I’ve always heard that dogs live in the moment. And once that moment passes they no longer think of or understand it. Luckily because of my volunteering and work with shelter and rescued dogs, I now speak dog. Yes, they do live in the moment. But that moment for them last their entire lives. I want to share some happy moments for me.

I fell hard for RJ at BARC five years ago. He was so handsome and friendly. He knew how to sit and LOVED humans. He also looked very dapper in a bow tie. After we photographed him and did his video and bio, I went home to market him. I later received a call from a friend that he was being marched over to Bay Dock to be put down. I made a quick call and told them “alto” I was on the way over to pick him up. Rescued Pets Movement tagged him for Hoping Fur A Home. He was just minutes away of losing his life. I worked out his fostering and he came to my office during the day and to Larry and Jackie Sklar’s at night. We also spent time at the ranch in Medina, TX where he loved it.

Five years later, we met again with his humans in Wisconsin. He has a brother and even a two-year-old human. RJ may have lived in the moment but I was one of those moments. A moment he never forgot. As soon as he saw me walking up he started talking and his tail wouldn’t stop wagging. It was a hugfest. And he couldn’t stop kissing me. He remembered. There was no doubt. It was as if we were never apart. Not gonna lie, it was hard leaving that big, sweet, handsome dude. But we had our moment. Our moments. He is where he needed to and should be. I will always miss him. Even though he lives in the moment, we will always remember one another.

And then there was Salvador. Just another unwanted Pittie at BARC. I wanted to take a shelter dog with me to Minute Maid Stadium four years ago to The Astros Bark In The Park day where everyone brings their dogs and we get to parade them around on the field. I wanted to take Big Lou but he had an accident in his kennel overnight and needed to be cleaned up. I didn’t have the time so I grabbed Salvador. I had never met him before but he was a beautiful blockhead Pittie. We hopped in my tuck and drove to the ballpark.

I noticed right away that he was perfect – with dogs and humans. We walked the bases and what a ham! All of the children on the lower levels reached down and pet him. He stopped for each and every one. Oh did he love that! He even posed with Lance McCullers and the Astros Cheerleaders. What a special dog. Again, Rescued Pets Movement pulled him for Hoping Fur A Home and we fostered him. No way was I leaving him at the shelter.

He may have lived in the moment but when he saw me four years later he came running. He couldn’t wait to see me. He remembered. He remembered our moment. I sat on the ground with him and he couldn’t quit kissing me. Then he rolled over in my lap, just as he always had. Again, it was if we were never apart. I loved my time with him and funny enough he was very popular everywhere he went. People would pass by and wave to him as they called his name. It was almost like his human and I weren’t there when people saw him. He is larger than life. It was hard to leave Mr. Handsome again. But we had our moment. Our moments. He is where he needed to and should be. I will always miss him. Even though he lives in the moment, we will always remember one another.

I do believe our dogs live in the moment. But I also believe those moments stretch out over their entire lives, which are just way too short. Oh, they remember. They remember everything. Especially the good and special things. I just learned that first hand. I’ve completely lost track of how many dogs I’ve helped, all of them completely deserving and now with humans of their own. But RJ and Salvador were the only two I ever considered risking a divorce by thinking of keeping them. It makes me smile watching them with humans of their own.

I’m not jealous. Because I too live in the moment. Moments come and go. Memories are forever. I’ll continue to live in the moment with our shelter and rescue dogs. They will too. But they remember. You can take that to the bank. The memory bank. Have a great life my beautiful boys.