So there I was, looking at the dogs in need of forever home on the Florida Doberman Rescue website, knowing full well that I was looking for a dog while at the same time trying to convince myself that I wasn’t looking for a dog when all of a sudden I came across a photo that stuck with me. Onyx was his name – rather weird name, I thought – and he looked a mess: underweight, terrible coat, and whatever else. “Oh well,” I thought and went on vacation.
It turned out that the wifi on modern ships is pretty good, so I idly emailed the Rescue, and we began a back-and-forth conversation.
The Rescue is packed with Dobermans seeking a new home – male and female, young and old; this Rescue goes above and beyond to do all it can for the dogs that come their way.
Because I am an ‘experienced’ Doberman owner, I was asked if I’d be interested in a younger, more challenging dog – one that didn’t like other dogs … or people … or pretty much anything else! As much as the challenge intrigued me, I said ‘no’ and continued to ask about ‘Onyx’.
His history is one of suffering: he is five years old, has lived most of his life in a backyard, and was handed in because he was discovered to have heartworm, for which he is now being treated.
To cut a long story short, one week after returning from our vacation, Vern and I made our way to West Palm Beach, FL. There, we met ‘Onyx’ for the first time. There’s a thing about dog’s eyes for me and, just like Winston, he looked into mine, and that was it! So home we came.
And that name – Onyx. No! He is definitely a Humphrey!
A trip to Dr. Daniel’s Dog Doctor (my vet of choice) discovered more than heartworm. Besides being about 20 pounds underweight, Humphrey had an ear infection, skin infection, hookworms, and teeth that, to quote the vet, “Look like he was trying to chew his way through a metal fence”. For all of these things, Humphrey is now being treated.
Humphrey is not only practically untrained, he is also new to life indoors. He was very skeptical about entering the house. Two weeks in, he has now claimed the sofa, loves his bed, has learned a few commands, and is beginning to make sense of a leash!
Humphrey is something of a rarity in Doberman dogs as he is a ‘Blue’ Doberman. You’d never be able to tell, though, what with most of his coat being missing. Hopefully, his coat will return, and you will begin to see this beautiful blue iridescence appear.
So let me introduce to you the dog I didn’t know I was getting but I knew I was: Humphrey!
He has yet to learn how to use the computer keyboard, but he says he’s interested, so maybe he will be able to introduce himself next month.
Fr. Andrew.
