Preston and The Pups
Written by Preston
Photography by Miranda Danielle Photography
A year before, I started looking for another four-legged companion after I lost my service dog, Georgia. Georgia was a Blue Heeler and the best dog I ever had, and after losing her I knew I wanted another Blue Heeler. I had been searching and saw a post on Facebook that had been shared a few hundred times thanks to dog advocates; a story about a stray dog that was left in the woods, desperately needing a home. The dog, now named Daisy, had been roaming the woods for weeks on end all alone and starving. The people who found Daisy believed that she was just dropped off down there in the excluded wooded area. After reading her story I drove to Woodbine and immediately knew she belonged with me. I picked her up and took her home.
I knew her journey would be hard, but the first few months with Daisy were far past a challenge. Daisy was extremely malnourished and understandably very skittish around people. I thought that maybe getting another dog would make it easier for Daisy to adjust into our family. So once again, feeling passionate about adopting/rescuing vs. shopping, I turned to Facebook and rescue groups. A few months later after bringing daisy home, I saw a local animal shelter posted about a tiny Blue Heeler named Lily; she had been surrendered and needed a home ASAP. I couldn’t move fast enough and ran down to pick her up that very same day. For Daisy and Lily, it was a match made in heaven from the start. It was meant to be.
“I believe that Daisy was always a stray and didn’t know how to be a pet. Lily taught Daisy how to be a pet. How to trust us and to let us in.”
Fastforward a year and Daisy and Lily are a part of the family. Daisy sleeps in the bed with us, is housebroken, and loves head scratches, snuggling and riding in the back of the truck. You can find us on the weekends, riding the back dirt roads of Camden with the dogs in the back of the truck, and letting the dogs run free. Even though these beautiful pups lead better lives since bringing them home…
“I didn’t just save them. As a wounded vet with PTSD, these dogs save me… daily.”
