't been for Gidget's need to be fed, watered, let out, exercised, and most importantly, loved, I don't know where I'd be today. All those tears I cried were kissed dry by this amazing, loyal little girl. She never left my side. While our son is not out of the woods yet, he has made great strides forward. And Gidget is still my best friend, never far from my side. I knew I had to pay forward her love, loyalty, compassion, and companionship. Jip stole my heart, and as of last night, he's here forever. We are his family. That's it. Nothing changes that. And if the way he rolls onto his back for me to scratch his belly, all the kisses he's given me, the way he crawled up on my lap in my big, cushy armchair, etc., are anything to go by, then he knows I'm his upright forever, too.

Thanks Brad for this forum. During the darkest days, it was the best break from my problems. Thanks, Riley. Jip and I can't tell you how grateful we are for all your help.

[ginnyaiken]

BTW, Jip has absolutely, positively NO guy issues, as you can all see by his pictures with Riley's dad. He had no problem climbing into our car with my dh last night, and once he was home, he proved he was a Cairn by begging to share dh's dinner--from his perch on dh's lap. True, he's basically glued to me, but he has no problem with dh, a very large 6'4" guy. Jip simply had an issue in his relationship with the guys in his previous situation. The only issue we need to work on is his uneven housebreaking, but since he only moved indoors a month ago, and was also neutered at that ime, it's only fair to give the little guy some time to learn the ropes. Right now, he's curled up at my feet in the kneehole of my office desk. I couldn't ask for a better new buddy

[Sue G]

Oh my Ginny. It sounds like you have just had a heck of a time the last few years. I am so sorry to hear that. A lot of people, maybe even most, would see taking on a new dog as an added responsibility that they didn't need after all of that. You're a special person to see the positives dog ownership rewards you with. Bless you. When I hear stories like that I'm downright embarrassed by some of the things that I complain about. I understand the son issues a bit. I had my adult son move in with me after a bad breakup. There are good days and bad days, and the good days are becoming more frequent, but he's been very depressed and it's hard to watch. I'm single, and was REALLY enjoying living by myself for the first time in my life. I also have an adult daughter and they both moved out a few years ago just about the same time. It's been tough, but your story sure puts things into perspective. AND my son actually mentioned that he's "not going to live with me forever" yesterday.

What part of Indiana are you in? I'm in Indiana too. Laporte, up by the lake in the NW corner.

[josie&holly]

Jip looks a really gorgeous dog and it is good that he has come into a family that will love him. It is also good that you have Gidget who has been such a joy and comfort to you in the past few difficult years.

Now your family is complete and things will get better.

[kintra]

Ginny, I am just so happy Jip has adjusted so well! He is definitely a special little guy and it's totally a win-win situation...that hardest part was letting him leave my house!

I was absolutely determined to find a way for him to get him there (I was trying to convincy my parents I needed to skip classes to drive him to Clinton for awhile) - I figure since I show dogs and will eventually breed responsibly, helping rescues is my way of paying it forward. I don't want to be one of those people who bring more puppies into the world without helping the ones already here