Wow, 5 years already. Lil Luke came to us shut down, emaciated, aggressive and out of his mind having had refused to eat or leave his cage in a month while in boarding.
I had no idea what I was getting into but knew he couldn’t remain where he was at and it wouldn’t be long before he was killed for aggression.
I had 3 wonderful trainers on speed dial to give advice, coaching and to talk me off the ledge.
5 years later and I really can’t imagine not having him in our family. He and my adult niece are best friends, he loves her so much, his tail starts wagging and he begins barking the minute he hears her pull into the driveway.
Lil Luke taught me firsthand the stress and dangers of leaving a dog in boarding and walking away because he was “difficult and no one knew what to do with him other than kill him”.
When I met with one of the founders of the rescue on Luke’s 3rd day out of boarding, I told her that he looked like a dog you rescue, not a dog in rescue. She responded by saying, “we could have killed him, but he’s alive”. Fortunately, that person is no longer in rescue work.
Lil Luke C is named after an Australian Base jumper who died on the day he left boarding to come to our home. My friends in BASE raised the funds for his medical care(he had an infection beneath the skin that burst one morning, draining from an opened hole in his skin), complete dental (his teeth and gums were coated with a brown gunk), he had a broken tooth embedded on his head) and for 12 weeks of training classes.
Lil Luke C was a CACC dog. He was surrendered on Christmas at one year old, his tail had been chopped off, he was a cutie despite it. He left the shelter for the safety of rescue and instead went to hell.
He might be the most eccentric dog on the planet, he sniffs you on the face, he won’t lick you. He will bite you if you go to grab at him, he hates lawnmowers, loves the drive-thru so he can flirt with the girls waiting for his ice cream, and on a daily basis makes me say, “Luke, WTH”. He loves to hide in the back garden as if I can’t see him, he will make me count to 5 and then run back into the house, and he is a menace to give a bath. He is worth it all because when he is happy, he is so happy and he makes my niece happy.
His life mattered to me, to my family, to my vet, the trainers and supporters.
Lil Luke C taught me to “Be their voice” and he taught me what I will not tolerate in my own rescue. Pulling a dog from a shelter might save their lives, but it does not make them whole again. They deserve to be whole again and to put the sparkle in their family’s eyes and steal a piece of their heart. They deserve a good life in every sense of the term.
Our goal is to build a facility shelter that enriches and helps make dogs whole again before leaving on the next step of their journey. Until then, we are committed to saving homeless dogs who might otherwise appear broken or in need of extended medical and foster care.
Come join, our Tribe! Adopt. Foster. Volunteer. Advocate. Donate. Educate. Be the difference these homeless animals need, do something.
~Cynthia Lynn
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
by 
K9EI Rescue 
Such a beautiful dog. A true testament to positive/force free training. I’m so that grateful his life was saved!
LikeLike