"We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals." -Immanuel Kant

Eventually I'm sure I won't have as much to say about Uno but for now, bringing him to his Forever Home has been like bringing home a newborn baby -- every time he moves a whisker I whip out the camera.  He's adorable but, more importantly, every day brings a little bit more confidence on his part, a little more affection for us, or at least this is what I like to believe.   For instance, when I got home yesterday after running an errand, he ran to me and jumped up on my legs, whimpering and wagging his tail.  For a "normal" dog who has always known how to be a dog, this is not a big, hairy deal.  For Uno and all of his formerly incarcerated brethren, this is HUGE.  

Most of my posts have been happy ones but this evening as I lay with him curled up between my knees on my bed while putting my little one to sleep, a realization dawned on me.  This was that the real cruelty of the situation Uno and these other dogs were in before their rescue by Beagle Freedom Project was not as much the conditions in which they were kept, the testing they were subjected to, or how they were exploited by people that call themselves human... it is that they were not loved.   My intention is by no means to minimize all that was done to them or how they were kept, but I see Uno and how he puts his paw on our arms to keep us from walking away when we're petting him, or how he readily climbs onto my belly and chest or curls up in between my knees, or even how he comes when we call him and is content to tolerate all of our pets and smooches and scratches until our backs hurt from bending over or our legs have fallen asleep from squatting, and I know that this animal needs to be loved.   These are SENTIENT, sweet, loyal, smart dogs that would just as soon go without food than live without affection.  
 
He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion.
-- Author Unknown









Uno is getting better every day but readers, don't misunderstand me -- he is still a little skittish, he still jumps and tucks his tail under when an envelope falls to the floor while I'm opening the mail, he has a long way to go before he is no longer traumatized... but I know that he knows that we recognize that his greatest need is for love 

                   and love...

                                                                             conquers all.