The Perfect Home for Mirage

It was a warm day in August when Mirage first came to the Adoption Center at Bideawee.  He was only a few pounds and an adorable little boy—a scruffy, small Terrier mix who was bustling with the youthful energy and enthusiasm that only a puppy can embody.  It was no surprise that he was adopted nearly the instant that he became available. However, we were shocked 9 months later when he was returned to us.

Unfortunately, Mirage had been adopted by a family that did not teach him all of the things that young puppies need to know.  He was not socialized, introduced to new people or other dogs, and was not given the care that all puppies need.  When Mirage came back to our Adoption Center, he was eleven months old and terrified of the world.  He didn’t have the slightest idea of how to navigate social situations or even how to just be a dog. The moment he came in, the staff knew that we had a very special case on our hands.

I have rarely seen a case so sad.  Here was a scared little boy, hunched over in the back of his kennel run, without a single person he knew surrounding him.  Mirage was too frightened to eat.  I sat in his kennel with him that day and perhaps out of desperation for anyone who cared, he eventually came to sit near me.  The next day, we did this again, and he snuggled into my lap and arms.  However, after bonding with me and two other staff members, he stopped accepting new people as easily.  From then on, my co-worker and I took turns coming in on our days off to walk him and coax him to eat.  He was snapping, growling, and lunging at other staff members, and nobody else could care for him for those first three weeks.

It took many weeks to slowly and safely introduce him to other staff members and volunteers.  Everyone at Bideawee was extremely dedicated to helping Mirage and he steadily expanded his circle of friends. Within two months, he befriended many of the staff and many volunteers, creating an elite group affectionately nicknamed “Club Mirage.”  Once he signed your membership pass to “Club Mirage,” he’d shower you with kisses, affection, cuddles, and would play endless games of fetch.  Mirage was also a great student, and did incredibly well in obedience classes where he learned a myriad of new cues through the motivation of a simple tennis ball (which became his favorite thing on Earth). 

For months, the staff in the Adoption Center worked diligently with Mirage and he continued to learn and make friends.  The staff began introducing him to other dogs, which was difficult at first since he had never had the opportunity to properly socialize with fellow four-legged friends.  It took many weeks for Mirage to learn doggie signals and appropriate play, but within a few months he not only learned how to be among canine companions, he mastered it.  Eventually he even became our champion dog who we introduced to nervous dogs that needed a particularly gentle “first dog” to meet.

Even though Mirage came such a long way, the prospect of finding the right family to adopt him still remained uncertain.  He was very reactive when visitors walked through our facility, and many people were scared away.  Other families who were not unnerved by his cage behavior found that their lifestyle would not permit the time to give him the continued training that he needed.  Time danced on, and suddenly Mirage had at Bideawee for 10 months.

Then, one Monday morning it happened. The prayers of the Bideawee staff were answered through a simple phone call.  A couple, who had been long-time supporters of Bideawee, contacted us about Mirage. After many lengthy conversations over the phone, this wonderful pair came to Bideawee to meet Mirage in the fur.  They arranged to visit him over the course of three days, to allow him time to get acquainted and comfortable.  By the end of the third day, they had officially been inducted into “Club Mirage,” and everyone knew that the time had arrived to see Mirage off to his new home.  With the greatest and most gut-wrenching of bittersweet good-byes, the staff bid him farewell as he hopped into the backseat of his chariot.

A week later, his adopters contacted Bideawee to let us know how he was adjusting to his new life.  With new parents, two new doggie siblings, an enormous yard and a few caretakers, the staff was uncertain about how he would react to his new circumstances.  But our fears were soon relieved when we received their letter.  They told us that Mirage fit in seamlessly with their home and dogs.  “We let him loose in the house, which he roamed thoroughly. Then he jumped into my lap and licked my face.  He met our two dogs without incident, and when he met our caretaker he neither barked nor growled, but jumped up to be petted!” At night, Mirage sleeps with the other dogs and during the day, he goes on walks in the woods without a leash.  “He’s a great ball chaser and has just about worn us out.  He seems very happy, wants to kiss everyone, and I’m sure he will never be a problem,” they wrote.

This was not only the best possible home that anyone could imagine for Mirage, but it was a genuinely miraculous one.  Mirage’s adoptive parents were that “one-in-a-million” type of family, one that is frequently spoken about, often prayed for, but rarely seen in the universe of animal rescue.  And on the most random of days, they appeared and adopted our sweet boy.

We found joy through Mirage’s victories in meeting new people and pets and happiness for his new family and life, and most touchingly, we have been given a surge of hope that comes from seeing one of our own beat the odds.  Against all of the adversities that life had stacked against him, Mirage overcame many insurmountable obscurities and he prevailed beautifully.  We know in our hearts, that in his home and throughout his life, he’ll carry the torch of resiliency that only a dog so loved and so strong can possess.