Hero's Account
On the last week of November 2007 I was still just another pound pup in the city of Angra do Heroismo of the Azores. It really wasn't that bad of a life. At least it was better than what I had living on the streets. When the people from the pound found me I was just a 6 month old pup stuffed in the trash. They brought me to the pound and for another 6 months I lived in the kennel with a bunch of other dogs who were just as sweet-natured as me, but at least twice my size. I had fun with all my friends, but friendship doesn't count for much come feeding time. I was just a pup and couldn't compete so even though we got regular meals, I ended up a bag of skin and bones. Every once in a while people would come round and look at me and my friends, but for some reason nobody ever picked me up during my 6 months there. Then came the last week of November...
November 27, 2007 seemed like any other day. I was outside playing with my friends when this man came by. He wasn't one of the volunteers who help run the kennel so I was super excited to make a new friend. He was nice and took lots of pictures of me, but then he left without taking any of us poor dogs as most of the humans do. I thought that was the end of it, but a few days later I was taken away from my kennel and was brought to this torture room where a man called a "vet" poked and prodded me and gave me a shot. I didn't know why I was the only one to be brought before the vet and for a while I thought that it was a bad thing, but now I realize that it was just the beginning of what was to be a new chapter in my life.
On December 1, I saw the man with the camera again and this time he had brought his family along! I was brought out of the kennel by one of the volunteers and I got to meet the man and his family without the barrier of the chain link fence. They were nice and seemed to be very happy and before I knew it one of them had put a collar on me! I couldn't believe it! Finally, it was my turn to leave the pound and never come back!
Since that day I've gained over 15lbs, I've gained a family, and I was given a name! Even before I was officially adopted, my famiy had decided on a name for me. They named me Hero, partly because of the city where I was rescued (Angra do Heroismo), but mostly they say because of how strong and brave I was to make it through all those months without a home and family to love and care for me.
Mom's Account
I've always wanted a dog ever since I was a kid, but my family never really had the time nor the space to properly care for one. After moving to the Azores and after taking care of two gorgeous Irish Setters over the summer, the family finally decided that we were ready to welcome a new member to the family. One day after visiting the Irish Setters, my father told me that he had been to the pound and noticed a dog that reminded him of a miniature setter. He took many pictures of the dog and later that night the whole family poured over the pictures and asked my father about that particular dog. There was much debate in the house over whether to adopt him, but by the end of the week we had all decided that we were ready and that his name would be Hero.
When I first entered the kennel I was first overwhelmed by the sheer number of dogs housed there. All of them were begging for attention, but I was set on finding that dog my father had taken so many pictures of. After taking to the kennel volunteers for a few minutes, a man appeared clutching a tiny brown bundle. It was Hero. I stretched out my hand to let him have a sniff and after a few seconds he tentatively licked my hand. The man then set him down on the floor for me to pet and once Hero leaned up against my leg I knew that he was the one.
We took him home that day and gave him a much needed bath, which he surprisingly didn't mind. I'll never forgot how pathetically light he was when I first lifted him into the tub. I could feel every rib and every bump of his spine as I lathered his tiny little body. Hero was shy, but very affectionate, and unbelievably intelligent! By his second day with us he was already running to us at the sound of his name and he had already mastered the command "sit." He already knew how to walk on a leash and was housebroken, which leads us to believe that he may have been owned by a family before. He didn't know how to play with toys so we had to teach him that it was okay to relax and have fun every now and then.
At first we thought he was just a Cocker Spaniel mix until a little research revealed him to be a Field Spaniel! Another family adopted a stray female Field Spaniel they found wandering the island so our families believe that there is a breeding pair somewhere on the island and that maybe the puppies got lost or were cast aside. I had never heard of the breed before, but after having Hero they definitely are my favorite.
Hero's the sweetest dog I've ever had the honor of knowing. He's always so eager to learn and play and love. My family and I have been blessed beyond measure because of all the love and joy Hero has brought into our home. We can't believe that he spent half his life in the pound (and who knows what happened in the first half?!), but we're grateful that we found him and that we're the one's who have the opportunity to give him a lifetime of love to make up for everything he has suffered in the past.