My Furry Face: Meet Wolverine: one big happy fella

One of the many faces in the LFS Kennels.

This one, I named, Wolverine.

One big black dog with a big black muzzle. Just like that real-life animal, the Wolverine, or Gulo Gulo (not the movie Wolverine).

He may look big and tough, but he's actually one big wuss. He's been bullied by the rest of his pack as he is one hell of a skinny dog, with obvious scars on his thighs.

But he is now a much calmer and happier dog, and he's also my friend Cindy's hearthrob.

Just a mere three weeks ago, when Cindy went in to leash Wolverine out for his shots, he was so freaked out by the thing around his neck that he went berserk and almost strangled himself. He jumped and squealed and tried to pull away at first, causing the other dogs in the kennel to react by lunging out to attack him. It was pure pack instincts: cull the weakest member of the pack so he won't drag them down. Cindy and Pete shied away the dogs and protected him from the attacks. By that time, he was so scared that he went crazy and started to spin around on the ground like an alligator. The leash coiled tighter and tigher around his neck and it was impossible to help uncoil him as he was in such a reactive state. It was only until he slowed down from half suffocation that Cindy could get near enough to uncoil his leash and saved his life. Wolverine was then given his injection and then let loose to recover without any further incidents.

Then, a week later, when we went in for their successive shots, Pete went over to get Wolverine and, to our big surprise, he came right up to the leash and was totally happy to be in it. In fact, he was smiling and his eyes were following Cindy around all the time. He simply didn't really care less for the leash or his injection at all!

And just this Friday, when we went over to Wolverine's kennel again, he came right up with a wagging tail and was so cooperative that you would think that he was actually Cindy's baby. The whole event, from leashing to injection, was actually such an happy event for Wolverine that he couldn't get enough of it. He was so happy, so calm and confident that one would think that he's a different dog. Instead of running away from humans and dodging the leash, he's now happy to come to us and even happier to give us licks and kisses. Not only that his coat is growing back out from his injections, his body is also filling up a bit more and he has this spark in his eyes again. He's no longer that filthy, neglected and beaten up soul that we've met before.

It's really amazing to see how such a brief encounter, a mere 2 to 3 minutes of calm, confident leash training, could make so much difference in a dog's life. And this is the reward that we could never have hoped for. The knowledge that yes, what we did really helped, and yes, what we did was really worth it.

It brings a tear to my eyes when I am writing this, as I know (and Cindy knows too) that it will be difficult to re-home Wolverine because of his size and his looks. He is, afterall, one big dog, about the size of a German Shepherd, and he is indeed a bit too plain looking. Cindy would've taken him in if she could, but she already has a good amount of rescues at home and it would be impossible to house another big dog like him in the small place she is having right now.

It is so sad to see a potential loving dog that is totally "re-homable" being left unknown and unnoticed in the shelters. It breaks my heart to know that a mere few minutes was all it takes to make a dog's life so much happier, so much more hopeful. A mere few minutes that we could've wasted doing nothing, day-dreaming, or chatting our heads off on the phone. Yet, it's the same few minutes that could make such a difference.

Just a mere few minutes a day. Spread a bit of kindness, cast a smile on someone's face. Make a little difference in someone's life.

It's worth it. Trust me.

Wolverine on week 2: calmly on a leash but eyes following Cindy