Natty's Other Half

Nope, I'm not talking about big brother and best buddy Klausie. :) I'm talking about a pug from Natty's life "BEFORE."

A story that I haven't told about Miss Nattyloo yet is how she came to be in rescue. Well, we don't know where she came from, but we do know where she was found--in rural Kankakee, IL. Wandering the icy streets. In FEBRUARY.

But Miss Natty wasn't alone. She had a companion, another pug, who was totally and completely blind. It's hard enough for me to imagine one little pug surviving on the streets in the dead of winter in Illinois, but a blind pug? To my way of thinking, it's a complete and utter miracle that they ever made it into rescue at all. Little Miss Natty, industrious as she is, cared for her companion and led him to safety with NIPRA. When I say that this girl is TOUGH, I mean it. She is smart as a whip, incredibly fearless, and spunky as hell. Natty has got some street cred. She's even got the (beebee) gunshot wound to prove it.

When we were first approved as a match for Natty and we learned that she had come in with another pug, it broke my heart to think of separating them. We could only take one pug, but look how far they had come together, and who KNOWS what trials they made it through? Our little lady is fiercely independent, but what about her friend? But the rescue assured me that they had intended to separate them all along, regardless of whether we took Natty or not. They would each be fine on their own with a loving family and a friendly canine companion. It can be very difficult to place more than one pug in an appropriate home together. Even MORE difficult to place a special needs pug in an appropriate home at all. And so Natty became ours, and I waited, wondering, worrying, hoping that her companion would find his special place too.

This story does have a happy ending. Natty's companion (brother? mate? who knows!) found a delightful home just a few weeks later, and you can read about his happy ending here. Little Mr. Raymee sure has done well for himself, wouldn't you say? :)

I think about reaching out to them from time to time. Perhaps having a little reunion. Would it be stressful to reunite them and then separate them again? I know that dogs have memories, but I also know that they are much more adept at living in the moment than we are. And they both have such happy homes to return to. Who knows...maybe one day their paths will cross again. :)
You did good, little girl.