Indy & Lauren
My husband and I got Indy(a lab cross) in 2008, from a desperate ad on craiglist about a family with two dogs who suddenly didnt get along anymore(they were mother and son!). We fell in love with him instantly! He was a lover, a kisser, and loved to cuddle! Indy transitioned into our home so well, we had 5 acres of land in Mission, British Columbia and Indy loved to just roam free. His favorite toy is a black Kong (filled with peanut butter, of course!). As the years went on, our life changed, we welcome the birth of our first child(in 2010), and shortly after, we decided that one of us had to go back to school. My husband wanted to become a Heavy Duty Equipment Mechanic. The catch? The best school for that, was located in Ontario, plus with a new and growing family, how would we pay rent and baby expenses all while our primary income maker is at school?(making no income, and actually costing us money in the short term) So the heartbreaking decision to move back to Ontario from British Columbia began to take shape. My heart crumbled as I quickly found out that Ontario had Breed Specific Legislation, and that my darling pit/lab cross was NOT welcome(or allowed!) to come "home" with us, his family. This is where I got stubborn. I was determined not to lose my best friend just because life was changing for all of us. I scrambled to find someone to help me with him, a friend or relative who lived outside of Ontario...who could dog sit for us. We found NO one...Indy is 90 pounds of love, but also 90 pounds it alot for the average person to handle. Would he even be safe with someone else? We knew him so well, all his quirks, what he loves and doesn't like. He had even done the Walk for Multiple Sclerosis with us in Abbotsford the year before we moved (we wore a t shirt and everything!) Luckily, we did however find a place to keep him for the short term, meaning a few weeks, a month at most, but the problem was it was back with his previous owners, and their dog(his momma) still didnt get along with other dogs. So the set up was sad, one dog would go out, while the other stayed inside, and they took turns being crated for most of the day. This was not the life I wanted for my baby, but for now he was safe, and still mine. It was then decided that I needed to fly Indy to Michigan (where we have a cottage) that way I can personally find him a good foster home, or in the event of no other choice, a good new forever home (which would be the VERY LAST RESORT). I used social media like facebook to send out pleas for help, I posted on craigslist numerous times (my post were often flagged and removed before anyone could even see it) things werent looking very promising. And once Indy had flown into Michigan, I had less than 10 days to find somewhere for him to go, as I had to return to Ontario to my 2 legged family who needs me too. Indys first foster mama was a girl named Heather, she was sweet and kind, and really liked Indy. She had just rented a house(that her dad was the landlord for) and lived in the country, had a cat(Indy LOVES cats! ) and bunny rabbit. Her place was about 45 min from my families cottage in Alpena, Michigan. It seemed perfect! Her boyfriend was a volunteer firefighter, I was sure Indy would be so happy there! about 2 months into his foster with Heather, I get a message saying she is being evicted and I need to come get Indy ASAP. My heart broke. Finding a first foster family was hard, and now I have to do it again. I drove up to Michigan from Toronto about 3 days later. Collected him and his things, and went to the cottage to begin my second search for hope for my dog. I made contacts all over North America in this process, one of which was with the Huron Humane Society in Alpena, MI. Judy and her friends, helped me spread the word about Indy, and his need to be fostered while we lived here in "Onscario!"(I call them that because Ontario is SCARED of my sweet darling love and breed they know NOTHING about) Through all this I was introduced to Sara and Dave, a sweet couple living on the outskirts of Alpena. They had 2 other dogs (adopted from the Huron Humane Society) and live on 80 acres in the country (family farm) THEY WERE PREFECT! To this day they are my saviors! Indy is still living with them, happy as can be. I pay for all his care, food, toys, treats, medication etc. And they give him all the love and attention he needs. We are currently on the "home stretch" of our very TEMPORARY stay in Ontario (we agree that a province who discriminates - is not where we will be establishing our life for our family, how could we support that??) I miss my darling Indy every day, and have spend many night in tears, worried or missing him. My daughter who is now 2, talks about Indy all the time - and our goal was always to have them raised together as best friends should be, and we have been so torn up my this law. My family isn't together, and that isn't right. The worst part is, he just looks like a pit bull...he isn't even purebred! The BSL in Ontario has torn us apart. I just want my WHOLE family to be together again!
Lauren
