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| Pink is for girls, and Blue is for boys. |
There
comes a time when you break free of the shackles that bind you. Usually, it is your own doing if you have
made a wrong decision or choice and you have fought back to freedom from
the pain or anguish it has caused you. You ask yourself,
"Why did this happen?" or say, "What have I done." You
usually know the answer to your own question and accept the fact, "It's my
own fault." If you don't know how to fight, or when you're fighting with all the wrong weapons, you may lose strength, faith, and confidence, not knowing how to fight back. Hopefully, you climb back and take the road to freedom,
putting your past and bad decisions behind you and living a peaceful life. For a Border Collie who has lost all freedom
or hope, there is no choice or freedom sometimes...
Since
the early conception of Clancy's Dream, we have seen many dogs lose strength, faith, and confidence and sometimes just give up, but we stepped in and gave them a new life. We're sure that some take that walk down that long corridor to their eternal rest, where no one could care less
or help, but there is hope!
When
assisting a dog at a shelter, we always take an essential piece of simple equipment that means so much. After everything checks out, papers are signed, and handshakes are made, we place a collar around the dog's neck that guarantees hope and safety; little do they know the meaning.
They now belong to us and will come
into our fold, and it's a day filled with hope, promise, joy, and
trust. It has become a tradition of
Clancy's Dream to place a bright rescue collar on a new rescue dog and declare
they are Free at Last, and they are.
Sometimes, we never know where they came from or why they came to us, but
they have. Many times, after picking a
Border Collie up, I have buried my head in my hands and wondered, how does this
happen while the dog is in the back seat smiling or licking my ear.
When the vehicle is shifted into drive, we start our journey; it now becomes the
most important journey in the life of "our" dog. They are currently on what is called "The
Freedom Ride." Unlike the last
journey they took in a car, where they were dropped and abandoned at the shelter
or side of the road to die, this new ride is different in so many ways.
Some Border Collies may have been left by people who do not
know or care what happened, but this time, things are different. To those who have left them, know that money flows freely, prayers are said, donations are given,
calls are made, and there is an Army of people pulling for the dog you gave up on. Many will help and volunteer in any they can, spending hundreds of
hours on the road while traveling great distances. Some spend countless hours searching
for a way to solve a problem, and they do because all have stepped up to make sure the dog you left is forever safe.
When
the Rescue Collar is slipped around the neck of the dog, the dog's life changes, along with the life of the person who slips it on. The volunteers who have done this know that time has no meaning, money flows freely, prayers are answered, donations are given, calls are made, and thousands of people pull for the dog saved. This is
not only a magical moment for the dog; it's a magical moment for the rescuer.
The Rescue Collar means little to most, but to the Border Collie who was saved
and to the person who traveled with them on the Freedom Ride, it means
everything but, most importantly, hope and freedom. The bright side and good of
all of this is all collars tell a story; you may not think it, but it does and
will follow them wherever they go. When the time comes, we remove our Clancy's
Dream Rescue Collar that was given to them; it's with a second chance and a fresh start. When they go
to their new home, I know there will be happy faces and smiles of dogs with a second lease on life.
Life is just a whisper, and when my few seconds are up, I hope I made a difference, but in my next dimension of time, I want to sit in that grass field and be with every dog I have ever touched and Clancy again. Ken
There are many types of Freedom rides, thanks to all who care.
And in one day, Everything Changed because of you...
Life is just a whisper, and when my few seconds are up, I hope I made a difference, but in my next dimension of time, I want to sit in that grass field and be with every dog I have ever touched and Clancy again. Ken
There are many types of Freedom rides, thanks to all who care.
