Blitzkrieg Part 1

This is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to write. I’ve written it as a draft and haven’t been able to finish it since the first week of January. I’ve written several drafts of his story that I’ve never published between November until now, but every time I go to finish these stories I’m overcome with emotion. I even made a video montage of him, that’s still in draft on my phone… that I just can’t bring myself to finish.

On December 26th, Megan and I let our boy, Blitzkrieg, go after a tough (and short) battle with cancer. It was, by far, the hardest thing I have ever experienced in my life… and I’m sure it was hers too. And four months later… I’m nowhere near over it.

So I figured I’d tell you the story of him, in the best way possible, on here but through several parts in order for me to not go mad with grief

It was a chilly February day in my home town, California City, when I stumbled upon a Facebook post for Cal City Animal Control. They had a German Shepherd named “Bear” that someone had dropped off in the overnight kennel with very little information: just that he was about a year old and had arthritis in his paw. He was handsome… with the biggest boopable snoot I had ever seen. Immediately I thought of all the possibilities… he could be a SAR K9… we’d look so cool together, so tactical! Even though I had absolutely ZERO idea of how to train or utilize a K9 in search and rescue.

I reached out to the pound and they said he had 4 other people lined up for him. I asked if I could at least meet him so I know if we were compatible and see if he would be a good fit for SAR work (which, once again, I had ZERO idea of what those qualities were lol). I got out of the car to meet him and was met with a cantankerous old hag who worked the kennels. I asked if the animal control officer was in, and she told me to come back later today, then proceeded to talk to herself about how she had the same pants as me but had she known they look like that on people she wouldn’t have gotten them. This was her internal dialogue… spoken aloud… I know right, what a turd of a person lol.

I went into the gated dirt play area where “Bear” was and he immediately came running to me. I was startled at first, as the last time I walked up on a German Shepherd I scared him and he about bit my throat out. I tensed as he came up and he immediately knew I was there to play with him. Poor guy… scared and alone… his owner a chicken shit coward who left him because he was “PCS’ing back to South Carolina and couldn’t take him with him.” All he wanted was someone to play with him. He immediately fell in love with me and I him.

What I didn’t know at the time though was that the lady who works the front desk was watching us the whole time. She came out to greet me and I told her I was the one who contacted her on Facebook about him. She told me that she watched how we immediately bonded and couldn’t give him away to anyone else, and that’s how I came home with a dog.

Well, I mean I came home with him a few days later since he needed to be neutered. But as we waited for that appointment, I came by the kennel to see him and reassure him that he was never going to be abandoned ever again. That I would be back for him.

And from there, the strongest bond I’ve ever had with a dog was formed…

…More to come in part 2.