Such faith much wow
November 18, 2018 10:43 AM   Subscribe

 
That's a really lovely story. Thanks for linking it, QAR.
posted by tavella at 10:53 AM on November 18, 2018 [1 favorite]


there's a movie in this
posted by philip-random at 11:01 AM on November 18, 2018


There was once this other dog waiting in Ithaca...
posted by chavenet at 11:33 AM on November 18, 2018 [9 favorites]


Its a great story, but the title of the post seems misleading. The dog did forget the author, at least initially.

Im glad this person had this wonderful dog to help them through the tough times, but its terrible what many of us have put our pets through, me more so than anyone. What they endure for the sake of being with us. I wish times were easier for everyone, especially all the good dogos out there.
posted by WalkerWestridge at 11:40 AM on November 18, 2018 [4 favorites]


I'm not crying YOU'RE CRYING.
posted by brundlefly at 11:44 AM on November 18, 2018 [3 favorites]


On Twitter, the author recently posted a brief, moving thread about her dreams. She seems to be doing amazing work covering the Texas prison system, among other things.
posted by Wobbuffet at 11:58 AM on November 18, 2018 [1 favorite]


Well, that ending was unexpected. Off to find tissues.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 12:12 PM on November 18, 2018


It is entirely possible that the dog had a pretty good time while she was addicted. Someone always home, sleeping a lot, and spending a lot of time walking the streets with them is a pretty good deal for a dog.
posted by ckridge at 12:12 PM on November 18, 2018 [20 favorites]


Yeah, dogs don't care what kind of person you are, as long as you're nice to them. That's one of the beautiful things about dogs.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 12:35 PM on November 18, 2018 [13 favorites]


Yeah, people bitch about the crusties being terrible for their dogs, but (a) as long as we're still putting down pitties at such high rates in the shelters, anything short of abuse is preferable to animal control; and (b) spending all day sitting and walking around outside with your person probably isn't too bad a lifestyle from a doggo's POV.
posted by praemunire at 12:38 PM on November 18, 2018 [19 favorites]


That was amazing. Thanks for posting.
posted by misozaki at 1:07 PM on November 18, 2018 [1 favorite]


people bitch about the crusties being terrible for their dogs, but

I'm all for that until they put the dog in an open boxcar
posted by Grandysaur at 2:00 PM on November 18, 2018


Great story. But the transition at the end into trendy Internet "dog speak" seemed off and ruined it a bit for me.
posted by Borborygmus at 3:51 PM on November 18, 2018 [2 favorites]


I'm all for that until they put the dog in an open boxcar

The ones I've known don't hop trains with dogs in tow. It's hard enough with a full pack; then to be carrying a 50+ pound dog too? I'm sure it's happened somewhere sometime, but I'd be surprised if it were a frequent occurrence.

/derail

pun intended.

posted by eviemath at 4:08 PM on November 18, 2018 [2 favorites]


The number of train hobos of any persuasion is, I understand, seriously diminished and steadily dropping.
posted by praemunire at 4:56 PM on November 18, 2018 [4 favorites]


The number of train hobos of any persuasion is, I understand, seriously diminished and steadily dropping.

Even the IWW has probably less than one percent of its membership who has ever hopped a train. There are easier ways to get around these days.

But like - this post makes me think a lot about the things and randomness that have kept some of us on one side of a hard line and others not. For some it’s dogs, for some it’s kids. Basically, having someone you have to be responsible for makes you in many ways more responsible and care if you live or die.

I’m glad she got a dog. I wish everyone would.
posted by corb at 5:45 PM on November 18, 2018 [6 favorites]


It was one usage of the word borked and they helpfully provided a link to the definition. Which I had to click on because I hadn't heard it before.

Oh, I overlooked that as a typo, I was talking about "Heckin’ good dog. 13/10 would hire as reentry counselor."

It's a different tone from the rest of the piece, and makes it feel exclusionary, because you need to be part of that particular subculture or aware of it.
posted by Borborygmus at 6:17 PM on November 18, 2018


The number of train hobos of any persuasion is, I understand, seriously diminished and steadily dropping.

Given when and where I've met folks with relatively recent train-hopping experience, I suspect there are also regional differences.
posted by eviemath at 6:34 PM on November 18, 2018


Count me among readers who enjoy subculture vernacular if the context makes it clear. I thought "13/10 would hire as reentry counselor" a brilliant ending. But then I also thought "borking" was a typo and "hecking" an avoidance of the F word. Things can get complicated.

My take away of the whole article wasn't the dog, it was the family who adopted the dog, and then the author. Helping who you find yourself with. Lovely.
posted by kestralwing at 7:00 PM on November 18, 2018 [1 favorite]


You know what, its hard on a dog being given from family to family or person to person. Dogs like stability and knowing who they can depend on as much as children do. Sure some have great lives with homeless people and some have great lives with rich people. My comment had nothing at all to do with the authors financial status or drug use or any of that, but its hard on a dog when they love you and then you're suddenly gone, so they cautiously begin to love someone else, except, no, you're back again, and they have to leave this other family that they had grown into. Its hard on them, and its a fucking shame, they deserve better.
posted by WalkerWestridge at 8:15 PM on November 18, 2018


There are still plenty of train-riders, at least there were 5-10 years ago, I've since retired and have no stats (and would seriously doubt the veracity of any claims on an estimated train rider population. It's probably good that most people are not aware of the continued existence of hobos, but I can assure you that riding freight is indeed a viable means of travel. Even with a dog, although that obviously makes it more difficult and many folks won't ride train with dogs for safety's sake. And dogs love the traveller life, they're with their human and meeting people and dogs every day. It beats sitting around a condo alone all day long, with a couple of poop breaks.
posted by Reynard Digitalis at 8:20 PM on November 18, 2018 [2 favorites]


"hecking" an avoidance of the F word

H*cking, please, dogs might be reading this.
posted by praemunire at 9:26 PM on November 18, 2018 [6 favorites]


Heckin’ good dog. 13/10 would hire as reentry counselor.

Click on the Twitter link. It's a hilarious account.
posted by bendy at 12:47 AM on November 19, 2018


It's hard enough with a full pack; then to be carrying a 50+ pound dog too?

You get on and off the trains when they're stopped. Getting on a moving train is dangerous. Besides, it's much easier to find a stopped train than a one moving one going under 5 mph.

The whole bit about jumping on a moving train has been selectively amplified by tv and movies. They show it because boarding a stopped train isn't nearly as exciting. But in the real hobo world, stopped trains are the norm.
posted by ryanrs at 1:24 AM on November 19, 2018 [3 favorites]


This is giving me a bunch of disparate thoughts.

I rescued a cat from a guy who had relapsed on meth over this past summer. We'd been friends, he'd relapsed, and he was neglecting the cat. He's not going to get better until he decides to, but I got the cat out and placed him with a family who can give him the attention he needs. I wish kitty had been more of a reason for my friend to make better choices, but that's not where he is right now.

I've known a lot of homeless punks over time, and just chatted with a lot of homeless folks in my various neighborhoods. A lot of people have dogs and a few even have cats, and they've all seemed really happy - they spend a ton of time with their human, getting attention and exploring outside. I've known a lot of people who hopped trains, and a lot of people with dogs, and they weren't the same groups of people.I know that if I became homeless, the first thing I would want to do is get a dog (even though I am totally a cat person) because a dog will help you keep warm at night, and helps you stay safe, keep you focused on what you need to do, give you a reason to keep going. I'd probably want a pit bull, because people think they're scary but if you treat them right they are the nicest dogs in the world.

Finally it makes me think about the various prison programs that have paired inmates with shelter cats and how meaningful that's been for so many people.

To refer back to the article, I can only imagine with horror how stressful it was for her not knowing where her dog was when she got picked up, what had happened. I've been lucky enough to avoid prison, homelessness, and addiction, but I have chronic pain and illness and my cats keep me going more than I can say and if I were in that position - I wouldn't ever get over it if something bad happened to my cats. I'm glad she was able to know her dog was safe and so, so happy that the situation led to making a new connection with people who helped her get her life back together.
posted by bile and syntax at 6:09 AM on November 19, 2018 [1 favorite]


They're good dogs, Borborygmus.
posted by Badgermann at 6:51 AM on November 19, 2018 [1 favorite]


Then, amazingly, this family kept their word. After two years of giving my dog a great home, they gave her back for good.Over time, they became like second parents to me. They made a place in their lives for me, and it all started because of my dog.

I love this story, and I love my dog: but I think that this, here, is the real story of kindness and love in this piece. How many people who adopt an animal would be willing to do something like this, especially for a person in the place the author was in when they took the dog? Especially for a story like "we adopted Charlie from a drug dealer who abandoned her?" I think about the narratives people tell about the places dogs come from, and the way that adoptions prioritize a clean, heartwarming story about the terrible past of the dogs and the warm future they step into. Sometimes, often, things are maybe more complicated than that. I'm glad that this connection worked out for her, and for this family, and this dog.
posted by sciatrix at 7:20 AM on November 19, 2018 [10 favorites]


My dog just passed away after a long happy life with us. I feel so, so unmoored right now not having her to care for.

I don't really have a point here, other that this made me have to run into the bathroom at work. A good dog really can make your life worth living.
posted by lumpenprole at 12:16 PM on November 19, 2018 [6 favorites]


Hugs, lumpenprole.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 12:20 PM on November 19, 2018 [1 favorite]


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