A Small Side Story 2

My second fur baby and the dog I call my Angel is Ares. He came into our lives at a time that I could not be more thankful for and was truly one of those life moments that is "ment to be".

Ares story starts out with not the greatest of circumstances, for you see, he was found as a stray in the month of December down in the Niagara region and back then he went by the name of Dewy. He was brought into the Humane Society there where his life would change for the better, but Dewy didn't know that yet. He had to go though an assessment first and that can be so stressful and scary for a dog who had been let down so much by humans in his short life so far. From what the paperwork tells us he was guessed to be around the age of 2 based on his teeth and bone growth. He was only 78 lbs, very underweight for a Dane that age, so he would need to put on some much needed weight and get all his shots up to date. He was also micro-chipped and neutered. During his first days in the Humane Society his behaviour was also closely monitored. While he seemed to be okay with all the female staff he would act out towards the male staff members. He was okay with other dogs however, and willing to learn, but he was showing signs of being put through abuse and neglect in his early life. He also proved to be very smart as at one point he was left alone in an office for a moment but only for the staff member to come back and find Dewy up on the desk and reaching the food on top of the filing cabinet. The staff decided he would have a better chance at finding a home if they contacted a rescue called Danes In Distress.

https://www.danesindistress.com/

Danes In Distress sent a lovely lady by the name of Joanne to come and give Dewy his freedom ride. When she showed up she was not prepared for how bad Dewy really was, but he proved to be a fighter for his life and wanted to go with her. So Joanne loaded him up and took him to the next step in his new life, his foster home with Dan and Deb. These amazing people were able to teach Dewy that he didn't have to find his own food any more, that human hands ment love and not hurt, he would always have a warm bed and not be left out in the cold, and how to play and enjoy the company of other dogs. I will forever be grateful to Dan and Deb for giving Dewy the chance to grow and become the loving boy he is today. There was a lot of back and forth between the foster fur-parents and Joanne to make sure all was going well.

One day however Dewy got into some trouble. It's not known if killed and ate a rabbit, or found it already dead and ate it, but eat it he did. And then Dewy bloated. This is a very scary and deadly situation where the stomach can twist and get tangled up in the intestines and cut off blood supply. It is very painful for the dog and many do not survive it. Dan and Deb thankfully knew the signs of bloat and rushed Dewy to the vet where he underwent emergency surgery. Again, Dewy proved he was a fighter for his life and he survived bloat, the surgery, and recovery. After that he didn't have any more incidents as scary and was slowly preparing for his new life with a furever family.

That's where we come into the picture. Mike and I had been noticing our first Dane Titan was getting sore legs and wasn't able to come up the stairs and sleep in our room as often. We decided to get him a companion and wanted to work with a rescue. We contacted Danes In Distress and we were put in contact with Joanne. After some back and forth conversations about what we wanted and about our family she called and told us about a very special Dane she knew that would be a good fit for us. We agreed to meet Dewy the next weekend available. Mike and I were very excited and hopeful that the two Danes would hit it off.

When we arrived at Dan and Deb's it was love at first sight for Titan. They walked together great and even played together. Dewy was a bit cautious with Mike at first but nothing a few treats didn't help him get over. And he was very happy to meet me and tugged on my heart strings. He had the cutest face and a big grin when playing with Titan. It didn't take us long to decide we would like to add him to our family and it was not long after we brought our new baby home. Again, it was bittersweet. When Joanne loaded him into her van, Deb and Dan were able to say goodbye to him with some tears and I thought for a moment we might not end up taking him as he had already made a big impact on these lovely people. But brave Dewy gave them kisses back and let them know he would be okay, so off we went to start the next step of his life. When we heard about Dewy's story and what a fighter he was we decided to give him the name of Ares. I am a big fan of Greek Mythology and thought it would be a perfect fit.

Ares was finally home and although it wasn't always smooth sailing and it took a lot of training he ended up finding his place and bonding with Titan better then I could have ever wanted. We had two wonderful years as one big happy Dane family, until one day we got some awful news. Our beautiful boy Titan got diagnosed with bone cancer. There was nothing we could do for him but keep him comfortable. This is where I realized Ares came into our lives for a reason. The whole time Titan was sick he stayed by his side. Made sure Titan was okay, walked side by side with him to make sure he didn't fall, and kept us going every day. He watched over Titan until the moment he was no longer with us. He was even there as Titan took his last breath in my arms, and stayed beside me the whole time I cried my heart out.

In the weeks following we shared our grief, but again he kept me going. Made sure every day I was woken up by a big Dane kiss. He made sure I still played every day and was always there to cuddle me when I broke down. I truly feel that he was put into mine and Titan's life at just the right time and I could not be more thankful for him. We make sure he knows just how loved he is every day.

Today we are closer then ever, and he could not be in a more loving, spoiled, happy family. He was able to find his happily ever after, but he never forgot those who got him there. He still gets to see Joanne and covers her with kisses when she visits. He has gotten better with his fears and we have grown a lot together, both learning from each other. And now we are finally able to bring him a companion again so he can be the amazing brother we know he is. I can already see the same bond forming between Ares and Zeus that he had with Titan.

Ares is finally home. Furever.

Before and After

Ares with Joanne, his fave person

With Titan healthy

With Titan sick

With Zeus

With his family

Keeping mom going, sharing the grief

A happy boy

A loving boy

He's home