Congratulations to Rocio Palomino! Here we leave you with her story and Shiro’s story. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
Shiro taught me that we all need love. Shiro was a hunting dog that was abandoned in a shelter. Noble and loving, he came into my life almost reluctantly. I suffered greatly from the loss of my beloved dog Canela and did not want to go through the same thing again.
For this reason, I made my husband promise not to get a dog. But life is full of coincidences, and one day an acquaintance of Paco’s (my husband) showed him a picture of a dog that had been abandoned in a shelter. Paco wanted to save it, but he couldn’t break his promise. The decision was in the hands of Manuel Jesus, my son, who no one made him promise anything.
We arrived at the kennel, my husband and son with the illusion that they would have a dog, and I with the hope that they would give up on the idea. No animal could replace my dear friend. But then my son grabbed my hand and pulled me closer to the enclosures.
He looked at me and said: “Mom, we can’t save them all, but we can save one.” And then I looked at the dog and saw the fear and anguish. And I felt compassion for the poor frightened animal. I approached him, and even though he didn’t know me at all, he tried to lick my hand.
I went to the office and told the manager: “Please get him out of there and we’ll get him.” My son was thrilled, and my husband was very pleased. Manuel Jesus, my son, said: “Shiro. He will be called Shiro. (which means “White” in Japanese).
It might seem silly, but I thought, “He has a name. Shiro was afraid of everything: people, the dark, other dogs… He had hip dysplasia and suffered from separation anxiety. Even though I spent most of my time rehabilitating Shiro, I still thought with melancholy about my lost friend.
But Shiro needed love, too. And one day, when we were alone at home, he sat across from me, looked at me with those cute little caramel-colored eyes, and I thought, “It’s not fair. It’s not fair that every time I look at you, I think of the pain I feel for the loss of my friend.”
So I decided, for her sake, to say goodbye to my faithful companion in the only way available. I hugged Shiro with my eyes closed and, thinking of my faithful friend, I said goodbye to her, promising to carry the memory of her with me forever.
I opened my eyes, looked at Shiro, and said quietly: “Forgive me, but that hug was not meant for you.” He looked back at me sweetly, as if he understood and accepted it. Then I hugged him again and said lovingly, “This hug is for you. Welcome to the family.
From that day on, things got better. Shiro, the protagonist of more than one funny anecdote, now has special food and dysplasia treatment to help him stay healthy. He has gradually overcome his fears, and I can proudly say that he is a happy dog who enriches our lives.
Shiro no longer suffers from anxiety, he is one of the family, he is not replacing anyone because everyone has a place in my heart. And he is lucky to have a little playmate named Koshi.
They both spend hours playing, sleeping together and being quiet when we have to leave the house, and I will always remember my beloved Kanela fondly. But Shiro also did something for me, he made the wounds in my heart heal and taught me that we all need love.