A matter of perception

Jennifer Vanderau
Cumberland Valley Animal Shelter

(8/2020) I was talking the other day with a friend who adopted a cat from us two years ago. She said how wonderful her four-legged friend has been for their family and she was surprised how long the cat had been at the animal shelter before they adopted her.

I told her it’s because her baby was waiting for their family to find her.

And that got me thinking about fate and kismet and the bigger picture and all that good stuff.

The kitty they adopted had been at the shelter for nine months. My friend couldn’t believe no one had chosen her because she was and continues to be so incredibly sweet.

Her son actually picked her out because she was so laid back.

The thing about the "meant to be" concept is that sometimes it goes beyond our human ability to truly perceive it. It’s not always something we can lay out with graphs and charts and numbers. Fate and destiny occupy a part of our existence that can’t necessarily be measured.

I believe it’s there and it’s strong, but our technology and knowledge just haven’t given us a way to truly quantify it.

And when I told my friend that her kitty was simply waiting those nine months until her family was ready to find her, the truth of it settled into my chest in a way I can’t really put into words.

That’s really why that cat had been with us so long. The right family just hadn’t found her yet.

We’ve seen this countless times at CVAS. Animals who are in our kennels – sweet, loving, deserving-of-a-home animals – for far longer than any of us thought they would be. And seemingly out of nowhere, the exact right person or family will show up.

The more I go through this world, though, the more I’m beginning to wonder if these moments are really "out of nowhere."

Years ago we were called to a home where a man had passed away, but had a boxer in the house. We went to the home to rescue the boxer and to this day, I have a distinct memory of sensing something in that building.

Like the man wasn’t really gone. Like he needed to see what had become of his baby before he truly left. Yes, I know it sounds crazy. Yes, my chemistry-teacher father is rolling his eyes right now, but I’m standing by what I felt. *waves* Hi pops!

We took the boxer into the shelter and he was obviously incredibly sad. He’d been with his dad for four years, never knew anything else from what I understood and suddenly, without warning, he found himself in a kennel. He was rightfully more than a little freaked out.

Heck of a nice dog, too.

We worked with rescues to get the information out to see if anyone would be interested in that dog, but within a week, the story took an almost otherworldly turn.

A man stopped by the shelter – seemingly out of nowhere (there’s that statement again) – to see if we had any boxers.

He hadn't seen anything online -- he knew nothing. He just stopped by on a whim and a chance.

I’m seriously not making this up. Can you believe it?

He went on to explain that he was having a rough time because his two boxers had recently passed away from cancer -- and it had happened fast. They died within three months of each other and the gentleman was really struggling to deal with the loss.

He had lost 30 pounds and started growing out his goatee. He explained that he actually preferred to keep his whiskers in the shape of a goatee, but since he lost his dogs, he couldn't really be bothered to shave, so a pretty thick beard had grown.

He was retired and likely had too much time to think. I really don't know what brought him to the shelter that day -- if I think too long about it, it makes me wonder if we don’t sometimes get nudges from that "fate" and "destiny" I spoke of earlier.

Naturally, we introduced him to the boxer we had picked up a week earlier and needless to say, that baby went home shortly after.

On the day of his adoption, as he filled out the paperwork, the man told one of our staff as he rubbed his scruffy face that he was going to have to start shaving again because (are you ready for this?) he "couldn't really feel his new dog’s kisses."

And that was simply unacceptable to him. He needed to be able to feel those kisses.

I’ve seen similar things happen so many times. We had a long-term pitbull who stayed in our kennels for almost a year. He’s now a therapy dog at a local nursing home. The person came in and the time was right for him to find his real purpose – helping people during occupational therapy.

My friend’s feline baby was just waiting for her son to look in that cage and get that feeling.

The boxer who lost his dad so suddenly was just waiting for the grieving man to stop by on a whim.

So when we see a photo of an animal looking for a home (maybe even in this paper – and boy, is Mike Hillman good to us and our four-legged kids!), we might feel bad when we see those homeless pets and think, "How awful! That baby is in a cage and should have someone!"

What if instead we take just a second to consider that maybe that sweet furry friend is waiting for his or her person to come along? What if that dog or cat is meant for a situation that just hasn’t happened yet?

What if instead of being upset, we send a good thought or a prayer that their person comes for them soon?

Or better yet, what if that person the animal is waiting for is you?

Simple changes of perception can change everything.

*****

Jennifer Vanderau is the Director of Communications for the Cumberland Valley Animal Shelter in Chambersburg, Pa., and can be reached at cvasoc@innernet.net. The shelter accepts both monetary and pet supply donations. For more information, call the shelter at 717-263-5791 or visit the website www.cvas-pets.org.